Aircraft Design Company- Matsura's Planes Are Always Fastest!

[open_sketch]

​

Stress 0​

Office Stress 0​

XP 5​

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Matsura Asuka
Head Designer for Ohara Airworks
Age 24 (Legally 25)
Year 12 AF (After Flight)

Design Stats
Aerodynamics Engineering - +2
Structural Engineering - +2
Chemical Engineering - +1
Mechanical Engineering - +1
Ballistics Engineering - +1
Electrical Engineering - 0

Personal/Political Stats
Social Skills - 0
Politics Skills - 0
Importance - 2
Income - 1
Investments - Ohara

Resources
Power - 0
Wealth - 2

Designs
Type 1 Series - Military Variation (Designated T1M1)
Type 2 Racer (World Speed Record October 1910-April 1911, 180kph)
Model 2 Scout (Designated T1M2)
Navy Scout Prototype (Drowned Rat)
Dive Bomber B1M1 "Duck"
Machine Gun Carrier R1A "Dragonfly" (World Speed Record May-July 1911, 200kph)
Naval Rescue Water-Landing Supply Plane NR1M0 "Dolphin" (World speed record 240kph)
Rhino Demon Train Hunter
The world's first airliner
The world's first pulsejet airplane

Assets
Slide Rule
Computator (1 Reroll per Routine)

Languages
Albian
Gallian

Familiar Vices
Drinking
Prostitutes
Dancing

Family Life
- Engaged to Arita Yachi, formerly the leading Ace in the Imperial Army. Designated #1 Cutest Army Boy, he's having some serious problems with PTSD right now.
- Taking a second try at dating Mikami Kiho, ex-dockerwork from the south.

Upgrades
- 3 XP to upgrade a stat.

Spoiler: Ohara Airworks

Ohara Airworks
Start Up, Imperial Capital, Akitsukuni

Owner
- Mr. Ohara, Rich. Aircraft Enthusiast. Business guy.

Engineers

Kibe Koume, 26, Office Manager
Tiny & angry, Kibe went to school in Albia, picking up the language, the religion, and a fuckload of swear words. Speaks Albian.
Mechanical +2, Ballistics +1
Office Manager: If Kibe is not assigned to a team, the Office Stress is reduced by 1.

Sakane Jun, 26, Second Team Leader
A soured patriot, Sakane is married and has a young child being raised gender-neutrally. His two brothers who fought in the war.
Structural +2, Aerodynamics +1
Team Leader: If there are any additional projects, Sakane will lead them.
Joinery: Sakane has training in the traditional Akitsukuni carpentry art of joinery, creating complex self-supporting joints with no fasteners or glue. When working with non-monocoque wooden spars or ribs, +1 Structural.

Tezuka Kenji, ???
A stoner with occasional flashes of insight. Nobody really knows what he does, but he's probably useful?
Aerodynamics +2, Chemical +1
Flashes of Brilliance: Each natural 10 rolled by any team Tezuka is assigned to gives +1 forward to the next research roll.

Hasegawa Morio, 26
A hopeless nerd with a photography habit, mostly on account of developing his own film, Hasegawa seems to do nothing but work and stack card houses, but somehow has an incredible attractive boyfriend. Speaks Gallian.
Chemical +2, Ballistic +1
Silent Workhorse: Hasegawa can work on two different projects at once for no cost to Office Stress, providing they use different stats.

Kawamura Yosai, 25.
Serially successful womanizer and incredibly attractive, Kawamura doesn't seem to have much of a personality outside of seducing women. Well, except for that time he seduced Asuka, which nobody talks about. Speaks Dyske.
Structural +2, Electrical +1, Social +1
Easily Distracted: If Kawamura is working on the same team as a female or non-binary employee, the team is at -1d10.

Koide Hatsu, 24.
One of the few female graduates of an Akitsukuni engineering school, Koide is brilliant and incredibly driven, but her first job at Akibara was both humiliating and exposed her to an abusive coworker. Her father is a rich businessman with factories in Joseon, and she's engaged to Ken from Castles of Steel. Speaks Joseon.
Mechanical +2, Structural +1
No Sleep: If you let her, Koide will work herself to death. She can work a second project for no Office Stress, but all her stats will be reduced to 1 for the routine.

Kobayashi Ayao, ???
Disowned heiress of the Kobayashi family, all Kobayashi wanted was a career and to be a modern woman. For her trouble, a cousin threw acid on her, scarring her face, neck, much of her torso, and her left arm. Despite appearing serene and above it all, she's actually an avowed communist activist and baseball player.
Aerodynamics +2, Social +2

Adachi Ren, 24
Adachi learned chemistry from her father, one of the most famous chemical engineers in the country, rather than through formal schooling. She's married, has a kid, and takes spirituality very seriously. Yes, you did the math right, she had Yuki when she was 17. It's 1912, folks.
Chemical +2, Electrical +1
Young Mother: Adachi will cause double Office Stress if she has to work multiple tasks.

