by The Awethors
I think that is enough of an introduction, it is time to get in the machine and see what it is like to fly. The cockpit is very much like the machines of today, and indeed a current Formula X pilot would be at home in one. The ergonomics are superb, which is a feature of all Britus spaceships I’ve seen and been in. All the main switchgear is easy to locate, with the control units falling to hand. It is a place of work, and the view out of the front is very good. The nose tapers sharply to the very front of the ship and the overall impression is of a serious piece of machinery, with promises of a very exciting experience to come.
The engine start procedure is extremely complicated. It is far more complex than a current racer, partly due to it being nuclear powered, and partly due to it being an early Formula X racer. It would be years before the ships would become much easier to start. The mechanics on the ground operate various computers to prime the engine, all the while with the main cockpit hatch open. As I am sat in the cockpit, I need to give feedback to them, to ensure all is good. Then, after doing a number of small tasks, the mechanics tell me to put my helmet on. They will communicate with me via the intercom system, as the engine start is about ready, and once that happens, it will be impossible to hear anyone over the noise.
The starter spins, and the engine cranks over a few times. The mechanics set it going again, and the engine starts. The engine powers on with a huge thud, followed by a deep drone of pure raw energy. And what a noise! The engine is incredibly loud, and as I’ll find out later, becomes so dominant as to totally overshadow everything else about the ship. The cockpit vibrates so much that the instruments are difficult to read. The mechanics assure me this will settle down, and even more so once I’ve set off and launched the machine in the sky. After about five minutes, the mechanics give me the all-clear to take off and fly this spaceship. With the realisation that I am doing something that only a few people in history have done, and something that is a dream for many millions, I carefully allow the ship to move off the ground, and to begin flying.
My first impression is that the ship feels unhappy. I get the feeling that the ship wants to go fast, that crawling along is not the natural habitat for such a race-bred spaceship, so I crank up the power. The engine spools up, the main turbine now whistling at a higher pitch, and as we smash through the sound barrier at 700mph, the ship feels happier. I notice the turbine pressure increasing, and the cockpit displays show that the various temperatures in the mechanical components all have good numbers as the ship gets to the optimum operating settings. The mechanics were right; the vibrations have settled down and the ship starts to feel happier. Still accelerating, I go for close on half throttle, and the ship launches forward.
Although we are quite a bit off full capacity, the spaceship accelerates with incredible force. I need to concentrate fully as the horizon starts to blur, and my mind struggles to keep up with the landscape. I am, of course, flying over the ocean, but I can no longer make out that it is the sea. It is one blanket of blue, with a lighter blue colour of the sky above split by the horizon. I am still accelerating and the engine note is hardening. The sound from the specially-designed Britus FX Quad 16 engine is quite astonishing. The noise coming from behind me is staggering, and sounds almost impossibly loud. It is a combination of whistling, whirring, banging and it is absolutely fantastic. It actually sounds angry, like all the best race engines. I then go for full throttle.
Oh. My. God.
The turbines spool up to full capacity, and the internal couplings are now at maximum power. And the sounds! Now, at full power, the engine sounds absolutely wonderful. The assault on my senses is amazing, the engine now sounds so violent it is like all the individual components are having one massive heated argument. Imagine all the Gods of War in one room, having the biggest row in the history of eternity. It is so incredibly loud, and so insanely intensive, I get the impression the engine wants to move into the cockpit and start an argument with me.
I do five minutes close to maximum power, and then pin the throttle to maximum, and it is wonderful. As a racer, this is an adrenaline rush beyond anything I can imagine. The engine sounds astonishing, the volume and sheer violence is an intoxicating combination. The engine feels on the verge of exploding, such is the urgency by which the power is being transferred to the turbines. And you can actually feel it. The energy powering through the spaceship makes the vibrations more intensive and the whole ship feels alive. This is what it was built for, and it shows. What a rush! Nothing comes close to the thrill of flying such a machine. It is so raw and visceral you can almost touch the intensity, it is so real and physical. After running full power for about ten minutes, I ease off and go for braking, and the retardation force is brutal. It is not as fierce as a modern racer, but I am sure it is not too far off.
