Doer-Daisy
The Doer-Daisy is a twin-engine, super-sonic, all-weather, multi-role fighter/attack aircraft built by the Gudersnipe Foundation. The Crimson Blade is the chief operator, but variants are also sold to the Alliance Liberator Air Force and many Alliance member worlds. The aircraft is small, lightweight, and carrier-capable, with some variants easily capable of fifty-year service lifespans.
Due to it's high degree of versatility, the Doer-Daisy has become one of those numerous fighter aircraft in the Known Worlds.
Variants
Over a hundred specialized variants exist, as well as design revisions and upgrades.
- Doer-Daisy Plus - is the Crimson Blade's main variant, and is used as an air-superiority fighter. This version is equipped with upgraded engines, additional hardpoints, and afterburners.
- Doer-Daisy Light - is the chief sale-model, optimized for low-maintenance, long service-life, this aircraft has become the mainstay of the ALAF.
- Retail-Boxed Model - had no hardpoints and included weaker engines. Also, any the electronic systems used for combat were not included.
Proliferation Issues
Because of the Daisy's high degree of production, numerous models have become available on the secondary market, and fallen into the hands of so-called "unlicensed operators". The aircraft is apparently easily reverse-engineered, though some of the specialized, miniaturized electronics cannot be easily reproduced.
Illegally produced copies, called "Orchids" in Foundation literature, are to be confiscated or destroyed on site. Unfortunately, the Daisy's design makes even legal copies not difficult to obtain by unlicensed operators. Unlike most aircraft, which have a centralized frame, the Daisy actually breaks down entirely into man-portable components. This allows licensed but shady second-hand parts dealers to sell complete aircraft by simply itemizing individual parts.
Civilian Use
The Daisy's widespread availability and low operational cost(even for very old models) has made the aircraft popular in the civilian world. Its a favored "rich boy's toy", with subsonic and even supersonic-capable aircraft frequently making it in to the collections of the very well-to-do. While the airplane is not cheap to own, it is not outside the range of capability for some very well-off consumers. A wealthy manufacturing tycoon even reportedly owned as many as five functional planes.
Retail Model
Owing to concerns over illegal production and the relative easy with which the airplane could fall into the hands of enemy states, the Foundation actually released a "limited edition" retail-version of the fighter, which was actually sold in stores in brightly-colored packaging, designed to look like the box for a toy. The shipping-container-sized box cost around thirty percent more than a used, air-worthy Doer Daisy, and came "some assembly required" - though pro-ported to include all the necessary tools and an instruction sheet.
Despite the rather dubious nature, several examples were in fact purchased, assembled, and flown. One aviation club famously hand-built an entire Daisy using only the included tools, though most buyers preferred to substitute in electric and air-powered tools for the cheap ones that came with the crate. Another example was rather entertainingly gifted to an eight year old boy, who actually succeeded in assembling the aircraft by himself over a period of three years. His finished product was not, however, deemed air-worthy.
Fate
Of the roughly 3,000 retail Daisies produced, 112 remain in their original packaging(and are prized as "the ultimate collectible"), around 200 were properly assembled and received air-worthiness certificates, about 1000 were put on display, and at least 1 was sold for cash with no ID recorded for the buyer. Several, such as the one belonging to Andrew Able, were painstakingly hand-assembled but never flown. The rest remain in the hands of private collectors with little known about their fate.