From: lev0@kimbark.uchicago.edu (Ron Levy (Armchair))
Subject: Re: A Shadowrun Question, or, why you have contacts
Reply-To: lev0@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: Worshippers of Yig
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 14:44:18 GMT


>How can a SIN less fly a Helicopter without getting shot by the first official
>aircraft he meet?

First, with the incredible corporate prevalence of official aircraft, there's
a LOT more air traffic.  More air traffic makes watching everyone hard.

Second, when you're flying, you just make sure you're supposed to be there.
You may not have a sin, but your helicopter might very well be registered
falsely.  With corps taking people to work each morning in helicopters,
all there really has to be is some sort of transponder that emits your 
registration when Lone Star hits it with a tight-beam emission.  That, 
any techboy will fake and any decker can make the records match.

>Let me explain this problem a bit clearer (I know lots of chummer who simply
>say: don't get caught, but it's not so easy).

When you're flying an actual mission, then it gets tougher.  You fly into
Fuchi's airspace, they can shoot you down if they don't like your face.

>If you are a free market rigger (without a SIN of course), the rules allow
>you to posses different vehicles, e.g. - hmmm lets say a... Stallion. It's
>not a large helicopter, but you need some place to hide it...or it's gone:

This is where contacts come in.  Suppose you have a good friend who
owns hangar space?  Keep it there.  Pay a fixer for some hangar space.
If Lone Star comes around, John the Fixit Man will tell them that this
tiltrotor belongs to one Arnold Banglethwaite, and he'll have the
papers to prove it.  He's a fixer.  That's why you pay him.

>A SINless can't own such a terrible expensive toy without lots of jealous
>people who try to steal it. Where do you hide such a large vehicle ? Or
>to make the problem worse: Where do you hide a Zeppelin ? A bit large for
>the next garage.

The FASA rules and scenarios almost totally ignore the honor of the
shadows.  If someone welshes on a deal, no one will make any more deals 
with them.  If you have no reputation, no one is going to believe you.
If you pay a fixer to keep something safe for you, it's on his head if it
gets stolen.  It might be up to you to scour the streets to avenge the
theft, though.

The objective is not to hide, but to not need to hide.

>Suppose you have found a secure hide, the next problem is: how can I start
>my vehicle without getting caught. Air security is full of Radar and other
>sensors which always look for unidentified flying objects...and the poor
>rigger: No ECM or ECCM available so only low-level flight is an available
>way to penetrate the security. And once again: What does a LoneStar Cop
>do if he sees a Helicopter on low-level flight?

His computer checks it for registration, and to see if it's at least
vaguely where it's supposed to be going.  If it's not, he radios a
warning.  If it's undergoing violent action, he shoots to kill.

>Ahhh...one problem I forgot: How does a SINless learn to fly? It's easy
>to train driving a car, but flying?

Character background.  How long have you been SINless?  Why did you choose
to become SINless?  You might very well have been a corp pilot until the
corp done you wrong and left you to die, because you 'knew too much'.
Sounds like a good time to have no identity.

>Perhaps I should add some color to this problem, by describing how helicopters
>are handled in todays (1993) Germany. Helicopters are aircrafts like all
>others, no special rules for them. As a result they are allowed to land
>only on certified airfields. For each touchdown outside such an airfield
>you need a special certification. As a private you can hardly use the special
>abilities of a helicopter. (This is the german way, if some one is informed
>how this is ruled in todays USA or Canada, please tell me.)

Every corp, every arcology, hell, almost every building will have a
heliport up top.  There's not much in the way of government and
enforcement for certification.  There are corps, who are a law unto
themselves.  That's a big mish-mash, with no central authority.

-Ron


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