Uyeno Sei, Ballistics Engineer, 31.
The oldest member of the crew, this is Uyeno's second career. Her first was as an officer in the Imperial Navy with specialized technical training: her very promising career was cut short by her transition. Her work in a naval arsenal on machine-guns landed her the job here. Briefly dated Satomi (the age range is a bit creepy but again, 1912), she's missing a piece of her ear and is deaf on that side, from an exploding cannon. Recently returned from Varnmark from experimental surgery, she's known for her skill navigating gendered bureaucracy.
Ballistic +3

Mi Kyung-Jae, 23
A recent graduate of the Imperial College of Heijo, Mi is from the recently annexed territory of Joseon. For those keeping track at home, that means he's a Korean national living in Imperial Japan in 1912. We haven't seen much of his personality because he's rightfully terrified of everything around him. He has a specialty in endurance engine design and modification. Speaks Joseon.
Mechanical +1, Chemical +1
Endurance Engines: Mi has an excellent understanding of metallurgy and tolerances. Any engine he works on gains +1 Reliability if a 16+ is rolled.
Pulsejet Wizard: Mi is now one of the world's leading experts on the pulsejet engine. He can be given his own project to custom-craft pulsejet engines, and he gives +1 to any pulsejet-related project.
Joseon National: Mi does not have security clearance to work on any top-secret projects.

Miyoshi Shigeri, 23.
A non-binary person and admirer of Asuka's work, they were in an support role in the Army before joining the company.
Structural +1, Mechanical +1, Aerodynamic +1
Mechanic: Miyoshi has some experience repairing and refurbishing aircraft. They get +1 if assigned on the clean-up phase.


Other Employees
- Ohara Satomi, 22, Mr. Ohara's niece and the company test pilot, Ohara is a general lesbian disaster. She's good at flying planes, driving cars, and kissing girls. She's bad at being patient, being respectable, and sticking to literally anyones conceptions of gender roles. Deeply in lesbians with Coralie D'Amboise.
- Fujkikawa Sotatsu, old, modelmaker. He's an old man and toymaker and we don't see much of him because he locks himself in his workshop a lot. He's friends with Kawamura?

Assets
- Engine Test Rig (Allows engine tweaking and optimization.
- Wind Tunnel (+1 Aerodynamics)
- Rapid Prototype Lab (+1 Clean Up)

Spoiler: Expanded Cast

Expanded Cast

Akitsukuni Industry
- Homura Mohoko: Head Engine Designer for Kobayashi. First female engineer in the country. A lot of sex appeal.
- Okumura: Head of Akibara aircraft design.
- Yamanaka Hajime: Kobayashi engineer. Young and eager.
- Igarashi Masazumi: Kobayashi engineer. Reserved and experienced.
- Admiral Akibara Toru: Imperial Navy Admiral. Maximum nepotism. Maximum douchebag.
- Lt.Cmnd Akibara Shinzo: The above's son. A hottie but very forward.



Character Families
- Matsura(?) Mizuko: Asuka's sister. Was paralyzed in an accident in Asuka's first flight. Lives Elsewhere and is married now. Can't forgive Asuka, even though she's tried.
- Adachi Motoki: Adachi's husband, an accountant. Legally blind.
- Adachi Yuki: Adachi's 7 year old daughter and wannabe pilot. Very adorable.
- Yachi's Brother: Exists.
- Sakane's Wife: Exists. Drives him a bit crazy, but he loves her.
- Yachi's Brother's Wife: Exists. Is statistically likely to be pregnant.
- Lt. Coralie D'Amboise: Gallian pilot in exile. Satomi's girlfriend. 25. Accomplished bisexual duelist. She flew in the war for a single day, and for her troubles got a hole blown in her cheek and had her left arm paralyzed.

Akisukuni Army & Ex-Army
- Lt. Torio Tanaka: Yachi's former observer as an enlisted man. Was jumped up to fly Ducks and lost a leg on his first mission. A trained painter, married to Torio Saya.
- Captain Amari Shiro: A Dragonfly pilot who ended up flying as Yachi's partner. Kind of delightfully twinky. They sorta slept together at one point, which wasn't great. He lost his previous boyfriend in the April Offensive and turned his plane into a shrine. He was shot in the gut and is still recovering.
- Major Izuhara: Logistics officer, Imperial Army, this bespectled officer stood up to the Caspian Crown Prince and accidentally kicked off the Akitsikuni-Caspian War. The guilt was so much that, after almost a year of running Army procurement, he shot himself in a phone both.
- Captain Nakai Sekien: Army scout pilot. First person to drop a bomb from an airplane, later head of the Duck Squadrons.
- Captain Teshima: A Desk pilot that fought with Yachi. Lost an arm in the process, took over for Major Izuhara after his death. Seems cheery despite it all.
- Captain Nashio: A real piece of shit dude and probably a rapist, he's also a war hero as the second-highest scoring ace on the Akitsukuni side. He was a young shitty kid in way over his head but it's no excuse.
- Lt. Kinjo: Kind of a dumb lump and Nashio's friend, one of the desk pilots. Dead at 19.
- Lt. Okazaki: Yachi's friend from before the war and pilot, he died in a spin in his dragonfly. His death probably hit Yachi the hardest.

