A/N: I wrote this little blurb as sort of a briefing of Thunderwing, because I realized I'm probably losing some people on some of the aviation techno-babble I use. Though this won't contribute much to my current story, "Star Tron: Escalations", it will provide some background on Thunderwing so that you can understand a little better how it works. Hopefully, you'll find it interesting, but if you're not interested in planes, that's fine, too. This also makes some allusions to Driscoll's past, which we'll see more of as the series goes on.
Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron, Star Trek, or anything else that belongs to either World Events Productions or Paramount. What I do own are the fighter, Thunderwing, and the story itself.
Thunderwing 101
Hunk sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the lounge with the PADD Adam had given him. With the repair work completed, and not being on duty until practice the next morning, Hunk decided to read up on the plane. He had been fairly impressed by what he saw as he and Pidge fixed up the Mustang, with Adam helping as best he could, and was now very interested in seeing exactly what made that thing tick. He turned on the PADD and began to read.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thunderwing Design Overview
Type: North American P-51D-25-NA Mustang (Base Airframe)
Accommodation: One pilot, one passenger/co-pilot in rear jumpseat
Dimensions: Length: 32 ft., 3-5/16 in.
Wingspan: 37 ft., 5/15 in.
Weight: 7,125 lbs. empty; 11,600 lbs. combat-loaded
Power Plant: One custom, Neo-Merlin engine generating up to
85,000 horsepower, driving a variable-pitch, four-bladed,
featherable propeller, providing a maximum speed of Mach 15 in
planetary atmosphere up to mesospheric levels;
One 800 millicochrane impulse engine with a maximum speed of
.25 light speed;
One 400 cochrane warp engine, providing a maximum speed of warp 5;
Eight RCS thrusters
Range: Up to 22 light years with full internal fuel and 165 U.S. gallon drop tanks
Armament: Standard armament consists of six, wing-mounted .50 caliber aperture, rapid-fire phasers, with power cells to
provide up to fifteen minutes of continuous fire at full power.
Several types of stores may be carried under the wings in various combinations, including:
-Two standard photon torpedoes
-Up to six antimatter-armed, guided rockets, based on an HVAR airframe
-Two microtorpedo launchers, based on an M-10 bazooka-type launcher, with nine rounds per unit.
-Extra fuel tanks of various capacities
Thunderwing began life as an F-6D Mustang, which was a photo-reconnaissance plane, serving in the European Theater of Operations during 1944 and '45 with the United States Army Air Force's 15th Tactical Recon Squadron, 10th Photo-Recon Group. Retired after the war, it was purchased as surplus in 1955 for a museum collection, where it remained until 1990, when it was bought back by the U.S. Navy and recommissioned to serve as an experimental advanced scout in Operation Desert Storm, attached to the U.S.S. Peacekeeper. The purpose of the experiment was to test the viability of using high-performance, conventional aircraft in the Forward Air Control and Battle Damage Assessment roles, which had long since been taken over by jet aircraft. Following the end of Desert Storm, it was decided that the era of conventional aircraft, even the great Mustang, was truly over, and the Peacekeeper was scheduled to re-equip with standard helicopters. At that time, the fighter was given to Adam Driscoll as part of the termination of his contract. Driscoll was serving as a technical observer on the vessel, and had flown the aircraft on two missions, after receiving training from the ship's Mustang pilots.
Driscoll restored the Mustang to a fighter version and named it Thunderwing. Bringing it back to his home town of Buffalo, New York, he continued to fly the aircraft as a civilian for several years, before joining Starfleet.
Driscoll had always thought the Navy had been wrong to deny the venerable plane and it's like their right to serve again, and in so vital a role. In Starfleet, he saw the potential to prove the Mustang's greatness once again, and seized the opportunity. He began to upgrade the Mustang's systems using 24th Century technology, much of which had to be custom-built or modified from existing units.
On the surface, Thunderwing looks much like a vintage P-51. Driscoll was very conscientious about keeping the look and feel of the fighter as authentic as possible. But upon close inspection, the upgrades become noticeable. First off, the aluminum and steel frame and skin have been replaced with duranium composites, which are stronger and lighter. Control surfaces, the canopy frame, and the propeller have been replaced with tritanium components. All bare metal external surfaces are chrome-plated for cosmetic effect. Duranium armor plating protects the fuel tanks, cockpit, and propulsion systems.
In the nose of the aircraft, below the propeller, is the main deflector dish, located just inside what would be the chin air intake on a vintage Mustang, which generates the navigational deflector field. Outboard on either side are the forward RCS thrusters. Just behind the deflector dish is the forward shield generator, which protects the forward half of the fighter. Combined with the rear generator, this unit provides enough shielding to survive a direct hit by a quantum torpedo. Behind the shield generator is the atmospheric-drive engine.
