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Table of Contents
Air Propulsion
There are three ways of selecting your aerial propulsion system: By desired top speed, by engine power, or by mass.
To determine your aircraft's required thrust, you will first need to determine its Drag. This is easier than you might think: Take the aircraft's total Area, and divide by an amount based on the Streamlining, as found in the table below.
| Streamlining | |
|---|---|
| None | 1 |
| Mild | 2 |
| Moderate | 3 |
| Good | 5 |
| Excellent | 10 |
To find the thrust you need to meet your desired top speed, multiply the speed (in kph) by itself, then by your Drag. Divide this by 7,000. This gives you the thrust you need, in Newtons.
Airfoils
These are things that move, and push air behind them as a result. Typically, propellors, ducted fans and helicopter rotors are built as small wings, relying on the Bernoulli effect to move air. Ornithopters, on the other hand, flap the entire wing, producing thrust by doing so.
| TR | Type | Mass (kg) | Power (kW) | Cost (₠) | Volume (m³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1 | Propellor | Thrust ÷ 16.5 + 8 | 1.5 × Thrust | Mass × 10 | – |
| 0 | Ducted Fan | Thrust ÷ 16.5 + 8 | 2 × Thrust | Mass × 10 | Mass ÷ 150 |
| 0 | Helicopter | Thrust ÷ 6.5 + 8 | 5 × Thrust | Mass × 20 | Mass ÷ 75 |
| 0 | Tilt Rotor | Thrust ÷ 4 + 12 | 5 × Thrust | Mass × 20 | Mass ÷ 75 |
| +1 | Ornithopter | Thrust ÷ 4 + 3.5 | 4 × Thrust | Mass × 45 | Mass ÷ 75 |
Mass and Power are per Newton of thrust. Helicopter blades and Tilt Rotors also produce 1kg of static lift per Newton. However, a Tilt Rotor can switch to forward flight, trading off its static lift for a 50% increase in top speed. Ornithopter wings generate 0.25kg of static lift per Newton.
Jet Engines
Hot air expands, so heating air to very high temperatures makes it expand a lot. This is the core principal of the jet engine.
| TR | Type | Mass (kg) | Fuel (l) | Cost (₠) | Afterburner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1 | Pulse Jet | Thrust ÷ 2 + 45 | Thrust ÷ 150 | Mass × 2 | |
| -1 | WWII Turbojet | Thrust ÷ 15 + 225 | Thrust ÷ 120 | Mass × 20 | |
| -1 | Cold War Turbojet | Thrust ÷ 30 + 70 | Thrust ÷ 250 | Mass × 20 | Yes |
| -1 | Cold War Turbofan | Thrust ÷ 20 + 90 | Thrust ÷ 400 | Mass × 20 | Yes |
| -1 | Ramjet | Thrust ÷ 45 | Thrust ÷ 90 | Mass × 40 | |
| 0 | Turbo-Ramjet | Thrust ÷ 35 + 120 | Thrust ÷ 250 | Mass × 50 | Yes |
| 0 | Modern Turbofan | Thrust ÷ 45 + 45 | Thrust ÷ 750 | Mass × 20 | Yes |
| +1 | Hydrogen Turbofan | Thrust ÷ 45 + 25 | Thrust ÷ 60 | Mass × 20 | Yes |
| +2 | Fusion Turbofan | Thrust ÷ 90 + 25 | – | Mass × 40 |
Volume for all engines listed above, in cubic meters, is equal to their mass divided by 75.
Afterburner
Some jet engines can be fitted with an afterburner. If you choose to fit a compatible engine with an afterburner, increase the mass by 10% and the cost by 50%. While the afterburner is running, your vehicle's top speed is increased by 25%, but your engine drinks fuel five times faster!