Image by Leslie Faye
Airships
Short-Distance
Throughout roughly the latter half of the 1200s, short-distance airships in Remikra were used to transport passengers and lightweight cargo between Counties within each Province. This blog entry will focus primarily on passenger transit.
These short-distance airships were known as Compound-Aerovehicles, "Cavies" for short, or Commuter Vessels, CVs for short. CVs have existed since even before the advent of hubstone technology during the 1080s. And though a great deal of modifications and technological updates occurred over the following 200 years, all happened with only one type of short-distance airship: the CV-100.
A typical CV-100 airship consisted of a dirigible gondola below which hung a passenger-and-crew cabin firmly attached. The Propellors Engines were attached to the back of the hang-down cabin while the Tail Fin was attached to the back of the gondola.
The Flight Deck of a typical CV-100 was staffed by a Captain, First Officer, Flight Engineer, and Maintenance Technician. The Flight Deck interior was twice the width of a typical automobile with windows spanning around the front perimeter of the Deck in the shape of a semi-circle. The Captain sat on the left-hand side of the front row of the Deck while the First Officer sat on the right. In front of each the Captain's and First Officer's seats sat a control column while a single column stood between them for the throttle and flaps. On the left side of the Flight Deck behind the Captain sat the Flight Engineer, whose seat faced outward from the Deck. Meanwhile, on the right side behind the First Officer stood the Maintenance Tech's quarters, which consisted of a sitting area and a storage space for necessary equipment.
Immediately behind the Flight Deck stood the Passenger Area, which consisted of two Sections. The layout of Section One consisted of four-person Group-Seating on the left hand side and an Aisle accompanied by Lounge-Seating on the right. On the Lounge Side bordering the Section Two stood a Snack-and-Coffee Bar accessible to the passengers. The layout of Section Two was very much similar to Section One except that the Group-Seating was on the right side while the Aisle and Lounge-Seating was on the left. The placement of the two Sections differed from aircraft-to-aircraft with some having Section One in the front and others having Section Two in the front. Carry-on luggage typically went with passengers to their seats and was typically the most common thing transported. For longer-distance flights, like from a County in one end of a Province to one on the other end, passengers did occasionally carry larger pieces of luggage, which were placed in Section Three in the back between the Passenger Area and the Engine Room.
A service gangway, restricted solely to Flight Crew members, ran through the luggage compartments of Section Three connecting the Passenger Area to the Engine Room, which housed the two Propellor Engines behind each of which was a hubstone battery. On the other side of the Engine Room from the Engines stood the Motherboard which directed electric currents to important amenities like lights, heat, water, and flight controls.
Long-Distance
Long-distance airships, each labeled in the Remikran Union as Remikran Air-Ship, or R.A.S., followed by the vessel name, served to transport passengers and freight between other Remikran nations as well as overseas destinations. They existed in multiple generations, ranging from double-gondola vessels to quadruple-gondola vessels. In this instance, focus will be made on the R.A.S Regeland, a triple-gondola airship built and commissioned for common transit in North Kempton (present-day Maxima).
The Flight Deck of the Regeland was staffed by a Captain, First Officer, Navigation Officer, Communications Officer, Flight Engineer, and Maintenance Technician. The space and window layout of the Flight Deck on this vessel was roughly the same as that on a typical CV-100 ship, except that the perimeter was more triangular with the front row closer together than the back as well as the overall area and width being larger. In the front row sat the Captain on the left and the First Officer on the right, each with their own control column while they shared a throttle and flaps column in the center. The second row of the Flight Deck consisted of the Navigation Officer on the left and the Communications Officer on the right, each of whom faced front like the Captain and First Officer. In the third row sat the Flight Engineer on the left hand side facing outward and the Maintenance Technician on the right side with a rotating office chair. The Tech Quarters were here while there were service closets located in each Section of each gondola. To note, each of these Sections was covered by an Assistance Technician who reported to the Maintenance Technician on the Flight Deck.
The Passenger Area of the Regeland was divided into three Gondolas, with the Right and Left Gondolas positioned laterally beside each other over the Center Gondola and each connected to the other two by a series of passenger gangways and a Center Aisle between all three Gondolas. The Center Gondola consisted of the Flight Deck, a Dining Room and Kitchen area, a Lounge Area, a Performance Hall, a Ballroom, and a Gymnasium. Each of the Right and Left Gondolas consisted of a Passenger Lodging Rooms all of which had windows facing outward, and each having a special closet to store all light and heavy luggage. Each Passenger Area was divided into three Sections: First-Class, Business Class, and Economy Class. Each Section was subsequently divided into three levels traversed by their own series of gangways. The Center Aisle Room, situated above the Center Gondola and between the Left and Right Gondolas, consisted of a Grand Walkway lined with gardens and fountains on its lower level, and a Skyway in its upper level which stood beneath skylights along the Center Aisle's entire length enabling visitors to look upward and outward from the airship. To note, both levels of the Center Aisle were home to numerous stand-shops selling food, clothing, and other accessories.
