[gurps] Waterworld Express

[Onno Meyer]

David replied to me:
> > * Cargo Lifter: 24 tons cargo and 10 men, $1.8M
> > * Passenger Lifter: 8 tons cargo and 100 men, $2.1M
> > * Utility Lifter: 1 ton cargo and 15 men, $0.7M
> >
> > * Perhaps the colonizer program has a subsidized supply
> >  of small fusion reactors. 2-3 MW are not enough for a
> >  flyer, but they could power a fast boat.
> 
> 3 MW is 4000 horsepower, give or take.  That's what the B24 had, and
> it flew with take off weights up to 70,000 pounds.  Are you sure you
> can't make a flier out of that?

Unspoken assumptions, like no long runways. Seaplanes have 
both "real" and rules-derived problems. Historically, many 
seaplanes required headwinds for takeoff with a full load,
which I didn't want for a TL10 design. And the rules have 
problems with water speed calculations augmented by wings 
for lift. The rules for planing compare water thrust with 
loaded weight, without loopholes for this special case.

3 MW would allow 6 tons of vectored thrust. Subtract 2 tons 
of safety margin and 2.2 tons for the engines, and there are 
1.8 tons for airframe and payload. That makes the equivalent 
of an observation helicopter, not a cargo carrier, which was 
another unspoken assumption.