Sorontar's (Now) Flying Circus

[Sorontar]

I wanted a small project to fill what free time I have so I thought I might make a biplane on Sanctuary. This has now increased to three aircraft within my desert claim near Bazz's large steampunk factory. To get there quickly, just use /warp sorontar.airfield

In the future, I plan to add a couple more WWI aircraft, make it more of an airfield, and may be make some secret hangers with modern aircraft (especially the Saab Viggen, the Panavia Tornado and the Harrier).

If anyone wants to use and/or adapt my designs for their own projects, they are welcome. I think a couple of biplanes around the Empire State Building in the Hunger Games City would be great. All we then need is a huge gorilla as well (plumbers not required).



The first aircraft was just an experiment so it isn't based on anything in particular. It is a two seater biplane with RAF-like markings. Unfortunately, I can't put roundels on the sides due to the fuselage largely being made of stairs.



At the front is a dispenser loaded with arrows which is connected to the lever joystick in the pilot's cockpit. The wheels are pistons.



The rear cockpit is for the bomber. In front of the seat a block of tnt can be placed. When the bomb release button is pressed, the tnt is lit and falls from the plane, into a hole in the sand and safely away (I made a pool of water underneath).



The problems I had were the size of the craft and the distance off the ground as I couldn't stick anything between the wheels and the fuselage. The fence-post propeller wasn't great either but it was the best I could do
UPDATE: just improved it by replacing the horizontal blades with gates.

[Sorontar]

The second aircraft was based on the Fokker Triplane, well known for being flown by the Baron von Richtofen, the Red Baron. For this reason, I chose the redder jungle wood as its base construction material.




Because of the red colour, I could not give it a dispenser machinegun, so I used a glowstone lantern instead. I am yet to connect it to the joystick but it should be doable. All my aircraft also have one or two railway tracks on top of the engine to represent the guns. This triplane only has a single blade propeller, so it looks a lot nicer.



I also chose to restrict the width of the wings to two blocks, rather than the three I had for the first aircraft. This unfortunately prevented me from being able to represent the German black cross on the wings. The best I could do was a hatch on the tail to represent the cross.



Again, I made the fuselage a little too low for the wheels to be properly attached. Furthermore, the sand is lower here than for the other aircraft. Small things, but still irritations.

[Sorontar]

The third aircraft is a biplane based on the Sopwith Camel. This is basically an improved version of the first biplane, without the second cockpit. The fuselage was better shaped to match the Camel as were the tail ailerons. I also mounted the bottom wing correctly on the fuselage.



As with the triplane, the Camel only has a single propellor. I also remembered to raise the fuselage one block higher, which enabled a much better wheelset.





I certainly consider this the best of the three aircraft so far.

[Irimar]

Wow! That's very nice, Sor.

[segreto]

Very cool planes. Try to make a Corsair.

[HenriDeacon]

Very nice

[Fate]

Those planes hit me right in the nostalgia .. reminded me of all the times I played Red Baron on my dinky old 486

[Sorontar]

I used to play Dawn Patrol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_in_the_Skies) with friends. It is a tabletop WWI card game in which you try to second guess the other aircraft, sometimes having to try and bomb targets as well.

If I ever have the time I might build a mobile airfield (cf Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) out over the ocean with more "experimental" aircraft on it, e.g. Frankie's Mantas, Joe's Amphibious P-40 Warhawk and Crimson Sky[1]-type craft. However, the historical craft come first. Those I have plenty of books on.

Sorontar

[1] Never played it but have always thought of trying it.

[Dalerahl]

I have always toyed with the idea of tryin to make a carrier but the thought of all that either cooked stone or steel blocks makes me weak at the knees.

Red Baron was this Shizz! I used to play it on my 286....

[Sorontar]

The Flying Circus is moving to the Mindcrack server. In preparation, the ground work has been done, readying the aerodrome to the northwest of spawn city (I think). This aerodrome is by the sea on a flat grassy plain surrounded by hills and snow peaks. For this reason, pilots are recommended to approach the runway from the ocean.



For those who wish a more direct route, in a cliff face just outside the spawn city near my plot, there is a large gateway. You may travel via jetpack, equine or zeppelin, or even just jump. However, there is a small drop on the other side. Safety boots or good health are recommended. Zeppelin pilots regularly report of the crosswinds from the ocean causing havoc with their steering. At the aerodrome side, there is a corresponding gate to return you to the spawn city.







Much is planned for this aerodrome, like recreation of historical aircraft, but the basic structure has been built. It is based loosely on aerodromes during WWI. While these buildings are not yet finished, any pilot is welcome to visit the facilities. Please note that the contents of the chests are the property of the aerodrome and not for public usage.



There is a hanger to protect aircraft from the weather.



There is an administration office for flight logs to be registered.



For those who wish to build a zeppelin, the smith has all the work benches and furnaces required (and eventually an instruction manual once I write it). However you will need to bring your own materials.



The windsock constantly indicates the prevailing wind from the ocean.



You are welcome to land your craft on the runway but please avoid crashing into other aircraft.



So welcome to the yet-to-be-named aerodrome. May your flights be pleasant and your landings soft.



Air Marshal Sorontar