Class F shuttlecraft

Class F shuttlecraft
Owner:	United Federation of Planets
Operator:	Starfleet

The class F shuttlecraft was the standard issue Starfleet shuttlecraft during the mid-23rd century.

History

During the mid-2260s, class F shuttles were based at starbases and aboard Constitution-class starships, which were standard equipped with four shuttles of this class, along with other shuttle classes. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven", "The Doomsday Machine", "The Omega Glory"; TAS: "Mudd's Passion", "The Ambergris Element")

The class F shuttlecraft remained in service until the 2270s, when they were still being deployed to and from the San Francisco air tram station. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture Directors Edition)

Among the decorations in a lounge aboard the USS Enterprise-D in 2364 was the model of an Enterprise shuttle. (TNG: "Lonely Among Us")

Technical data

File:Class f shuttlecraft - interior, remastered.jpg

Interior of a class F

Constructed with a duranium metal shell, the class F was propelled by an ion engine, whose power was generated by a matter/antimatter reaction. It was protected by deflector shields. (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I", "Metamorphosis", "The Immunity Syndrome")

Aft access engineering panel

The twenty-four foot long class F shuttle was divided into two sections: the forward section, which contained seating arrangements for at least seven passengers, and a smaller aft section, which contained access to the engineering components of the shuttle. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven")

In normal flight through the void of deep space, class F shuttles operated on instruments only. The blast shutters on the three forward windows would be lowered when sensors detected something visually significant. (TOS: "Metamorphosis")

Shuttles of the class

• Columbus (NCC-1701/2)
• Conrad
• Da Vinci (SB4-0314/2)
• Einstein (NCC-1701/6)
• Galileo (NCC-1701/7)
• Galileo (NCC-1701/7)
• Galileo II (NCC-1701/7)
• Picasso (SB11-1201/1)
• Setar (NCC-1631/4)
• NCC-1701/9
• NCC-K7

Appendices

Appearances

• TOS:
  • "The Galileo Seven"
  • "The Menagerie, Part I"
  • "Metamorphosis"
  • "The Doomsday Machine"
  • "Journey to Babel"
  • "The Immunity Syndrome"
  • "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
  • "The Way to Eden"
• TAS: "Mudd's Passion"
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition)
• TNG: "Lonely Among Us" (model)
• DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"

Background information

The class F shuttle made its first appearance on television in "The Menagerie, Part I", despite being sequentially filmed after "The Galileo Seven" (the, otherwise, accepted first appearance of a shuttlecraft).

The aft access engineering panel at the rear of the shuttlecraft, Scotty in "The Galileo Seven", and Spock in "Metamorphosis" were working on, is referred to in the fan community as the "busy-box". [1]

Studio models

see main article: Class F shuttlecraft model

Spaceflight Chronology

The full specification for the class F was not heard in "The Menagerie" as the computer was stopped. It is likely that the craft had a limited warp capacity as attempting to follow the Enterprise, a faster than light vessel, would be absurdly futile with a slower than light ship. It also had limited range, as Kirk exceeded his point of safe return in "The Menagerie, Part I." Jefferies established the length of the shuttlecraft at 21 feet (22 feet with landing gear extended).

The following specifications were given by the Spaceflight Chronology:

• Enterprise Shuttle Craft (2188 – )
  • Length: 6.8 m
  • Weight: 17,000 kg
  • Ship's Complement: 7
  • Propulsion: Impulse Power
• Performance:
  • Range: Interplanetary
  • Landing/Takeoff Velocity: 300 knots
  • Atmosphere Cruising Velocity: Mach 12 (14,200 km/hr)
  • Interplanetary Cruising Velocity: 350 million km/hr
  • Engines: Advanced Impulse Power

External links

• Class F shuttlecraft at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Starfleet Type F Shuttlecraft - 3D model with interior; overview video