Thorin Flight Academy

History

(c. 3025)..."Since its founding in 2832, the Flight Academy has been producing excellent Aerospace Fighter and DropShip pilots. Having seen its share of war damage, the school currently looks like an ugly conglomeration of half-built or half-destroyed buildings sitting on the edge of its spaceport. Though the quality of its instructors is excellent, the facilities can sustain only limited enrollment, and there is not much hope for expansion in the near future. This puts its continued existence in danger. The Flight Academy has become the unofficial way-station for diplomats traveling to and from Commonwealth and Federated Suns."

(c. 3061)...Founded in 2832, the Thorin Flight Academy gained a reputation for producing excellent aerospace pilots and DropShip crews. However, the Academy sustained damage during the Succession Wars, limiting its enrollment. The resulting repairs were deemed prohibitively expensive, and so the school limped on without them. As a result, even when the demand for naval crews increased in the '40s and '50s, there was never any likelihood of upgrading the Thorin facility. Instead, the LAAF chose to build a new facility at Alarion and slowly downgrade Thorin. The last class entered the academy in summer 3060 and will graduate in June 3063. At that point, the remaining equipment will relocate to Alarion, as will most of its instructors. Those choosing to retire from the LAAF have been offered employment with Christofiori Express, a Thorin-based shipping company.

Atmosphere

The Thorin Flight Academy is resigned to its fate, leading to a somber and reflective attitude by both students and instructors. When the closure was first announced there were a number of local protests, but Kommandant Spears requested the academy be allowed to close with dignity, to be remembered as part of Thorin's Star League past rather than used as a tool in the brewing divisive conflict. This stance has drawn praise from Colonel Felix Blucher, head of the Arcturan Guard force stationed on Thorin, though it has done little to stem the growing tide of anti-Archon feeling.

Since the outbreak of violence on Solaris, Thorin cadets have been confined to the academy facilities, located on the fringe of Ecol City Spaceport. With political protests and terrorists incidents occurring across the planet, this has proved to be a prudent measure, also sparing the cadets from the Arcturan Guard security operations.

Thorin's school rag is grey shot through with red.

Special Notes

The academy and its support services are undergoing a staged closure and have accepted no new entrants since 3060. However, the training facilities remain intact, pending the graduation of the final class and the arrival of technical crews for relocation to Alarion."

Thorin Flight Academy