Published: October 5th 2017, 6:21:58 am
Instead of using the forces of lift and thrust in order to fly, like our own planes, a Floran aeroplane utilizes an effect similar to quantum levitation to hover in place. As Flora doesn't have a magnetic field of its own, this levitation is induced magically using one or multiple carefully balanced engines, and relies on the planet's unique internal "magisphere" as a point of reference for the plane to lock to. This can cause problems when moving the aeroplane over environments like the ocean, where the magisphere's push is stronger and less predictable, an experienced pilot can manually adjust each engine's output to compensate.
Under normal operation, the aeroplace will remain locked in a set position at a set altitude, regardless of gravity or wind resistance, and should only tip based on the parameters put into place by the engines. However, a sufficiently powerful applied force can cause the plane to shift and then lock into a new position, necessitating the standard installation of forcefields on all commercially produced aeroplanes. A plane's engines also only actively consume energy when changing parameters, and otherwise remained locked into their current state once it is set. Accounting for the amount of energy that is radiated and lost over time, an aeroplane could theoretically remain in hovering position for hundreds of years, although once the engine finally shuts down, it would immediately fall from the sky as a unit. ABF or "Abandoned But Functioning" fighter aeroplanes are to be tracked down and gathered up as part of war cleanup efforts, or else risk become very dangerous falling hazards a few decades down the line.
As there is a certain permanence to a well-maintained Aeroplane's flight, they are becoming a fixture in wealthier nations as flying residential areas, with some cities becoming almost entirely constructed out of layered planes. 9 of the 12 Floran High Kings have had their Palaces constructed on city-sized Aeroplanes, flying in over less-developed locales as a flagrant show of status, but each pale in comparison to Emperor Lord Pom's Canis Major, which blots out the sky for miles from the ground and serves as the mobile capital for the Canine Empire as a whole. Maybe we'll get to see that someday.
Primary focus of next month's Worldbuilding Wednesday post will be "Gangs of Canopy," with secondary columns for any $10 patron-submitted inquiries.