by Max Barry

Latest Forum Topics

Advertisement

1

DispatchFactbookEconomy

by The Kingdom of Mackjaracotavon. . 28 reads.

Skyfleet Aircraft Company (WIP)


The Skyfleet Aircraft Company logo

The Skyfleet Aircraft Company remains the only major Cretian civil aviation company that has not taken part in the development of military aviation technologies. Founded in 1949, it is well loved for its products' reliability and safety, with R&D continuously working on methods to improve range and aerodynamics on future aircraft.


-BEGINNINGS-

In January of 1946, a serf by the name of Thomas Hartcold I, one many would accuse of being unusually well read, made headlines when he sent forth a design proposal to then-leading aircraft company Stalwart Aviation to meet the needs for a long range passenger aircraft. He dubbed this proposal the "Starliner".


Proposed design for the Starliner. (Note: Image of B-36D Peacemaker used for reference)

This design called for a long, slender fuselage, a wingspan of 230 ft (70.1 m), six powerful air-cooled radial engines in pusher configuration, and 4 500 gallon external fuel tanks mounted in tandem for extended range. The vertical stabilizer was rather tall for civil aircraft of the time. Thomas was laughed at by most of the aviation community for his status. The receiving company, however, was more than intrigued by the proposed design, more so by the laughable status of the proposer compared to his astoundingly remarkable talent. Rather than toss the proposal away, they set to work on testing the feasibility of the design, making scale models for wind tunnel testing. The results were very promising, and the go-ahead was put forward for the production of three prototype aircraft, S1, S2, and S3 (S meaning Starliner), with a 4th, static prototype labeled S4 for significant ground testing. Tests with S1 provided a wealth of information on the design, finding an estimated maximum range of 10,000 miles (16,000 km), giving it an unprecedented intercontinental capability.

With interior space capable of fitting between 40 and 70 maximum passengers, or 86,000 pounds (39,000 kg) of civil cargo, the company's interest in the design grew exponentially. Testing went on, and S2 and S3 joined the fleet of prototypes. Stall and recovery tests, stability tests, and other necessary tests began on S2 in June of that year, ultimately concluding with an observably minor but controllable tendency to stall, with a rather easy recovery giving a roughly satisfactory safety rating. Tests with S3 began later that month, with tests on S4 beginning just after. S4 faced thirty simulated hard landings, progressively harder each time. As a non-flying prototype, it showed great promise in maintaining structural strength during rough emergency landings, data showing signs of damage at 4+ Gs, and complete landing gear failure at hard landing forces of 6+ Gs. Wing-stress tests began after. The wings bent to the minimum required degree of wing flex, and continued until critical failure was achieved. The wings were ultimately destroyed at 13 degrees beyond the expected stress limitation of 20 degrees. With S4 ultimately destroyed and due to be scrapped, final tests continued with the last remaining aircraft, until testing ended in September when Stalwart greenlit mass production of the aircraft, now labeled S5. Two aircraft were procured by the Royal family as a form of royal transport, the first two indigenous commercial airliners to receive the monikers of "Mother Goose One" and "Mother Goose Two". In total, the Starliner became Stalwart Aviation's most widely produced aircraft at over 723 airframes.

By this time, due to his work in shaping a milestone in Cretian commercial aviation, the King in Senntisten double-elevated Thomas Hartcold's status to nobility, granting him a fair bit of freedom to do as he willed within the law. He went on to found the County of Adylith in southwestern Cretia in 1948, and later buy Stalwart Aviation for a price of 16 million Regals in 1949, refounding it as Skyfleet and moving its headquarters within Adylith.


-THE EARLY JET AGE-

The 1950s brought new advancements in early jet technology, since its inception during the Esto-Alisonian Conflict of the 1940s. The majority of these advances went towards military aircraft, as most corporations were comfortable sticking to piston engines and propellers for commercial aviation. The Skyfleet Aircraft Company, however, wasn't most corporations. Still fresh from the success of his intercontinental Starliner, Thomas Hartcold got together with Estainian engineers and designers from the competing Imperial Aircraft Company and designed his next big success story. The result of this collaboration would eventually become the Skyfleet-IAC S130 jet airliner.


A Skyfleet-IAC S130 Jet Airliner sitting on the tarmac at the newly-expanded Senntisten International Airport, 1961. (Note: Image of the de Havilland DH-106 Comet used for visual reference.)