This unit is the same size as the classic Merlin engine used on original P- 51's, and was custom-built by Captain Driscoll. Dubbed the Neo-Merlin, it is powered by energized plasma from the same fusion reactor that drives the impulse engine. The neo-Merlin drives the propeller at the front of the plane. This system provides enough thrust to send the plane rocketing across the sky at Mach 15 for short periods, aided by the navigational deflector system, which literally parts the air in front of the fighter.
Below the engine lies the auxiliary power system and navicomputer/weapons guidance system. Behind the engine are an oxygen generator, primary Optical Data Network processors, and elements of the craft's main computer, which extends below the forward half of the cockpit. The cockpit itself looks exactly like that of a vintage Mustang, and indeed functions the same in atmospheric flight. However, some controls serve other functions.
The cockpit is pressurized, however, the pilot and back-seater (if present) wear oxygen masks nonetheless, in case of a sudden cabin breach, which would lead to depressurization in a space flight. Also included in the mask are microphones linked to the plane's communications systems. As a supplementary system, the cockpit can be ventilated with the outside air.
While most controls serve the same or similar functions as those on standard Mustangs, some are very different. The most important of those will be detailed here. For a full explanation of all cockpit controls, see Section 5.
Perhaps the most important control switchover is the mixture control lever, located in the throttle quadrant on the left side of the cockpit. Normally, this lever would control the rate of air and fuel mixing in the engine to ensure maximum efficiency. But, as Thunderwing does not burn fossil fuels, this control is pointless. Instead, it serves as a drive selector, allowing the pilot to choose between subsonic and supersonic flight in a planetary atmosphere, and impulse and warp flight in space. When a higher-speed drive is selected, the throttle automatically travels back to the relative position needed to maintain the current speed. From there, the pilot may advance or retard the throttle as needed to adjust speed.
When the mixture control is set from atmospheric to space drive modes, however, another unique feature of Thunderwing's cockpit becomes evident. Holographically-generated control panels, similar in appearance to those of a standard shuttlecraft, appear, covering the standard instruments. These allow the pilot to control the warp and impulse engines, and allow for astronavigation, power management, and other tasks that are not facilitated by the standard instrument suite. If necessary, these panels can also be called up by voice-command from the pilot. However, in either flight mode, the fighter's movements are still controlled by the stick, rudder pedals, and throttle.
The other controls on the throttle quadrant, namely the throttle and propeller pitch control, serve the same purpose as always, controlling speed and the angle of the propeller blades, respectively. Unlike other Mustangs, however, Thunderwing's propeller can be fully feathered, or set for minimum drag, if necessary.
Also located in the cockpit, near the brake control, is a new addition. There is a lever here that controls Thunderwing's wing-folding action. This feature, also unknown in vintage P-51's, was added by Driscoll in consideration of the limited space available in most starships' shuttlebays.
On the forward windscreen, a heads-up display is available. On the left- front panel is displayed weapons information, including the type loaded and available ammunition. The upper third of the center panel provides for visual communication. The right-front panel provides information on the craft's condition, including damage. The middle and lower portions of the forward panel are occupied by the K-14 gunsight, which was the standard sight in 1945, and has been used with great success by Captain Driscoll. Although this has been somewhat upgraded, and is now equipped with an auto-lock feature, which will lock onto any target in the sight, allowing for the use of guided ordnance.
Another interesting feature of the cockpit is that it provides the occupants with not one, but three modes of emergency escape. The first is an escape pod mode, where the entire cockpit module can be ejected from the plane, and used as a lifeboat in space, or to provide a smooth letdown on parachutes in and atmosphere. The second is an ejection seat, which will push the occupants well clear of the plane. The third is to manually jump. To activate any escape mode, the appropriate switch is flipped on the right side of the cockpit, and the red "emergency release" handle is pulled. Built into the seats are survival packs with food, water and a phaser, as well as a parachute, floatation device, and a rocket pack, so that the pilot can survive in any environment. The pilot straps on this survival harness simply by strapping into the seat.
The second seat, directly behind the main pilot's seat, is equipped with the same gear as the front seat, but lacks controls and instrumentation. Instead, holographic instrumentation and controls can be activated upon request with proper security codes. Though usually a passenger, someone in the rear seat could, if need be, take control of the fighter. Alternatively, the jumpseat can be switched out for an additional fuel tank, which will extend the fighter's range.
Thunderwing is also equipped with a complete autoflight system, capable of taking off, landing, navigating, and initiating evasive maneuvers.
Directly below the cockpit are two antigrav generators, which give the aircraft vertical take-off and landing ability, as well as the ability to hover in mid air. Also located in this area are the structural integrity field and inertial dampening field generators.
In the wings are located fuel tanks for deuterium (port) and antimatter (starboard). The wings also accommodate the fighter's weaponry. Each wing holds three rapid-fire phaser units, as well as their sarium-krellide power units, located outboard of the fuel tanks. These phasers are designed to look like the .50 caliber machine guns carried by P-51s in World War Two. This is accomplished by packing the workings of the phaser into the frame of a Browning M2 machine gun.
