Piloting a VTV

Although the VTV is similar in many respects to a hovercraft - it floats on a cushion of air - it is different in many others. Foremost among these is the fact the VTV can vary the distance between it and the ground below it. This makes it similar to an aircraft, but there is one important difference: a VTV cannot fly! Sure, it can hold itself above the ground, but it cannot continue to climb. Further, it needs to have solid ground below it if it is to move forward.

Basically, a VTV uses thrust to push it along the ground or to give it altitude. One important fact MUST be remembered when flying a VTV: a VTV has only a limited amount of power to supply to its thrust vector ports! This means that if you want to raise yourself off of the ground, the VTV must use a larger portion of its fusion reactor's power to raise it up, leaving less energy to push the craft forward and to turn it. The closer to the ground a VTV is, the faster it will travel and turn. This is because the VTV is spending only a little of its power to keep the craft off the ground and hence has more available to thrust it forward.

Remember: If you want to go faster, get closer to the ground. Always try to keep your VTV as close to the ground as is practical. This will result in higher top speeds, which in turn will lead to higher scores.