After a few laps of warming the engine and turbines up nicely, I start to put the spaceship through its paces to see how it handles turning around and manoeuvring. is a vital part of a ship’s performance; it is not all about pure speed. A good racer has to change direction instantly, so that it can gain speed and allow the pilot to pick the best line on a particular race, when overtaking another spaceship for example. This ship handles actually very well. The response is excellent, no doubt helped by the very rigid chassis structure. Other ships that the Britus competed against had very old-fashioned designs which flexed badly when forced to change direction; the Britus had a very advanced chassis design that was rigid and strong, and inspired confidence with the pilot. Indeed, when I spoke to Beckton Monter, he said this was one of the main aspects about this ship that enabled him to gain such success with it. The ship also uses gravitational downforce well; don’t forget, this was in a time when little was done to use the natural gravity of the celestial body the ship was flying over to gain some sort of competitive edge. Modern racers have, of course, much more downforce, but the Britus was one of the first to make it a feature of their spaceship.
I decide to do a lap of Earth at full-on speed. The pit crew agree this is OK, so I press on. I settle the machine into a nice cruise, and focus on getting the ship to fly as smoothly as possible. Speed increases nicely, with the response very good. With well-set-up racers, the faster you go the better it flies, and this is definitely one of them. As I hit sections where I get to the highest speed, close on 140,000 mph, the ship is fantastic. The sound is amazing, the sheer raw brutal power is obvious from the engine and is so loud, it totally dominates the entire experience. What a thrill! I manage to beat twelve minutes, with a lap time of 11:54, which I am pleased with, for an average speed of 126,000 mph. To compare that to a modern Formula X racer, Shas’olum got the lap record during the five lap race of Earth in 2298, with 4:57. That was an average speed of a barely comprehendible 300,000 mph, but he did have a spaceship with about double the engine power and half the unladen weight of the one I’m using today!
I do a few laps, before I get a message to return to the pits. I protest, I was having so much fun, and I laugh with the realisation that my reaction is one of a school kid playing outside being asked to come in for dinner.
On landing, I remember the sheer physical effort that is required to fly such a machine. When I raced in 2283 and 84 I was an athlete and very fit, but that was a long time ago! Despite having only flown it for a short period of time, I am totally wasted. You have to be very fit to do it well, the sweat is pouring off me. When the engine powers down, I reflect on what this spaceship is like. Overall, with the relatively limited time I had with the spaceship, I have to say I fell in love with it. For someone who has the natural racing instinct, the ship is a wonderful racer with superb handling. The engineering and quality of the build is first class, and that gives you confidence that it will hold together when being pushed to its limits. The engine is powerful with a strong pull that leaves you with a feeling of immense weight of power. The chassis is very rigid which makes for a very sharp response. All in all, the ship oozes class. The ship is beautifully balanced, with the e
ngine giving ample power. I am not surprised it dominated the 2287 racing season.
My overall impression is that this machine has character and that rare thing in machinery, a real soul. It is for sale for Cr 30m, which is a bargain, but to be honest it really is priceless. I am really looking forward to seeing this machine in action during the Classic Formula X Race Series.
In conclusion, I have to say that ‘magnificent’ and ‘amazing’ are words often overused, but in the case of this ship, they are entirely apt. It has to be said, that any Formula X spaceship is special, and it is hardly difficult to argue against the idea that the championship winners are the most special of all. And of those, this must rank up there as one of the most special. If I need to use one word to describe it, I think I’ll settle for ‘perfect’.
One final thought - if you hear a very distinctive noise in the sky that is far too loud for thunder, it might just be this magnificent machine or another ship from this era. All of them really are wonderful, and it is hardly difficult to argue that this one is the most special of them all. Don’t have 30 million credits? I hope my report will give you some idea about what this spaceship is like, so even if you might never be able to fly one, it is a bit of a consolation prize, at least.
Spaceship Details
2287 Britus B Type Formula X Race Ship
Engine power: nuclear
Engine: Britus FX Quad 16
Power: maximum 10,000 THz, base 8,300 THz
Unladen weight: 17.8 tons
Race history
Pilot: Beckton Monter
2287 Galactic Championship: 1st
Individual race results:
One lap Earth - 1st
One lap the Moon - 1st
One lap Mars - DNF (did not finish, engine failure)
Five laps Earth to the Moon - 1st
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