| Hover Platform | |
| Purchasing | |
| Manufacturer: | Various companies |
| Cost to Own: | 1,100, 1,250, or 1,375 Cr |
| Rental Cost: | 15 Cr plus 15 Cr/day |
| Transmission | |
| Propulsion Type: | hover |
| Top Speed: | 133m/t (80kph) |
| Turn Speed: | 67m/t (40kph) |
| Acceleration Speed: | 67m/t |
| Deceleration Speed: | 15m/t |
| Power | |
| Powerplant: | x1 Type 0 or x1 Type 1 Parabattery |
| Range: | 500 or 1000km |
| Fuel Economy: | .5 SEU/km |
| Capacity | |
| Crew: | 1 |
| Passengers: | none, 1, or up to 3 |
| Cargo Limit: | none, 81kg, or 243kg (1 cubic meters or up to 5 cubic meters) |
| Armaments: | None |
| Armor: | None |
| Other Equipment: | varies |
“Where in the Void did you dig those relics up, Doctor?” Lieutenant Shrag asked the elderly human checking off things being loaded into the landing stage of the expedition's survey-scout. The monkey-like Yazirian female stared at several round vehicles lined up on the loading dock's floor nearby. Four of the six open-topped craft were barely large enough to carry one or two passengers. The other two were large enough to seat four.
“I'm glad we were able to get those hover platforms, Lieutenant,” the doctor replied. “Like me, they may be old, but they've been around, and lived to come home again. We'll get a lot more done with them around.”
Shrag had walked over to the nearest one while listening to the human. She inspected the thing dubiously. It looked like a good kick from a juvenile would put a large hole in the fairing, which was more than a bit scratched up and had several dings in it.”I could probably bend this fairing.”
The human chuckled. “And you could bend it right back again. That's why I asked for them. If we have to, we can patch them back together from pieces of packing plast. And the hoverfans will run like old-fashioned clockwork with just a few minutes care every week or so. Not like the over-thought, over-designed junk most people use now-days...” He made another notation on his manifest and muttered to himself. “Besides, those skinflints at the University wouldn't pay for better...”
His comment wouldn't have been heard by many. Shrag's keen ears picked it up though. She glanced at the human, rolled her eyes, and wondered if it were too late to scrounge a few flight pods from the Expeditionary Force's motor pool...
A Hover platform (known occasionally as a flight platform, hover disk, or flight disk) is an old form of hover transportation from the early days of the Frontier that is still in use by budget-conscious adventurers, a few corporations, and on the “frontier of the Frontier” by colonists and civilian exploration teams. They are not normally found in more developed areas, as their slow speed and relative lack of maneuvrability interfere with traffic patterns.
Hover platforms are by no means high-performance vehicles. They are, however, cheap, stable (+20% to Control checks), and extremely reliable. The controls are basic and intuitive enough that anyone can quickly learn them (requires no Piloting skill).
One- and two-man hover platforms consist of a single hoverfan, platform to stand on, controls, and a fairing to reduce wind resistance and provide a grip for the pilot's non-piloting hand as well as the passenger (if any). The fairing is made from the lightest material possible to reduce weight (does not count as “inside a vehicle” for combat purposes, but movement penalties still apply). Some models omit the fairing and provide only a basic rail for grip purposes. Normally, hover platforms do not offer protection from the elements. The larger, four-man version can be fitted with a basic hardshell canopy, or even more rarely, one made of cloth.
The four-man hover platform consists of three hoverfans inside a saucer-shaped hull with bench seating for passengers and a surrounding rail for grip purposes. The rear seat can be removed entirely as well as half the front seat to turn the platform into a cargo carrier (up to 243 kg and ~five cubic meters, depending on configuration). Some models sacrifice 50 kg of cargo/passenger capacity by fitting a Type AA power generator and fuel, retaining the regular parabattery as a backup power-source. One popular option is a solar converter with the panels placed around the upper edge of the disc. This gives the vehicle virtually unlimited range in daylight as well as a reserve energy supply for overcast days and night operations.
Military Modification Options[]
One and two-man hover platforms cannot be armored or have weapons mounted. The four-man version can be fitted with a simple pintle-style mount if the owner was willing to sacrifice the passenger space/weight capacity. Passengers can, if they desire, use side-arms and long-arms (standard penalties apply).
Civilian Modification Options[]
One and two-man hover platforms cannot be modified at all. The 4-man platform can be fitted with several small systems (radio communications, etc) within space/mass limitations.
Hover Platform by ChrisDonovan. Inspired by the Williams X-Jet "Flying Pulpit", and the Jonny Quest animated series. This information has been submitted to Frontier Explorer (status pending).
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