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Batplane

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Not to be confused with Batwing (DC Comics).
Batplane
Batman and his Batwing (Batplane) as they appeared on the variant cover of Detective Comics #989 (September 2018). Art by Mark Brooks.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceDetective Comics #31 (September 1939)
In story information
TypeVehicle
Element of stories featuringBatman
Robin

The Batplane, Batwing, Batjet or Batgyro is the fictional aircraft for the DC Comics superhero Batman.[1] The vehicle was introduced in "Batman Versus The Vampire, I", published in Detective Comics #31 in 1939, a story which saw Batman travel to continental Europe.[2][3] In this issue it was referred to as the "Batgyro", and according to Les Daniels was "apparently inspired by Igor Sikorsky's first successful helicopter flight" of the same year. Initially based upon either an autogyro or helicopter, with a rotor, the Batgyro featured a bat motif at the front. The writers gave the Batgyro the ability to be "parked" in the air by Batman, hovering in such a way as to maintain its position and allow Batman to return.[4][5]

The Batgyro was soon replaced by the Batplane, which debuted in Batman #1, and initially featured a machine gun.[6] The vehicle was now based on a fixed wing airplane rather than a helicopter, with a propeller at the front, although a bat motif was still attached to the nose-cone. The Batplane has undergone constant revision since its first appearance, and has even been depicted as having the capability to traverse underwater.[7] With the launch of the Tim Burton directed Batman film of 1989, the Batplane became known as the Batwing, a name which was carried over into the comics. Previously in Batman #300 the name Batwing was used in reference to a spacecraft. The 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises also adapted the Batplane to film, however, this time the vehicle was referred to as The Bat.

A sentient version of the Batwing, nicknamed "Wing", appears in Batwheels, voiced by Lilimar Hernandez.

Background

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The Bat-gyro as it appeared in Detective Comics No. 31 (September 1939).

Batman once maintained aircraft in his original Batcave. However, launching these planes so close to Wayne Manor's neighboring estates threatened to compromise Batman's secret identity. The Caped Crusader now "borrows" specially-modified jets and helicopters from Wayne Aerospace's business and military contracts.

Batplane I[8] and the Bat-Rocket favored Batman's signature look over sleek aerodynamics.

The origin of Batplane II

Batplane II[9] was a retooled needle-nosed Wayne Aerospace W4 Wraith fighter that married style with substance.[10] In terms of design, it shares features with the Grumman F9F Cougar and McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. When the Batplane is stolen and triplicated by smugglers in Batman #61, Batman and Robin upgrade the Batplane to jet propulsion, adding at least "100 miles per hour" to its maximum speed.[7][11]

Batplane III is a modified Wayne Aerospace SlipStream ($46 million sans "extras"). It is detailed to resemble a standard mid-size corporate jet during take-offs and landings. Some of its features and capabilities are as follows:

  • At cruising altitude (35,000-45,000 ft.), telescoping wings retract. Exterior sections of tail and nose-cone envelop cockpit and cabin fuselage for higher altitude pressurization.
  • Gaining further altitude (45,000-55,000 ft.) delta fins in the tail and snub winglets elongate to increase efficiency and stability as speeds approach supersonic.
  • At ceiling altitudes (55,000-60,000 ft.) "smart" paint on exterior radar-shielding ceramics responds to dropping air pressure and temperature, thus camouflaging the Batplane's exterior to stealthy black.
  • Avionics include ergonomic "at-a-glance" viewing levels for all electronics and multifunction displays. The breakaway canopy allows for pilot/co-pilot emergency ejection. The reinforced acrylic glass canopy windows polarize at stealth altitude.

Technical specifications

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The aircraft's specifications are:[12][13]

Height: 14.5 ft.
Length: 57.7 ft.
Wingspan: 47.6 ft. - The wings are protected by a bleed-air anti-icing system.
Altitude Ceiling: 60,000 ft.
Maximum Speed: 4,400 mph
Range: 2,486 n m
Take-Off Distance: 5,230 ft.
Landing Distance: 2,984 ft.
Payload: 2,670 lb.
Refueling Time: 7.8 minutes

In other media

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Live-action films

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Batman ('89) and Batman Forever

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The Batwing appears in Batman (1989) and Batman Forever. It is destroyed in the former film, but rebuilt and upgraded. Both models of the plane were created with miniature effects.