Westerners
- Rose & Antoinette Sears: Pioneers of flight. Sisters. Black in 1910s not!America. Yikes.
- Timina Guasti: Famous aircraft designer from Otrusia. Likes big planes and green.
- Prince Protasov Vasilyevich: Crown Prince of Great Caspia. Real dick. You gotta hand it to him though, a decent flier.
- Count von Zeppelin: Invented rigid airships. Runs a successful airline business. Damned impressive.
- Bennhold: Aircraft Engineer. Experimenting with metal aircraft.
- Aileen Middlemiss: Albian reporter for the Artimis Times. Well meaning and oblivious.

Spoiler: Technology

Available Tech

• Materials: Wood, Duralumin, Molded Wood, Wood & Silk Composite, etc
• All engine mounts
• All wing types
• Basic reinforcement
• Wing warping and ailerons
• Basic water radiators
• Flying Wings
• Semi-Monocoque design (requires at least half the slots have frame pieces)
• Valved pulsejets
• Basic weapon mounts and turrets

Tech not Yet Developed

• Custom engines
• Monocoque construction
• Cantilever Wings and associated tech
• V and T tails
• Tailless designs
• Aluminum and titanium
• Cellulose surfacing
• Any kind of radar
• Weapon accessability mods
• Interruptor gear
• Geared propellers
• And Maybe Other Stuff

Spoiler: Akitsukuni & World

Akitsukuni
Island Nation

Government
Constitutional Monarchy
- The democratic portions of the government are dubiously legitimate.
- The head of state is the Empress of Akitsukuni. She gives her blessing to newly formed governments.
- The Navy and a small number of families have undue influence on politics.

Economy
Developing Mixed Market
- Most industry is controlled by a small number of wealthy, family-owned companies.
- The state provides most contracts to industry. Consumer good market is anemic.
- Exports are few, mostly cultural.
- Imports are raw minerals, food, oil, and expertise.
- Currently suffering an economic crash after the last war.

Politics
The Diet is currently ruled by a Constitutional Nationalist government. It has a system of nonlocal proportional representation, with representatives appointed by the party in accordance to their share of the vote.
- Constitutional Nationalists: 50%
- Purity Club: 9%
- New Independents: 26%
- Fairness Association: 11%
- United Communist League: 2%
- Monarchists: 1%
- Assorted Fringe Parties: 5%

Demographics
Akitsukuni is mostly very ethnically homogeneous. Around 5% of the population are various minorities, most from nearby countries. Roughly .1% are westerners here for business or in advisory positions.
- Population: 55 Million
- Religion: Mostly Kodo. Roughly 2% of the population follows western religions.
- Wealth: Most wealth is concentrated in the top 5% of the country. Nearly 20% of the population lives in conditions indistinguishable from peasantry.
- Urbanization: Heavily urbanized for a small economy: 35% and rapidly growing.

Military
At Peace
- Imperial Akitsukuni Navy (IAN): The 6th largest in the world, and the most experienced.
- Imperial Akitsukuni Army (IAA): 150,000 highly experienced soldiers, and a considerable reserve.

Aspects
- Poor Resources: Aluminum costs +1.
- Damn Akitsukuni Engines!: Engines have -1 Reliability.

Spoiler: Old Map

The Main Character Of This Quest Is Nonbinary And Uses They/Them Pronouns.

I Am Putting This Here Because The Next Person To Misgender Them Is Getting Yeeted Into The Trash

Also here's the Gayaverse TV Tropes page, because why not.​

 

[Abby Normal]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)
As others said, we have free optimizations already, between infrastructure and the "first stress spend is free" office staff

 

[DocMatoi]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)
It's good to see kibe cares

 

[Axslashel]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)

 

[Donkey Hote]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)

 

[someplaneguy]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)

 

[Rat King]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)

 

[George]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)

 

[Himmelhand]

Questions for finalizing my design RE what we can use on designs without Stress. What of the following are allowed while keeping Kibe (and Asuka) happy?

• Engine gearing to higher max speed
• Pushrod controls
• Radiator loops
• Intercom
• Lifting body (like we have the money lol)
• V Tail
• Flying Rudder/Elevator

Also, how much Cargo fits in one Section? I recall it being 2 MP per Section but the rules don't seem to say.

 

[thepsyborg]

Questions for finalizing my design RE what we can use on designs without Stress. What of the following are allowed while keeping Kibe (and Asuka) happy?

Click to shrink...

To the best of my belief:

• Engine gearing to higher max speed
• Pushrod controls
• Radiator loops
• Intercom
• Lifting body (like we have the money lol)
• V Tail - not sure on this one
• Flying Rudder/Elevator

Also, how much Cargo fits in one Section? I recall it being 2 MP per Section but the rules don't seem to say.

Click to shrink...

If it's the same as the previous edition it's 1MP per Section (twice the density of passengers, which are 1 MP per 2 Sections).

All of the above subject to change if sketch says otherwise, obviously.

