--- On Sat, 3/20/10, Onno Meyer <[email protected]> wrote:
> > I've noticed that the top speed
> formula for airships in VE2 gives about
> > half the historical top speed. Anyone else noticed
> this?
>
> I noticed that it was 'difficult' to build fast airships
> without
> high levels of streamlining.
I think this is the crux of the problem. p.VE11 lists the "typical" airship as
having only Very Good streamlining, which simply doesn't work.
MVDS (in WWII) assigns only VG streamlining to blimps and zeppelins, but this
gives top speeds only about half historical (if I use the 20 divisor for
Excellent streamlining instead of the 5 for Very Good, I end up with speeds
much closer to historical). The only official airship design is the K-class
blimp, which has half the historical speed. If treated as having Excellent
streamlining instead, speed works out right. However, I'm not disposed to
redesign all the airship chassis (seven) in the book so I might just use the
Excellent streamlining modifier and handwave the increase in cost, weight and
volume.
G:Castle Falkenstein assigns VG streamlining to the sample zeppelin, but it's
not clear of this is done to intentionally lower speed, or the designer
followed the suggestion on p.VE11.
The two airships in Steampunk are quite slow and *probably* only used VG
streamlining as well.
Using Excellent or Radical streamlining for the Graf Zeppelin (vE2 design)
works well.
Brandon
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