Boasting similar range to the Starliner, with a fraction of the time spent in the air, the S130 became a major stepping stone in commercial aviation, powered by four turbojet engines mounted inside the wing root. Seating capacity was also improved from the Starliner, being the first aircraft to seat up to a hundred people. Overtime, several airlines would place orders for the aircraft, and a total of 712 airframes produced with an additional sixteen orders placed before 1968. The success of the aircraft drove other competitors to build their own jet aircraft, and continued to push the boundaries of jet-powered commercial aviation well into the 21st Century. A few lesser-known, regional airline companies operate updated S130s to this day, their turbojet engines replaced with more efficient turbofans.


-BEYOND THE SOUND BARRIER-

In the mid-1980s, various aviation companies were tackling the problem of how to push commercial air travel towards faster and faster speeds. Once again, the Skyfleet Aircraft Company became one of the spearheads of this endeavor, as Thomas Hartcold, his sixteen-year-old son James, and Skyfleet's best mathematicians, engineers and designers faced the problem head on. Once again, they made headlines when they released the draft of their aircraft model. This aircraft was dubbed the S200 SST.


Early concept art of the Skyfleet S200 SST

Their design called for a long, slender body with a short, pointed nose for maximum aerodynamics and pilot visibility. Variable Geometry wings were chosen for high stability and roll response time at all speeds. The aircraft itself would be powered by four afterburning turbofan engines in two underwing pods close to the wing root, pushing the aircraft to a maximum airspeed of Mach 2.3 (though Mach 1.6 was preferred by pilots and airline companies to minimize fuel consumption and drag during supersonic flight). The interior was big enough to once again push the maximum passenger load up to 130. Interior noise reduction, cabin pressure and window temperature issues were also tackled, creating safety systems and procedures for the aircraft's higher cruise altitude and airspeed. The design faced at least three revisions, modifications, and setbacks due to the loss of two prototypes in crashes, but the design was finally ready for production in 1988. Many airlines were initially skeptical about the design, but once the aircraft had proven itself, the orders started flowing in.

While the S200 SST was generally very safe, reliable, profitable and successful, it was also loud and at times maintenance heavy due to the immense stresses on the airframe. Specialized equipment and training were needed to properly check the aircraft for microfractures, cracks, and defects along the aircraft skin and structural components, as well as the afterburning turbofan engines and their critical components. Parts needed replacement with regularity, giving each airframe a six-week grace period in the air before they were brought in for a two week inspection on the ground. Additionally, the shockwave created by supersonic flight meant that cruising speed was limited to Mach 0.87 above urban and residential areas.

Regardless of the setbacks and issues, many people loved the S200 for its speed and comfort. Two S200s were purchased by the royal government for use as airborne labs for high-speed flight research, bringing in tons of data that ultimately helped a great number of projects that involved supersonic aircraft and may become the basis for future supersonic airliners.

Around 2016, a single decommissioned S200 SST flew over the palace in Ruunfield before a large crowd and live TV on its way to an aviation museum in Adylith, flanked by two Hellhound stealth fighters and two Tornado GR.4 attacker aircraft. This ten year anniversary since the S200's final commercial flight was met with plenty of fanfare and praise from Cretian citizens and aviation enthusiasts worldwide.


-GOING JUMBO-

In 2005, James Hartcold, now the patriarch of the family and CEO of Skyfleet, realized that the company hadn't produced a heavy commercial aircraft to fill the growing market. Once again gathering with mathematicians, engineers and designers, he created and approved of a fairly large, two-deck airliner with a maximum capacity of 263 passengers, officially dubbed the S570.


Skyfleet S570 Prototype, S570-1, leaving the Skyfleet Aircaft Company's Manufacturing Plant at Ruunfield International Airport, Circa 2007.

The aircraft is powered by four high-bypass turbofan engines (which were revolutionary at the time of the S570's unveiling) mounted inboard side-by-side in a similar fashion to the S200. The internal fuel stores were supported by two 500 gallon fixed external tanks, a functional and practical choice that draws influence from the Starliner and the company's founding. While the S570 had a troubled development, the first prototype eventually flew before the eyes of an airshow crowd in 2007. The first orders were delivered half-way into 2009, after all tests were performed and all certifications and qualifications were met. As of now, many airlines fly the S570 for hauling large numbers of passengers or cargo on extended flights. The current Mother Goose 1 and Mother Goose 2 are both S570s owned by the royal family for transport to this day. An additional S570 cargo variant is owned by the royal government for use as an airborne lab and airborne launch platform for small orbital rockets.

-MORE TO COME-

The Kingdom of Mackjaracotavon

RawReport