HANGAR
COMPLEX : The
Mansion hangars are primarily underground, with lifting turntablesto raise and
lower planes from the hangars to the runaway. In this fashion the illusion of
the typical "upper-class prep school" is not dispelled by the presence
of supersonic standing on the runaway.
The
Hangar facilities themselves are capable of repairing anything that flies, using
a combination of advance human and Shi'ar technologies. In addition to
hovercraft, private propeller and jet-plane, the hangar was the base of the
Lockheed "Blackbird". The "Blackbird" is a lockheed RS-150,
designed for the US Government to continue the program started by the successful
(and recently retired) SR-71. The RS-150 was never produced for the military,
but its design and tooling were acquired by the SHIELD so they could produce a
limited number of the Craft. All of these have been retired or been destroyed,
with the exception of the X-Men's Blackbird.
This
surviving Blackbird has had major modification, mostly benefiting from Shi'ar
Technology, these modification have not increased the speed of the craft, but
have increase its reliability and flying radius, while reducing the frequency of
repair. The earlier RS-150's experienced temperature problems and equipment
failure at high speed, but these problems have been eliminated.
Name :
Blackbird
Power Source : 2 Shi'ar vari-function hot-inlet compressor fuel are
combustion engines (ram jets)
Wing Span : 62 feet 6 inches
Length, incl. nose probe: 88 Feet 4 inches
Height : 19 feet 2 inches
Cabin : Max. width 9 feet 5 inches, Max. height 7 feet 1 inch
Normal take-off weight : 145,000 lbs.
Max. Level speed at Sea Level : Mach 2.3 (1,770 mph)
Max. Level speed at 120,000 Feet : Mach 4.2 (3,234 mph)
Max. rate of climb at SL to 80,000 feet : 29.5 MPS
Service ceiling : 230,000 feet
Range with max. fuel, 5% fuel reserve, 5,500 lbs payload : 8,200 miles
Range with max fuel, 5% fuel reserve : 12,600 miles
Accommodation : Flight crew of 3, 4 passenger, negative direction, high
velocity escape capsule, sleep 4 vertical take-off and landing from fixed
engines:uses fuel trim tanks for stability: full 3 month survival gear.
Operational equipment: Shi'ar cloaking device, all-band communications,
deep-space ready cabin, intelligence gathering equipment of Shi'ar and human
design.
The X-Men's primary aircraft, known as the Blackbird, is a projected design by
Carence "Kelly" Johnson, former head of the Lockheed Aircraft
Corporation Projects Group (the "Skunk Works") prior to his
retirement. The Skunk Works were responsible for the design and fabrication of
the still- unequaled 1960's and 70's record-holding high performance
strategic/reconnaissance craft the SR-71 , and its offensive version, the
YF-12A. These craft are two seaters and the X-Men Blackbird (projected
designation: RS-150) accommodates a flight crew of 3 and 4 passengers (that
is: protected by escape gear; more loose passengersare possible). The RS-150
was never realized as part of the United States reconnaissance program, but in
the early 70s SHIELD (Supreme Headquaters International Espionage and
Law-Enforcement Devision) acquired the design and exotic tooling experience of
this craft from Lockheed and produced an unspecified number of these highly
classified aircraft. Only one survives today, the X-Men Blackbird. The rest
apparently have been destroyed under unknown circumstances. The current
Blackbird had been completely re-built using ultra-advanced Shi'Ar technology.
Problems encountered at Mach 4 plus flight speeds, such as high temperatures,
mechanical operations and stability, and routine equipment functioning have
now been eliminated.
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