The Regeland was driven by a total of six Propellor Engines, with each one and its hubstone battery source housed in a chamber hanging separate from the vessel attached by a steel fixture lined with a service gangway. Both the gangway and engine chamber were pressurized to enable in-flight repairs if needed. The six Engines were affixed in this fashion in the form of three pairs, one of each pair on either end of the vessel, spaced out equally along the length. To note, pressurized gangways also connected the Passenger and Crew Cabins to the Tail Fin as well as the void lift chambers.
Gyroplanes: First-Generation
Short-Distance
Beginning in the 1310s and 1320s, First-Generation Commuter Gyroplanes superseded CVs and commuter planes in transporting Remikran travelers between Counties.
The Flight Deck of a typical short-distance gyroplane was staffed only by a Captain, First Officer, and Aircraft Engineering Technician, as more things were automated. The Flight Deck space was much smaller than that of an airship, being about the same size as the interior space of a passenger automobile. Likewise though, the Captain sat in the front row on the left and the First Officer on the right, as each had their own control column while they shared a column for the throttle and flaps. In the back row sat the aircraft computer on the left and the Engineer Tech on the right.
Despite its outward appearance, First-Generation Commuter Gyroplanes each had a roomy Passenger Area. Both sides, however, were lined with passenger seats facing the front and down the middle of the Passenger Area ran an aisle. Each seating group in each row on each side of the aisle had a personal console that dispensed snacks and drinks while a special Hospitality Crew would deliver on special requests for food, drinks, and service. Meanwhile, passengers could bring carry-on luggage to store under their seats while heavier luggage went in a compartment under the Passenger Area.
Each Commuter Gyroplane had a pair of Gyro-Engines built into its fuselage located in the tail fin. Each Engine consisted of a chamber housing an apparatus containing a Solon fuel processor and a network of gyro-steerage nodes. These kinds of Engines are still used today and are known for their fuel and sound efficiency.
Long-Distance
Also beginning in the 1310s and 1320s, Long-Distance First-Generation Gyroplanes superseded long-distance airships in passenger transit to other nations and overseas territories, especially the Ancondrian territories. The Flight Decks of these gyroplanes were identical to those of Commuter Gyroplanes in terms of staffing and spacial layout.
However, Long-Distance Gyroplanes differed in their Passenger Areas, each of which was divided into two Levels. Each Level consisted of a series of four-person Passenger Seating Rooms, while each of these Seating Rooms contained a place to store both light and heavy luggage as well as seats that could convert into beds. Such Seating Rooms lined each side of the aircraft. And lengthwise in between the two sides stood a Center Aisle resembling a fancy corridor of a corporate building. At the back of the Passenger Area stood a two-level Observation Deck lined with a wide back window that gave a view of the outside.
Like with Commuter Gyroplanes, Long-Distance Gyroplanes had two Gyro-Engines in their tails with the exact same propulsion and steerage apparatus. The one exception, however, was that these Engines were bigger in size.
POD Vehicles
Beginning in the 1370s, Personal-and-Occupational Destination Vehicles, or POD Vehicles, began superseding First-Generation Gyroplanes as well as all other forms of transit, in order to serve as a universal mode of transportation for large numbers of Circlarians. Though First-Generation models occasionally service certain public relation and business agendas, POD Vehicles have since become commonplace.
Each POD vehicle has built-in flight consoles for a supposed Captain and First Officer in accordance with international law, though such pilots are hardly required these days to fly POD Vehicles due to the industry being almost 100 percent automated. The Passenger Area of each POD vehicle is much more personalized, as each vessel can only carry up to three or four passengers. A typical passenger space includes a Kitchen, Lounge, Bedroom, and Bathroom. The Passenger Area also includes closet space to store luggage.
Each POD includes two Gyro-Engines which are smaller in size than those of the earlier Gyroplane Generations. However, only one Engine runs during flight while the other serves as a backup when needed. Most maintenance on these vessels occurs automatically on a nanoscale while any extensive maintenance needed is carried out by licensed technicians at service stop locations on the ground.