 

[Night_stalker]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)

 

[10ebbor10]

"Uh huh. Well, they were so excited to work with you and you've said, what, six words to them in the last two weeks? We've barely heard from you."

Click to shrink...

But how else are you supposed to sufficiently disappoint them to turn them from enthusiastic fan into megalomaniacal arch-nemesis?

 

[Gnarker]

Lifting body (like we have the money lol)

Click to shrink...

You sure? IIrc we've had the Lifting Body for ages, we've just never used it. This could finally be the plane for it.

 

[Wiadi]

Okay but hear me out: drama.

[X] Don't tell me how to do my job. (Continue as normal.)

(also getting to playtest the Break system for the first time in any of these quests IIRC)

(also TBH this is a more symbolic vote than anything and I'm not sure I'd be comfortable making it if it stood a good chance at winning but fortunately I don't have to figure that out)

 

[samdamandias]

Joeseon Express, Revision 1

Spoiler: Math

Part	Cost	Mass	Structure	Strain	Drag	Frame	P Stability	L Stability	Control	Notes
Wood frame		3	10
Wood x10	10	10	20		10	10
Canvas x4					8	4
Passengers		15				-6
Cargo		10				-1
Pilot	1	2			1	-1				Windscreen
Copilot	2	2			1	-1			3	Windscreen, copilot controls
Connectivity x3		3
Port ogre	6	8			4	-1
Starboard ogre	6	8			4	-1
Fuel		36				-3				6 tanks
Microtanks		4								+4 fuel
Radiator	1	3			11					Radiator loop, low, +10 (+5)
Mid deck 1				-19	9				-7	24m^2,15m span
Mid deck 2				-19	9				1	24m^2,15m span
Wing drag		-12			14		5			Tandem inline paper
Wood strut x2	2	2	10	10
Truss x2	2				12
Wires				68	5
Stabilizers					5		-2	--2		Flying rudder+elevator, multiple mount
Flaps	6									-3 lift bleed
Landing Gear					18
TOTAL	30	93	40	40	111		3	-2	-3

MP 18, DP 22
Stability +4 Handling 77 (-23 in the old system)
Max Strain 22, toughness is 18, I think? JER1 is chonk
Pitch: Very Fine
Thrust: +10kph at full load
Stall: 90kph at full load
Max speed: 210kph at sea level at full load, anticipate 230+ at cruising altitude

Flight Stress: 1

Pros: 17 fuel uses, 210kph with no optimization, galley with boiling vessel, lavatory, and cabin heat, positive stability. Max strain is high enough to pull stunts. Looks early aviation AF, since it's twin-boom tandem wing. Cost of 30 if we drop the flaps, and stall speed of 90kph at full load with no optimizations. Good visibility for crew.

Cons: Paper wings (NO SMOKING, FIRE BAD), is not very responsive, flying elevator on a tandem wing which means the entire rear wing moves, flying rudders on that rear wing wich means that the whole shebang changes incidence. Low radiator means that if the radiator fails, it fails hard and then very bad things happen

I figure the central hull is wood, with the passengers, pilots, and cargo, and the booms with the engines and fuel are done in canvas for ease of maintenance.

 

[FlatlineAskari]

Hummm. We should ease up a bit, yeah. Buuuut if we ship something good enough and oopsie a bunch of passengers into the side of a mountain in a way we might've prevented, I think the IC consequences will be worse and more persistent than burnout. I figure if nothing critical comes up, we can avoid spending stress off our own initiative?

[] Don't tell me how to do my job. (Continue as normal.)

disregard dis

 

[10ebbor10]

Hummm. We should ease up a bit, yeah. Buuuut if we ship something good enough and oopsie a bunch of passengers into the side of a mountain in a way we might've prevented, I think the IC consequences will be worse and more persistent than burnout. I figure if nothing critical comes up, we can avoid spending stress off our own initiative?

Click to shrink...

There actually isn't a mechanic to design a flawed plane. All planes will always function exactly as designed on paper, so taking it easy just means that it isn't going to break records. It'll still fly perfectly.

 

[Himmelhand]

it isn't going to break records

Click to shrink...

Not with that attitude.

With the right wizardry I'm confident that we can get to at least 250 kph, if not higher.

 

[Fakku]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)
Don't we have an R&D lab that we could research one of the things with?

 

[samdamandias]

You sure? IIrc we've had the Lifting Body for ages, we've just never used it. This could finally be the plane for it.

Click to shrink...

Not with this budget it isn't! Lifting body is 20 cost minimum

With the right wizardry I'm confident that we can get to at least 250 kph, if not higher.

Click to shrink...

Sea level, or cruise? Because whatever our listed speed is, we can get +20kph by cruising between 2000 and 3000 meters.

Can someone invent cantilever wings already? I don't care if it's Vanja, gay!Junkers, Theo, Asuka, or another Certified Plane Wizard. Feels like too much of the JE rev 1 is on the outside of the plane.

 

[thepsyborg]

You sure? IIrc we've had the Lifting Body for ages, we've just never used it. This could finally be the plane for it.

Click to shrink...

