Aircraft Movement

Take Off and Landing
            Aircraft require a ground distance equal to the bank distance in order to take of or land.  Aircraft cannot fire or maneuver, during the take off, or landing turns, even while at higher altitudes.  For simplicity, aircraft dive at the same rate that they climb.  Aircraft firing at targets that are taking off or landing receive a 10% “to hit” bonus.

Range
            Aircraft have a minimum endurance of a take off turn and a landing turn.  Aircraft may stay airborne an additional four game turns for the first 100 miles of aircraft range and one additional game turn for every additional 100 miles of aircraft range.  Aircraft must land on or before their landing turn or crash due to lack of fuel.

Aircraft Movement
            In normal flight aircraft move at a rate of one inch for every two miles per hour, plus three inches.  Divide the maximum speed of the aircraft at sea level in miles per hour by two, and then add three to the result.
            Aircraft conducting ground attacks move at a rate of one inch for every two miles per hour, plus three inches up to the speed of sound, 720 mph at sea level.  Divide the maximum speed of the aircraft at sea level in miles per hour by two, and then add three to the result.  That gives the maximum number of inches per turn that the aircraft may move in a turn in which they conduct a ground attack.  Aircraft conducting ground attacks cannot fly faster than the speed of sound, 720 mph at sea level.
            720 miles per hour / two = 360 + 3 = 363 inches per turn maximum, then divided by three for aircraft making ground attacks.  363 inches per turn / three phases = 121 inches of movement per phase is the maximum movement while making ground attacks.
            Aircraft must move each phase.  Aircraft, except lighter-than-air craft, helicopters, and V/STOL aircraft are subject to turning limits.  At the end of a movement phase an aircraft may fire any guns that it can bring to bear on a target aircraft.

 

AIRCRAFT CLIMB RATE PER PHASE

Aircraft Type     Phase 1            Phase 2            Phase 3

Airship              Ground             Noe                  Low

Rotary              Ground             Noe                  Low

Piston               Ground             Ground             Low

Jet                    Ground             Ground             Low

Rocket              Ground             Medium            Extreme

 

            On take off, aircraft move along the ground one or two-phases worth of movement.  After the take off turn piston aircraft lose 50% movement per phase to gain one altitude level.  Jets move two altitude levels per turn at a 50% cost.  Rockets move three altitude levels per phase at a cost of 50% per phase.  Aircraft must move straight ahead the first phase.

Aircraft use one phase speed to take off.  A plane that flies 200 mph moves 103 inches per turn, or 34 inches per phase.  It requires 34 inches to become airborne or land, up to 84 inches maximum runway length for any plane.