F.S. Reaver Imp

Ink & Photoshop CS3; 2008
This is the F.S. Reaver Imp--the wicked little aerospace junk that Kestrel won from a group of Freespace pirates in a game of five-card-stud, when she was fifteen. Hence the paint job.

Little dolphin-style rides like this were developed as shuttles between planet surfaces and large cruisers that never land, or between larger ships. They're not tiny fighter ships or large freighters, but are in between and can be used for either (or both.) The very rich will usually have a boat of this size for racing and personal travel both on and off planets.
While in space, the vehicle is mostly powered using solar sails. When traveling through any atmosphere, the sails are lowered and the craft flies more or less like an airplane. The engines below the wings can rotate 360°. Landings and takeoffs are done to and from a runway.

The Reaver Imp is 60m in length (including nose) with a wingspan of 45m. Height is 17m, plus 20m masts. The internal usable area is about 900 square meters.

This is where Kestrel, Simon, Arrio, and James call home. :3