...Huh. You're right, I had forgotten that. Still way too damn expensive, though.

Joeseon Express, Revision 1

Click to shrink...

Not bad. Paper wings make me really nervous regarding marketing/public perception, though.

With the right wizardry I'm confident that we can get to at least 250 kph, if not higher.

Click to shrink...

I managed a 240-possible design, but not 250, not without several more optimizations than we can realistically expect. And the tradeoffs were pretty harsh to get even that. I'll make sure I list it so we have the option, though it's not one I'd vote for.

Can someone invent cantilever wings already?

Click to shrink...

On the one hand, so much this. On the other hand, as soon as cantilever wings are invented, every other large plane is instantly, hopelessly obsolete. I'd love to have at least a few years of decent sales of the current airliner before we have to replace it. Would do Ohara's budget a world of good.

 

[Axslashel]

Not bad. Paper wings make me really nervous regarding marketing/public perception, though.

Click to shrink...

Superior Akitsukuni origami skills! Paper folded a thousand times!

PS: The national Akitsukuni bureau of origami would like to note that the paper is not actually folded a thousand times in the same place. 42 such folds are already enough to bridge the distance between the Earth and the Moon. The origami space elevator is still in planning.

 

[Himmelhand]

Not with this budget it isn't! Lifting body is 20 cost minimum

Sea level, or cruise? Because whatever our listed speed is, we can get +20kph by cruising between 2000 and 3000 meters.

Can someone invent cantilever wings already? I don't care if it's Vanja, gay!Junkers, Theo, Asuka, or another Certified Plane Wizard. Feels like too much of the JE rev 1 is on the outside of the plane.

Click to shrink...

Working out the details, but the tradeoffs to get to at least 250 at sea level still check at minimum all the new essentials, plus some of the preferred features. The one big hit is to colonial range.

Is losing 47% of your fuel worth gaining 19% (or just 9% if you can get up to 230) more speed? That's a tough sell but I might pitch it for variety's sake, depending on what design @thepsyborg wants to submit. I have a really strong full-feature design I like too, but diversity is good.

 

[thepsyborg]

Donkey

Spoiler: Math

Part	円	Mass	Drag	Structure	Strain	Frame	Other
CREW
Pilot, Windscreen	1	2	1			-1	+2 Bail Out
+Connection		1
Copilot, Windscreen	1	2	1			-1	+2 Bail Out
+Connection		1
+Copilot Controls	1						+3 Authority -1 Flight Stress
"Passengers x15" Passengers x11 Steward x1 Drinks x2 Bathroom x1​		15				-6
+Connection		1
ENGINES
Ogre Z Alpha V-6 #1 Fuselage Pusher (left boom)	6	8	4				14 Power 5 Fuel Use -4 PSTAB Reliability -7(+5) Overspeed 23
Radiator, Drag 10 Panel, Low, Glycol		3	10				+25 Reliability (+12/+12, +1 extra)
Ogre Z Alpha V-6 #2 Fuselage Pusher (right boom)	6	8	4				14 Power 5 Fuel Use -4 PSTAB Reliability -7(+5) Overspeed 23
COVERING & FRAME
Frame, Wood, Base		3		10
Moulded Plywood x7	7	7	7	14		7
Canvas x6			12			6
Booms							Booooooooms
WINGS
Fore, Parasol 15m Span, 20m2​ Area			5		-22		+3 PSTAB -1 Lift Bleed
Aft, Parasol 15m Span, 21m2​ Area			6		-23		+3 PSTAB +2 Lift Bleed +1 Authority
Covering: Canvas
Longest Wing Effects							-7 Authority
Equal Tandem, Inline			-10				+5 PSTAB +1 Lift Bleed
Total Wing Area Drag			20
STABILIZERS
Vertical Stabilizer Single Tail Fin Out of prop stream			4				-1 Authority
CONTROL SURFACES
Large Control Surfaces							ICP is top of ICR
Ailerons: Default
Rudder: Flying							-2 LSTAB +2 ICR
Elevator: Default
REINFORCEMENT
Struts, Wood, x1	1	1	3	5	5		9 Tension
Struts, Steel, x2	4	2	6	20	20		12 Tension
Wing Truss, x2	2		12				50 Tension
Wires			5		71
LOAD
Fuel Tanks, In Fuselage, x6		6				-3
Fuel, In Fuselage		30					30 Fuel Uses (15/engine)
Cargo x15 passenger luggage x11 crew luggage x3 mailbag x1		15				-2
UPGRADES​
Radiator Loop	1						Cabin/cockpit heating
LANDING GEAR
Conventional fixed tricycle			21
TOTAL	30	109	111	49	51

Propellor Pitch: Very Fine
Stability 4, Max Strain 30, Toughness 19, Handling 73, Fuel Endurance 17, Max Speed 21, Boost 1, DropOff 6, Stall 13, Ideal Control Range 16-26, Flight Stress 2

• Price: 30円
• Payload: 11 passengers, 3 crew, 1 mass luggage per passenger and per crew member, 2 mass drinks/snacks/boxed meals, 1 mass airmail bag
• Performance: 210kph at sea level, 17 Fuel Uses, 130kph stall, Flight Stress 2
  • With one Streamlining optimization: 220kph at sea level (which is the max we can hit without overspeeding the engine anyway)
  • With one Lightening optimization: 120kph stall, Flight Stress 1, Ideal Control Range = entire flight envelope
• Pro: Not made of paper, bathroom, cabin heat, under budget, positive stability (but not too high!), generous Strain/Toughness, engine Reliability +5, 2 extra Fuel Uses of range, crew luggage allowance.
• Con: Not the fastest plane in the world. Needs Lightening optimization to meet stall speed goals and get back to Flight Stress 1.