In Batman, the Batwing was designed by Anton Furst and Julian Caldow and constructed by the John Evans special effects team at Pinewood Studios. Five models were created, with only one in full-scale. A full-size segment of the cockpit was created in front of a blue-screen set for close-up shots of Michael Keaton piloting the craft.[14] The Batplane's redesign in Forever was devised by Barbara Ling and Matt Codd and has a ribbed body and tail fin similar to the Batmobile.[15][16]

This version of the Batplane appears in The Flash, which ignores the events of Forever and Batman & Robin and showcases more of its inner functions, including folding wings and rear seats with built-in parachutes.[17]

The Dark Knight Trilogy

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"The Bat" in the set of The Dark Knight Rises in June 2011

An entirely new version of the Batwing appears in the film The Dark Knight Rises, referred to simply as the Bat. It is an unconventional, lightweight volantor-like craft with a ventrally mounted rotor. Developed by Lucius Fox, the Bat was originally intended for close-quarters urban military operations but instead becomes Batman's new primary vehicle.

The Bat was designed by Nathan Crowley, who based it on the Harrier jump jet, Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, and Boeing AH-64 Apache.[18] Chris Corbould described the Bat's size and shape as presenting a major challenge for filming due to Christopher Nolan's emphasis on practical effects over computer-generated imagery. The Bat was variously supported by wires and mounted on a purpose-built vehicle with hydraulic controls to simulate movement.[18][19][20]

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

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The Batplane appears in the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Here it is shown as a lightweight VTOL aircraft armed with machine guns and missiles, with a function that allows Alfred to remotely assume control.

The Batplane was largely rendered via CGI by Scanline VFX, with only its cockpit being physical. It was modeled after the Northrop Grumman X-47B and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.[21]

Justice League

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The Batplane makes a cameo appearance in Justice League.

Animation

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Video games

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Other appearances

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Lego Batman

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Lego's Lego Batman line includes one set which features an incarnation of the Batplane, though it goes by the name of "The Batwing" (7782 The Batwing: The Joker's Aerial Assault). The set is featured alongside the Joker's helicopter. Lego also made another set named (6863 Batwing battle over Gotham City) with the similar type of vehicles. In 2020, Lego produced the set 1989 Batwing, re-creating the vehicle from the 1989 film.

Six Flags Over Texas

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The Gotham City section of Six Flags Over Texas includes a child-focused ride called "Batwing", which consists of two passenger seats that go in circles while moving up and down.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Fleisher, Michael L. (1976). The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume 1: Batman. Macmillan Publishing Co. pp. 59–64. ISBN 0-02-538700-6. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  2. ^ Fox, Gardner & Kane, Bob (w); Moldoff, Sheldon & Kane, Bob (a). "Batman Versus The Vampire, I", Detective Comics #31, DC Comics, September 1939.
  3. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
  4. ^ Daneils, Les, Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes.Virgin Books, 1995. p78.
  5. ^ Jimenez, Phil (2008), "Bat Plane", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, pp. 34–35, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1
  6. ^ Finger, Bill (w), Kane, Bob & Robinson, Jerry (a). "The Giants of Hugo Strange", Batman #1, DC Comics, Spring 1940.
  7. ^ a b Daniels, Les, Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes.Virgin Books, 1995. p78.
  8. ^ "The Golden Age Batman Chronology". ourworld.cs.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2002. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  9. ^ "The Golden Age Batman Chronology". ourworld.cs.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2002. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  10. ^ Steranko, Jim (1970). The Steranko History of Comics, vol 1. Supergraphics. p. 49.
  11. ^ Reed, David Vern (w); Sprang, Dick (p); Paris, Charles (i). "The Birth of Batplane II!", Batman #61, DC Comics, October–November 1950.
  12. ^ "BATMAN: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE DARK KNIGHT". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  13. ^ Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight: ISBN 0-7894-7865-X
  14. ^ Classic Feature: The Making Of Batman
  15. ^ The Batman Filmography
  16. ^ Magid, Ron (July 1995). "Effects Help to Expand Batman's World". American Cinematographer. 76 (7).
  17. ^ First Look at Michael Keaton's New Batwing in The Flash Movie Merch
  18. ^ a b "The Dark Knight Rises Production Notes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  19. ^ "'Dark Knight Rises': Batwing First Look!". MTV. August 15, 2011. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  20. ^ "New Images of The Bat in The Dark Knight Rises". Superhero Hype!. June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  21. ^ BATMAN V SUPERMAN – DAWN OF JUSTICE: Bryan Hirota – VFX Supervisor – Scanline VFX, Art of VFX
  22. ^ "WarnerMedia Announces Batwheels Cast". Animation World Network. September 13, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  23. ^ "BATWING - Six Flags over Texas".
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