The Deuce is set to begin regular service this week after completing a maintenance checkout and fitting of an external camera. Although it performed well throughout its flight trials and recent PR tour last month there are still two small issues that engineers would like to address with a minor design refresh – power and pitch control. The current engines in use for the Deuce are extremely well-used and proven airship engines to give the development team one less issue to worry about when considering the dangers of testing a new aircraft. However it was shown during high-G maneuvers that the fuel can be pulled back from the engines, causing them to stall. They are also powerful enough to fly the Deuce with just one engine active but still give a small margin for performance. A new propeller engine is being specially designed for use in aircraft and will be tested on the Deuce. The second problem, pitch control, will be addressed by trying to add some positive angle of incidence to the entire tail section to have a built-in increase in pitch without having to increase the deflection or sensitivity of the elevator controls. Whether this leads to a more stable craft will depend on simulations and actual testing but that is the plan. Otherwise, a fuel tank in the tail like the Civvie could allow pilots to better control the aircraft’s center of mass at the expense of some cargo capacity. These changes will be made for an entirely new Deuce that has been ordered and will be built over the next two months.

The next project for Genesis has also begun development, focusing on providing fast cargo delivery capabilities. The K-3X will be a universal design that can be built to order at various sizes to suit the needs of the buyer and will be capable of flying in and out of all 4 airports currently on Kerbin. A deal is being worked out between C7 Aerospace and KSC to use this facility as an airport servicing Umbarg. We expect further news on the project towards the end of Q1 2018.