zathros said:
@ Lizzienwell: ESKA is the abbreviation for Ekranoplan Amphibious Lifeboat. I like the name "Skip", It feels more like an idiomatic expression and gives character to the machines. Skip almost seems like a progression of "skiff" except where as a "skiff" treads lightly, the "skip" then takes off. I am going to settle on the 1/24th scale. Any smaller and the motor would be a pain to build. You may find it interesting that the trailing edge of ESKA sits in the water and acts like "step" when it begins to separate from the water actually helping the transition into flight.
I was wondering about that. I've put a hydrofoil "ski" on mine to get it out of the water for take-off. I also put on wing "skis" instead of sponsons.
I'm delighted that the ESKA is a lifeboat. That is what I had in mind with my skip. It shows that I was thinking in the right way. The elevation of the ESKA looks like it might have space for a litter behind the two seats. I was thinking along the same lines but instead have a third seat that can recline. It's just so cool that I ended up with a craft that is the same size, same purpose, and same capacity as the ESKA.
I may have to put more nods to Russian technology in my novels. I recently decided to rename a character with the last name of Politkofski. It's the name of a Russian build boat that opperated in Alaska. That boat was named after the guy who started the Russian American Fur Company.
I like my word "skip" but it gets confusing when I have skips, skiffs, and ships all in the same scene.