Winston FF3/097 KA (pr. 2097)
Formula Frame League 3 racing hovercraft
Rank: V

USER MANUAL

CONTROLS

Note:

• Landing gear input switches between parking and racing mode.
• Pitch controls during racing are fully manual.
• Controls can be changed using the variable setters menu.

Main Engine: Throttle OR FireGuns
[Gear UP] Normal thrust
[Gear DOWN] Reduced thrust

Normal Turn: Roll
[Gear UP] Normal turn
[Gear DOWN] Slow strafe

Special Turn: Yaw
[Gear UP] Airbrake turn
[Gear DOWN] Yaw rotation

Reverser: Brake
[Gear UP] Normal thrust
[Gear DOWN] Reduced thrust

Pitch: Pitch (Trim enabled)
[Gear UP] Rate control
[Gear DOWN] Angle control

Descend: VTOL DOWN
[Gear UP] (no action)
[Gear DOWN] Reduce hover height

VARIANTS

FF3/097 KA stealth blue
A port of the color I used when building.

FF3/097 KA (real accel)
More realistic thrust and drag.

DEV NOTES

Low-ish part count "rehabilitation post" (wow it's been four months)

An imagining of Wipeout-style racing ships using the design features and technology of my own sci-fi timeline. I made it after consuming too much BallisticNG in a short time. The body details and model number reference current racecars. The company name is new so there is probably hidden information in it.

I tried using helicopter rotors for hovering at first. In theory, ground effect means a rotor will have more lift if it is closer to the ground, and by using multiple rotors on a single vehicle, it would be possible to make it align with the incline it is on. However, the difference in lift between rotors is negligible, and lift control is less precise due to game simulations, so a more traditional jet-based system was used for vertical control. Rotors are still used on this machine for their rotation control and gyro stabilization capabilities.

The handling is good for SP's car tracks. Try it on Mirage, I got a 0:56 )))))

INFORMATION

Specifications (FF3/097 KA)
Length: 6,685 mm
Width: 3,040 mm
Height: 2,090 mm
Mass: 2,795 kg
Crew: 1

Production (FF3/097, all variants)
In Service: 2097-2107
Unit Cost: $2.4 million (excluding main engine)
Units Built: 264

The FF3/097 chassis was developed by Winston Aeronautics for Formula Frame League Three, a medium-cost spec racing series. The first-generation League chassis had a lightweight monohull design enabling relatively tight and responsive cornering. A curved and sleek upper shell hides a strong and angular shield below, and a virtual projection cockpit is used for its improved safety during high-speed, close racing.

The FF3/097 chassis was produced from 2094 to 2105, but spare parts could be built on request until the mid-2130s. Sales were unrestricted, meaning that any company was able to buy FFL3 airframes.

KYAN-SPORTS ENGINEERING (KSE) was one of the engine suppliers for the FF3/097 chassis. Their engine, known as the HIFAN/01, had tremendous low-speed thrust and was highly reliable. However, its bulky nature significantly raises the craft's center of gravity, and the added mass hinders performance on more technical racetracks.

Formula Frame League

The Formula Frame League was a set of annual championships started by the International Federation for Air Racing. Based around jet-powered hovercraft and their increasingly mature technologies, it would combine the speed and difficulty of precision air races with the close competition and spectacle of ground-based racing.

The League had four divisions during its introduction in 2097, its lower two divisions (FFL3 and FFL4) being spec series. The British sports aircraft manufacturer Winston Aeronautics designed one chassis for each class.

Machines in FFL3 can reach 600 km/h on straights and often reach 5-6 Gs of acceleration during airbrake turns. As such, it is often said that FFL3 just exceeds the G-tolerance of a pure human body. Every racer who has ever taken part in FFL3 has been physically augmented in some manner.