The Titanium Turkey

Famed airplane designer Howard Huge was once a pioneer in the aerospace industry. Huge's ingenious designs for passenger and cargo aircraft — coupled with a flair for the unusual — placed him among the top aviation engineers in the world. One of his most notable designs, the Cabin Cruiser 107, gained praise from aviation executives as one of the first passenger planes built with a special emergency escape hatch. Strangely enough, the hatch was concealed underneath one of the passenger seats — one of Huge's quirky personal touches.

Famous airplane designer, Howard Huge.

However, Huge's strange approach to aviation design drew skepticism from leading aerospace design firms. "Weird" became the word to describe Howard Huge's increasingly unconventional airframes, which departed from accepted standards in favor of artistic vision and groundbreaking potential. Eventually he was laughed right out of the airplane business. Ostracized and dejected, Howard Huge left Cape Suzette for parts unknown, but not before vowing that he would someday prove everyone wrong by constructing a plane that would revolutionize air travel. Several years passed, and few wondered or cared about what became of Huge, who had apparently disappeared from the face of the earth.

Over many years a series of mysterious midair disappearances occured near a chain of islands called the Bearmuda Trapezoid. Famous and non-famous aviators alike vanished without a trace while navigating the Trapezoid, spooking many pilots and causing them to regard the area as a deathtrap. No one flew near Bearmuda for nearly two decades, until it was discovered that the long-absent Howard Huge was behind the baffling disappearances. What's more, Huge had used parts from his captives' planes to put the finishing touches on his last and largest pet project — the Titanium Turkey.

Rivaling even the Spruce Moose in size, the 250-foot-long, 600-foot-wide Titanium Turkey is regarded by Howard Huge as his greatest masterpiece of aviation design — he proclaims it the "eighth wonder of the world." Built secretly by Huge over the course of twenty years and hidden in a cave on the island of Bearmuda, the Turkey is indeed the most unique aircraft in existence, with the exception of the Air Pirates' infamous Iron Vulture.

Strange designs are Howard Huge's trademark and his Titanium Turkey is no exception. A giant flying wing, the Titanium Turkey does not have a traditional center fuselage. Instead, giant twin pontoon floats make up the plane's fuselage, while the leading edge of the upper flight surface contains the cockpit. The rest of the airframe is all wing, dotted with a total of eighteen rear-facing propellor engines which provide the massive thrust needed to drive the plane forward.

To the layman's eye, the Turkey seems like a ridiculous excuse for an airplane. Learned individuals claim that the plane's unusual design breaks about 17 laws of aerodynamic theory. However, in apparent defiance of those laws, the Titanium Turkey manages to fly and fly very well. With its eighteen engines roaring in unison, the Turkey is capable of reaching airspeeds of 300 miles per hour or more! Its extraordinarily large wing surface allows it to fly at high altitudes, although the plane's maximum ceiling has not yet been determined.

The main function of the Titanium Turkey is to serve as a passenger transport. Two decks filled with 216 seats each, arranged theater-style, can hold over 400 passengers. Facilities on other decks include escalators, small lounges and recreation areas, first-class compartments, and a kitchen not yet equipped for service. As for safety devices, in preparation for the plane's maiden voyage, Huge intended to attach a smaller plane to the exterior of the Turkey to serve as a lifeboat in case of an emergency.

The main seating area.		The cockpit and nerve center of the Titanium Turkey.

The nerve center of this enormous plane is the cockpit, occupying its own separate deck at the leading edge of the upper wing. A vast array of controls and instruments are spread out before four captain's stations on the bridge deck. The Titanium Turkey cannot be flown at full efficiency with fewer than four people in the cockpit, although two or even one can manage. The controls are wired to the hydraulic-powered wing surfaces through the plane's electrical system, greatly improving the aircraft's response to the pilot's commands. Repair supplies are available onboard, including tools, backup devices, and extra spools of electrical cable. A ceiling-mounted periscope (another quirky Howard Huge touch) grants the pilot visibility toward the rear and anywhere around the plane at adjustable levels of magnification.

No one knows how Huge acquired the manpower and raw material to build the Titanium Turkey. He must have started on the plane shortly after the Great War, when building materials and parts were readily available. This would mean that Huge was working on the aircraft before he retired, secretly funneling supplies toward construction while he himself continued designing for other companies. One thing is known, though: Howard Huge wanted his pet project kept secret at all costs, especially from the aviators who frequently skirted the fringes of the Bearmuda Islands.

Therefore on a pinnacle of the central island, Huge constructed a giant electromagnet aimed at the skies over the Bearmuda Trapezoid. On its lowest power setting, the electromagnet could disrupt aircraft communications and jam a plane's instrument readings. On full power, the magnet was strong enough to snatch a cargo plane from 10,000 feet and reel it in under the power of its magnetic grip. Anyone unlucky enough to stumble upon Huge's work would be captured, thus ensuring the secrecy of his project.

Using this device, Huge captured several planes and pilots — including legendary pioneers Amelia Airhead, the "Kitty Hawk Kids" Wilbur and Orville, and Charles Limburger. Hiring some goons as guards and workers, Huge imprisoned the pilots and salvaged key components from their planes to use in building the Titanium Turkey. As he had hoped, news of the disappearances caused pilots to fear the Bearmuda Trapezoid, guaranteeing Huge's privacy. Meanwhile, these four famous aviators (as well as a little-known flyer by the name of Oscar Wiggerstomper) remained Huge's prisoners for years.

Howard Huge's last capture was the Sea Duck, from which he needed Baloo's ultra-accurate Googleshlocker gyro-compass as the finishing touch to his masterpiece. Fortunately, Rebecca, Kit, and Wildcat discovered Huge's plot while searching for Baloo. Freeing Baloo and the captives, they managed to steal the Titanium Turkey and fly it all the way back to Cape Suzette. The Air Police later arrived at Bearmuda, arresting the plane's renegade designer. The famous aviators have been reunited with their families, and Howard Huge currently serves a long-term prison sentence.

As for the Titanium Turkey, the city's Aviation Board voted against dismantling the plane. Instead it has been tucked away in a corner of Cape Suzette harbor, waiting to be added to the Museum of Aviation's collection.

TITANIUM TURKEY
Craft: The Titanium Turkey Type: Mammoth passenger transport Scale: Airship Length: 250 feet Skill: Aircraft piloting: jumbo-size transport Crew: 18 (4 crew, 14 stewards), skeleton: 1/+10 Crew Skill: Varies widely Passengers: 440 Cargo Capacity: 20 tons Cost: Not for sale Top Speed: 300 mph Weapons: None Hull: 5D+1