| This skill requires specialization |
Default: IQ-6
Piloting/TL (DX/Average) is the skill to operate a specific type of aircraft or spacecraft. Requires specialization
The Classic skill Aviation/TL, which covered basic map reading or practical meteorology, and the ability to recall aviation laws and regulations, is part of this skill.
Note: Player Character Use[]
- Pulp and Action adventures will typically involve NPCs using piloting skills, but "lining up a shot" in a helicopter or dogfighting plane will use Helicopter or Light Airplane respectively!
- For weaving through flak in a bomber, use Heavy Airplane
Specializations[]
Aerospace[]
Defaults: High-Performance Airplane-2 or other Piloting at -4.
Vehicles capable of atmospheric flight to and from orbit. Pilots in superhero stories tend to learn this skill after mastering High-Performance Airplane.
Autogyro[]
Defaults: Helicopter-3, any Airplane specialty at -4, or other Piloting at -5.
Contragravity[]
Defaults: Vertol-3 or other Piloting at -5.
Flight Pack[]
Defaults: Vertol-4 or other Piloting at -5.
Glider[]
Defaults: Light Airplane or Ultralight at -2, or other Piloting at -4.
Heavy Airplane[]
Defaults: High-Performance Airplane or Light Airplane at -2, or other Piloting at -4.
Any winged aircraft weighing over 10 tons and flying at 600 mph (Basic Move 300) or slower.
Helicopter[]
For rotor aircraft! Appears around TL7.
Defaults: Autogyro-2, Vertol-4, or other Piloting at -5.
High-Performance Airplane[]
Defaults: Aerospace, Heavy Airplane, or Light Airplane at -2, or other Piloting at -4.
Covers planes able to fly faster in level flight than 600 mph (Basic Move 300). This limits it to jets or rocket planes (such as the Douglas X-3 Stiletto) as the fasted prop plane in level flight (Tupolev Tu-114) only reached 540 mph.
High-Performance Spacecraft[]
Defaults: Aerospace-4 or Low-Performance Spacecraft-2.
Must have a minimum acceleration of 0.1G and be a space vehicle.
Light Airplane[]
Defaults: Glider, Heavy Airplane, High-Performance Airplane, or Ultralight at -2, or other Piloting at -4.
Covers aircraft under 10 tons and slower then 600 mph (Basic Move 300)
Lighter-Than-Air[]
Defaults: other Piloting at -5. For the crew skill, see Airshipman.
For piloting any kind of airship or balloon. This can have sub-specializations such as rigid airship, blimp, and free balloon. These show up around TL5, and are the earliest aircraft, before the first fixed-wing fliers.
Lightsail[]
Default: Low-Performance Spacecraft-4.
Low-G Wings[]
Default: Glider-4.
Low-Performance Spacecraft[]
Defaults: Aerospace-4 or High-Performance Spacecraft-2.
Ornithopter[]
Skill for flying ornithopters, beating-wing aircraft that fly like birds.[1]
Defaults: Autogyro, Glider, Helicopter, Light Airplane, Low-G Wings, Ultralight, or Vertol, all at -5.
Ultralight[]
Defaults: Glider or Light Airplane at -2, other Airplane specialties at -4, or other Piloting at -5.
Vertol[]
Defaults: Contragravity-3, Helicopter-4, or other Piloting at -5.
Kromm comments[]
Notes[]
For just how complex this skill can be was some of Mentour Pilot's videos
See Also[]
References[]
- Basic Set, p.214