Streamlined EWPs ( & non Jet Fighter Drop Tanks ) Official Ruling ?

[Racer]

I THINK the ADQ&A question if EWPs can be Streamlined was answered & made Official in ADQ 6/3 ( my copy was stolen ) ? Basically -1 Space +50% Cost like Vehicles works extremely well .

Streamlined Dropped Tanks for Aircraft where never really mentioned - apart from those for Small & Large Jet Fighters - unless I missed it in an issue of Pyramid or online errata ?


We've played it that for a given size of Tank to be Streamlined , they lose 10% of the Galleons ( rounded up ) & like normal Drop Tanks can be twice the size in galleons/spaces as size of EWP that aircraft can carry .

Example a Small Microplane can use 1-Space EWP & thus can carry 2 Space Drop Tanks - 25 Galleon Tank . It can use Streamlined Drop Tanks up to 22 Galleons ( 25 - 2.5 Spaces rounded up ) , which would weigh the same as 25 Galleon Tank of same construction & cost +50% of the price of a 25 Galleon one .
Auxiliary Fuel Tanks on ground Vehicles would work the same , apart from those mounted back only which don't affect Top Speed anyway .

Does that sound about right ? If no official rulings exist , we would like some feedback if this could be done differently before end of the month : we've a big Campaign set for August , and it will be useful to resolve it before then .

Any input most welcome & thanks :-)

( One side note , Large Jet Fighter Tanks are incorrectly stated to weigh 2,500lbs in Aeroduel & UACFH - THIS IS INCORRECT ! They are 1,500lbs , which makes sense as Small Jet Tank is 750lbs & is half the size . Also it's logical as Tanks are of Racing Tank construction : 5lbs weight per Galleon capacity : thus Small Jet Tank 150 Gallons = the stated 750lbs empty . Large Jet Tank at 300 Gallons capacity must then equal 1,500lbs weight empty ? We suspect another typo by a Certain Someone that ended up being missed ... )

[josephrey]

I kinda always assumed the dropped tanks were already streamlined.

Same as an airplane in general? I haven't read those rules in a decade at least, but IS there an option to streamline an airplane even more than it is already streamlined? I'd argue any item designed to be aerodynamically viable would not need streamlining.

[josephrey]

(I know, something about assumptions and you and me...) ;)

[Magesmiley]

The description in Aeroduel notes that the "body tanks are streamlined to match the jet's streamlining."

The writing is a bit screwy in the reference to "body" tanks (rather than drop tanks) and given it's placement in the paragraph about the special drop tanks, it might apply to only the jet ones.

But, there isn't anything noting that the external tanks reduce top speed. They are mounted in the area used by EWPs, but it doesn't actually say that they are EWPs. So the regular rules for EWPs wouldn't apply - just that you can't use an EWP where you have a tank. So a plane with drop tanks wouldn't incur the speed penalty that EWPs do.

And by that rationale, it would make sense that the streamlining passage would apply to all drop tanks. (Because if there is no speed penalty, there is no reason to streamline them.)

Just my opinion, but my take is that there isn't any specific streamlining to be added (or needed) for drop tanks. And that if you applied streamlining to the plane, it would apply to the drop tanks as well at no additional penalty/cost.

Also, it was ADQ 7/3 that had the question regarding streamlining EWPs.