C7 Aerospace today announced the debut of the Deuce, their first multi-engine, multi-crew and passenger-capable aircraft. The aircraft has been in design for several months, drafted alongside the Civvie and then tweaked and modified over many iterations as the single-seater flew its missions, giving designers valuable feedback in the process. One of the main problems that came from the Civvie was being unable to mount payloads on top of the fuselage because any release without an inversion of the aircraft would create the danger of a tail strike. The Deuce therefore has a split tail to remove this problem. While the original design called for just a multi-crew plane, the resulting cabin was so large in a side-by-side configuration that space for passengers was simply a by-product. This space can also be converted to carry cargo or large scientific instruments. Although it is still a tail dragger, the main gear have been redesigned so they can retract into the aircraft to provide a cleaner aerodynamic profile. In level flight, the tail wheel will be mostly out of the air stream as well. The engines for the aircraft are another tried-and-true product of airship engineering – the PT6s propel some of our largest airships and their service record is impeccable, which means that should an engine actually fail, the chances of both failing are almost zero. The dual-engine configuration will allow the Deuce to carry out missions far over water, and the dual-crew configuration will allow us to return much more detailed crew observation reports as one crew member can fly while the other observes. We can also offer companies the choice of sending their own observation crew as passengers for even more detailed reports. The first Deuce is expected to undergo construction and trials in May.

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