Appearance/layout details for @4WheelSword:

Spoiler

Double parasol tandem with twin booms and engines on the back of the booms. Standard size/shape/location vertical stabilizer at the back of the main fuselage, though it's an all-moving "flying rudder" rather then fin+flap. Radiator (pretty large one) below the rear wing, in the center, probably on/in the struts holding the wing to the fuselage, where it can pipe coolant to both engines and into the cabin.

Single wide open cockpit+windscreen in the front of the plane, with the pilots sitting side-by-side, and a (door? hatch? some sort of access) to the interior passenger compartment. Steward's seat and galley at the front of the passenger compartment, water closet at the rear.

Tricycle landing gear- main wheels under the booms toward the rear, either directly under or just ahead of the engines; nosewheel under the pilots probably, more or less right at the front of the plane.

Donkey-Lite

Spoiler: Math

Part	円	Mass	Drag	Structure	Strain	Frame	Other
CREW
Pilot, Windscreen	1	2	1			-1	+2 Bail Out
+Connection		1
Copilot, Windscreen	1	2	1			-1	+2 Bail Out
+Connection		1
+Copilot Controls	1						+3 Authority -1 Flight Stress
"Passengers x15" Passengers x10 Steward x1 Drinks x2 Bathroom x1 Airmail Bag x1​		15				-6
+Connection		1
ENGINES
Ogre Z Alpha V-6 #1 Fuselage Pusher (left boom)	6	8	4				14 Power 5 Fuel Use -4 PSTAB Reliability -7(+5) Overspeed 23
Radiator, Drag 10 Panel, Low, Glycol		3	10				+25 Reliability (+12/+12, +1 extra)
Ogre Z Alpha V-6 #2 Fuselage Pusher (right boom)	6	8	4				14 Power 5 Fuel Use -4 PSTAB Reliability -7(+5) Overspeed 23
COVERING & FRAME
Frame, Wood, Base		3		10
Moulded Plywood x6	6	6	6	12		6
Canvas x6			12			6
Booms							Booooooooms
WINGS
Fore, Parasol 15m Span, 20m2​ Area			5		-22		+3 PSTAB -1 Lift Bleed
Aft, Parasol 15m Span, 21m2​ Area			6		-23		+3 PSTAB +2 Lift Bleed +1 Authority
Covering: Canvas
Longest Wing Effects							-7 Authority
Equal Tandem, Inline			-10				+5 PSTAB +1 Lift Bleed
Total Wing Area Drag			20
STABILIZERS
Vertical Stabilizer Single Tail Fin Out of prop stream			4				-1 Authority
CONTROL SURFACES
Large Control Surfaces							ICP is top of ICR
Ailerons: Default
Rudder: Flying							-2 LSTAB +2 ICR
Elevator: Default
REINFORCEMENT
Struts, Wood, x3	3	3	9	15	15		27 Tension
Wing Truss, x2	2		12				50 Tension
Wires			5		77
LOAD
Fuel Tanks, In Fuselage, x6		6				-3
Fuel, In Fuselage		30					30 Fuel Uses (15/engine)
Fuel Tanks, Microtanks, x4		4					4 Fuel Uses (2/engine)
Cargo x10 passenger luggage x10		10				-1
UPGRADES​
Radiator Loop	1						Cabin/cockpit heating
LANDING GEAR
Conventional fixed tricycle			21
TOTAL	27	99	108	37	47

Propellor Pitch: Very Fine
Stability 4, Max Strain 28, Toughness 9, Handling 75, Fuel Endurance 15, Max Speed 21, Boost 1, DropOff 6, Stall 12, Ideal Control Range 14-24, Flight Stress 1

• Price: 27円
• Payload: 10 passengers, 3 crew, 1 mass luggage per passenger, 2 mass drinks/snacks/boxed meals, 1 mass airmail bag
• Performance: 210kph at sea level, 15 Fuel Uses, 120kph stall, Flight Stress 1
  • With one Streamlining optimization: 220kph at sea level (which is the max we can hit without overspeeding the engine anyway)
  • With one Lightening optimization: 110kph stall, Ideal Control Range = entire flight envelope, can add fuel tanks.
    • 4 Microtanks gets you 17 Fuel Uses and doesn't affect max or stall speeds.
    • 1 external/underwing fuel tank + 3 microtanks gives 19 fuel uses, doesn't affect max speed, but bumps stall speed back up to 120kph (which is still within goal)
• Pro: Not made of paper, bathroom, cabin heat, well under budget, positive stability (but not too high!), fairly generous Strain/Toughness, engine Reliability +5, hits literally every performance and feature goal without any optimization needed.
• Con: Not the fastest plane in the world.
• Optional: Landing gear change to hybrid floats. Gain Amphibious, lose 20 kph.

