Æther Propellers

The æther propeller uses electrical energy to bore through the ether, much as a ship’s screw bores through the water. Much like a ship’s screw, the æther propeller has a limited efficiency. After about 24 hours of thrust, the screw literally begins to cavitate in the æther and the ship ceases to accelerate. More efficient propeller can generate greater thrust, but they too begin to cavitate after about a day’s thrust. This limits the flyer to about 80 million kilometers per day per G of thrust.

Additionally, an active propeller generates drag. The practical consequence of this drag is to limit the total vector an æther flyer may have. No æther flyer with an active propeller may have a vector greater than 50 Brilliant Lances hexes (30,000 km) per G of acceleration — and will achieve this vector after 25 hours of acceleration.

Designing æther propellers: An æther propeller generates thrust, in tonnes, equal to its tech level, masses 10 tonnes and costs MCr0.1 per MW of power devoted to it. The propeller has a volume, in cubic meters, equal to its mass in tonnes.

Historic æther propellers: Space 1889 lists three ether propellers. Their FF&S statistics are listed below.