Due to the limitations of surface living after the asteroid strike, building airports from which to launch fixed-wing aircraft was not a feasible idea. The natural caverns that were found and enlarged to hold what remained of kerbal civilization were massive in their depth but none of them were long enough near the surface to allow for runways here either. In this time, the airship became the best means of long-distance transportation as they could be inflated within the huge caverns and travel vertically through tunnels to the surface. Even before kerbals were forced underground the technology for fixed-wing flight was only in its infancy, and mostly had ended in failure for the few brave souls who attempted it. With the construction of the KSC, the first permanent surface habitation since the asteroid strike, the opportunity arose at last once again to attempt flight with a fully rigid structure.
In conjunction with C7 aerospace, the KSA worked to develop a very basic single-engine aircraft designed to be slow and easy to fly, with the aim of marketing it to any kerbal who wanted to learn how to take to the skies, hence it was nicknamed the “Civvie”, which stuck as its official title. The aircraft was put through its paces by test pilots Commander Valentina and Captain Jebediah, who both crashed the aircraft at least once, severely in some cases. But the airframe was built extra-strong to handle any mishaps and keep the pilot as safe as possible – an emergency parachute was even used to assist with landings at first. Over time, with more flight experience, the aircraft began to live up to the promises of its design, and a new era of flight began.
We are all very proud of what the Civvie Prototype has managed to accomplish in its short service career, spanning over 11 flight hours and a total of 2,325km. Its various flights allowed the Genesis team to learn new things every time and apply that knowledge to designing the third and final iteration of the craft which is now starting to roll off the production lines in Kravass City. We expect these aircraft to introduce a whole new generation of kerbals to the wonders of flight over the coming years and its legacy will be remembered via the exhibit at the Air History Museum in Kravass, which will host the actual Civvie Prototype as its main display.