Paper Donkey and Burro stricken for NaK radiators not existing yet (and also being a terrible, terrible idea).
Spreadsheet Link

 

[plotvitalnpc]

Can we expect Tokei to Gyeongsong (an old name for Seoul...though given it's ruled by not!Imperial Japan right now, it'd probably be named...Keijou, or some derivative, since Japan renamed it that) direct flight from either of those?

 

[open_sketch]

[X] You're right, of course. This is why you're office manager. (No more spending Stress this routine. On anything.)

When five o'clock rolled around, when the whistles blew for the shift change in the factory yard, you took a look down at the sheet in front of you and sighed. You had this idea for a landing gear assembly that could be brilliant, a huge weight saver on a plane this big. If you stayed twenty more minutes, maybe you could finish it. Just twenty more minutes.

You put the pencil into its place atop your desk, wiped the graphite from your hands, got your coat, and followed the crew out to the bar. You drank and laughed and talked a while and got caught up. Like, of course Sakane had a kid now, like four months old, he had pictures and everything. Probably explains why the man had looked so tired these last few months.

"Yeah, we're raising them traditionally, which is harder than you'd think these days." Sakane explained as you poured over the photos of the adorable little monster. "They wanted to know their gender on the form we had to sign to get them a pertussis vaccine, which was some bullshit. They'll let us know when they're ready."

Yeah, raising kids gender-neutral hadn't been a thing since Western contact, something you'd spent a few of your teenaged years being really annoyed with. The nobility dropped it almost immediately, seeing how much it freaked out Europan visitors.

There was a lot going on you weren't really aware of. Adachi's kid Yuki was seven now and entering the second grade in April, and was apparently considered very bright by her teachers. Hasagawa apparently had a boyfriend now, and the photo was of a ridiculously striking man in a fine suit, though apparently he was in Europa right now as part of ambassadorial attache. You found it somewhat implausible that such a handsome man would give your nerdy chemical engineer the time of day, but then again, look at you and Yachi, right? Uyeno gleefully described her time in Vanmark under the care of some exiled Dyske doctors, in a clinic across the street from a building that had been completely leveled by artillery just nine months prior.

"Weren't you scared, being there so soon after the war?"

"Nah. Europans don't even notice that stuff, they go to war every ten minutes over there. I mean, I was scared, but that's more because I'm like... the eighth person they'd ever done this for? The first few girls died, poor things. They were like, really terrified too. So like... they stand by for blood transfusions, but they like... weren't sure if Europan blood would even work, nobody'd ever done it before. They were pretty sure it'd be fine, but it was already such an experimental surgery, so they actually called up the embassy..."

"Oh spirits, really?" You said. You had no real idea about anything medical, save that there had been a recent discovery in the past twenty years or so that there were four (originally three) blood type groups. The article you'd read was from Akitsukuni scientists confirming the same groups among Lydian populations as in Europans.

"Yeah! And they were ever so nice, one of the secretaries stood by to donate for me. Didn't turn out to need it, but still."

You steered clear of asking how... everything was working out... but she seemed happy, so that was good.

You noticed Miyoshi standing awkwardly in a corner, looking for somebody to talk to, so you excused yourself and went over to talk. They looked shocked to see you a little, but quickly relaxed.

"So, how you fitting in?" You asked.

"Well enough, I suppose. It's a lot easier than the Army."

"You were in the Army?" They really didn't look the type.

"Yeah! I mean, not like, fighting, of course. They were looking for like... wartime volunteers for engineering jobs. I helped plan trenches for a few months in the summer." They said, shrugging. "Then I got to work on airplanes! They actually sent me over to a base behind the lines, and they were just so fascinating. That's why I applied to Ohara."

You couldn't help but smile at that. "You're a materials engineer, though, what were you doing with the planes?"

"Structural reinforcement and repairs, mostly. They were beautiful, but so delicate. I was leading a mechanics team and they'd bring in damaged planes we'd have to try to fix, and we started reinforcing them too. We had to figure out how to steam wood to create patches at the front lines, it was really messy!"

They were so damn cheery, it was infectious. The two of you talked shop for nearly an hour before you decided to head out, and you did so with a spring in your step.

---

When you arrived home, it was to Yachi with a spread of papers around him and the kitten rolling around adorably nearby.

"What's with the paperwork?" You asked, collapsing onto the mats and reaching out to pet the little guy (who, predictably, ran away).

"Old combat reports they want me to go over." He said heavily. "There's some inconsistency between my reports and some others and they want me to compare them and try to remember..."

He let out a slow, shuddering breath, choking back some repressed emotion, and you leaned against him, gripping his arm. A quick glance at the report showed a few familiar characters, the names of some of his lost friends.