Each wing also has a magnetic shackle that can accept either a photon torpedo in a specially designed launcher, or a set of microtorpedo launchers. The photon torpedo launcher fits tightly around the torpedo, and can operate in two modes. In the first, the launcher telescopes for a conventional launch, and is then released. The second firing mode is a conventional, bomb-style release, in which a set of fins folds into place, and the torpedo is simply released, and detonates on impact. These are used against capital ships and hardened ground targets, such as buildings and bunkers. They are also useful to a degree against robeasts.
The microtorpedo launchers provide an effective strike measure against smaller, stationary targets that don't warrant the force of a full photon torpedo strike. Each launcher tube carries three rounds, and three tubes can be carried in a cluster under each wing. These are most effective against targets such as vehicles, small buildings, and some ships. They are ineffective against maneuverable targets such a fighters, because of their limited range and tracking ability.
Outboard of each main shackle are zero-length rails, which can accommodate up to six antimatter-armed, guided rockets, three on each wing. These are multi-purpose weapons designed to be used against other fighters or for precision strikes, although when used as a salvo, are capable of disabling a medium- sized vessel.
Outboard of the weapons hardpoints are the sensor pallets, which are responsible for everything from scanning to target tracking. These are standard, shuttle-type arrays, and cover all standard scanning spectra.
The flaps and ailerons on the back of the wings, the trim tabs, as well as the main landing gear and wing folding mechanism are controlled electronically by actuation servos, which respond to control inputs from the cockpit, providing the ultimate fly-by-wire system. These control systems are also used in the elevators, rudder, and tail wheel in the rear of the plane.
Directly behind the cockpit is a standard shuttle warp core, which combines matter and antimatter to create energized plasma. This plasma is then routed to the warp coils in the belly scoop. The warp core is ejectable, the hatch being located in the fuselage, just behind the cockpit. Originally, the scoop was part of the cooling system, providing cold air to the radiator. But in Thunderwing, the scoop is equipped with a Bussard gas collector, warp field coils and the impulse exhaust.
The impulse engine fusion reactor is located below the warp core, and the engine itself occupies the rear part of the scoop and exhausts through the aft louver door. The fusion reactor, besides powering the impulse drive, provides the electric power to run the plane and its systems. It is fuelled by deuterium, which is carried in the port wing tank. The impulse engine is based on a standard shuttle type, but modified to fit in the available space.
Behind the engine section is the main communications array, which is equipped with subspace and radio transceivers, universal translator, and jamming equipment, as well as the IFF system.
Behind the comm array is the aft shield generator, which protects Thunderwing from attacks from the rear.
The rest of the space in the fuselage is taken up by control relays, which activate the servos that control the rudder, elevators, and their associated trim tabs, as mentioned above. There is also a larger set of servos here. And these serve a vital purpose.
During the X-1 program in the late 1940's, it was discovered that conventional elevator systems suffer a dramatic loss of effectiveness above Mach 1. The answer was the "flying tail", where the entire horizontal stabilizer becomes the elevator. Above Mach 1, Thunderwing's elevators automatically lock, and the large tail servos activate, converting the entire stabilizer assembly into a flying tail. This allows the P-51 to maintain its legendary agility at supersonic speeds.
The tail wheel is located in the underside of the plane, just behind the communications array. It, like the main gear, is controlled by a series of servos. Just behind the tail wheel well is a small tractor beam emitter.
This concludes the technical overview of Thunderwing. However, as mentioned above, it should be stressed that the fighter is designed to be nearly indistinguishable from the original P-51. To facilitate this, several special effects have been added. Among them, the exhaust stacks are rigged to give off smoke at startup, to simulate a real Merlin engine.
Also, speakers embedded in various locations in the plane, inside and out, replicate the standard sounds of a Mustang, including the engine. The engine sounds, however, serve a dual purpose. Besides the cosmetic effect, the engine sounds also serve to help the pilot monitor the engine, and can provide an auditory clue to developing problems.
The North American P-51 Mustang is widely regarded as one of, if not the, greatest fighter in history, not just on Earth, but also throughout the Federation. In Thunderwing, the legacy of the Mustang continues into new frontiers, where this legendary fighter continues to excel, facing every challenge as it always has: full throttle and guns blazing.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hunk set the PADD down. Impressive, he thought. The mechanic in him was now foaming at the mouth, anxious to really dig into the plane. He always had a thing for older machines. He and his dad used to fix up old cars when he was a kid. But he also knew that this was far more complicated than any car. Thunderwing really was more than just a fighter. It was, perhaps, the future of fighters. Adam had taken an obsolete plane, and restored it to its past status as one of the deadliest fighters anywhere. And he also understood Adam's anxiety. Thunderwing was a unique blend of old and new technology, and would require a knowledgeable hand. It was truly a remarkable craft.
He looked at the clock, and saw that it was after ten. Knowing how merciless Keith could be when people showed up late for practice, he decided to turn in. He'd finish reading the manual tomorrow. As he headed for his room, though, he couldn't help but smile. Working on Thunderwing was going to be really cool.