"I'm sorry." You said helplessly.

"It's okay. I just... I don't want to remember this."

He reached forward and crossed something out, then scratched out a note at the bottom of one of the sheets. You leaned your head closer and did your best to wrap your arms around him.

"Come on, love. Let's go get something to eat, take your mind off it."

---

The wedding was in the evening, as was traditional. There was some gross old tradition about the only man allowed to attend such ceremonies being the moon or something, but the real reason is because everyone was supposed to get good and proper drunk and it wouldn't really do to do that early in the morning.

You were allowed a plus one, of course, but it couldn't be Yachi, for obvious reasons, so after some internal debate you invited Mikami out with you. You'd drifted apart a bit over the last month, inevitably, as you adjusted to having your men back in your life, but things were settling down on that front and you wanted to take another shot at this whole dating thing on a slightly less depressing note. Last time you'd both been just... depressed, lonely messes, and what little there was to the relationship was mostly just trying to prop each other up as you waited for the war to end or for the dreaded letters to arrive. Maybe things would go better this time.

You drove up to her apartment and stepped into the entryway, calling out for her. Her boyfriend Iwasaki came around the corner and waved awkwardly. He was tall, skinny, bespectacled, and looked nervous. Somehow even scrawnier than when you'd last seen him, like he was starving himself almost.

"She's just getting ready. Um... can I get you some tea?"

"Sure." You shed your shoes and headed up into the cozy little space. It was smaller than your own apartment, and felt even smaller divided into two little rooms. He put a kettle on the stove and stood watching it a moment, and you found yourself sitting awkwardly near a table, unsure of what to do. You'd exchanged maybe ten words with Iwasaki total, though you knew a lot about him from talking with Mikami about your boyfriend's respective war neurosis issues.

"How have you been?" You asked neutrally. In the corner of your eye, you saw him twitch a little when you spoke.

"Okay. I've been doing well. It's great to be home, you know." He said in a tumble. You nodded.

"That's good to hear."

You were saved from additional small talk by Mikami finally emerging from her room, fully done up. You... you had a complex relationship to your attraction to women. With men it was obvious and simple: guys were hot. A good looking guy made your pulse race and your knees weak, especially a guy in uniform. A man like Yachi, tall and broad-shouldered, handsome, hands rough from work but careful nonetheless, the smile and stubble and smell and confidence of a man like that, you were powerless against such a thing.

Women weren't usually like that for you. Most women you didn't even notice. But sometimes, occasionally, there was one so striking and of such character that she got her hooks into your brain, and you were looking at such a woman now. She was dressed for the event, a loose and fairly informal kimino, with pulled back sleeves and a relatively high hemline, mostly black with white dots but with pink highlights, her hair was drawn back severely, and her makeup was striking.

"Wow, you look great Kiho." Iwasaki said. You nodded quickly.

"Yeah, um. Really nice." You stumbled.

"Aww, thanks y'all." She beamed. "Shall we?"

You nodded wordlessly and left. You wanted to help her into your car, but she really didn't need it. You sped off, not really having too far to go, drawing into your coats against late January cold.

"Y'ever been to one of these before?" Mikami asked. You shook your head.

"I've been invited a few times, but I've always turned it down. I didn't want to feel out of place."

She nodded, then stopped herself. "I understand. ... well, actually, I don't? I mean, sorry, ummm..." She laughed, and it made you smile a little. "Okay, lemme restart."

"Okay."

She spent a few seconds recomposing her sentence.

"Alright, here's the thing. Things are gonna get a little crazy, basically. These are parties, good and proper, and they ain't big on rules or decorum."

"That's why I've always been reticent. I sort of am big on rules and decorum, Kiho. It's like... most of my whole thing."

She laughed again. "Well, look, I'm just sayin' maybe you let that slip for a night, it won't be the end of the world."

"Right." You said, unsure of what she meant.

"By the way, I didn't want to like... say it in front of Shoda, you know boys get kinda insecure, but you're cute as a button today Asuka."

You felt a hot flash of blush across your face. "I... um. Thanks." You didn't do much special, just broke out some of your nicer clothes, and a little blue bowtie you'd spotted in a shop window when out with Yachi that matched. You were starting to get pretty attached to the little ties.

"You're gonna have to stick close to me, okay? I don't want some other girl stealin' you tonight, got it?"

You nodded, immensely terrified of whatever it was you got yourself into. You just had to go in, drop of your gift, and then you'd find a nice corner of the hall and stay there until the noise stopped. Simple, right?

Right?

---

I'm just gonna write fun story updates for a while while you design airplanes. I'll call for votes when we need them, though this won't really require any.

Keep at it, plane builders!

Spoiler: Historical Commentary

As I usually do, I went down a research rabbit hole on this one, exploring the history of blood transfusion, and of racism around it. Did you know the American Red Cross segregated blood donations until 1950???

Also, blood typing is known science in 1912 Gaya as it was in IRL 1912, but Japan only developed their weird blood typing horoscope thing during World War Two so there's no sign of it in Akitsukuni yet.

​