The Ranger Plane was the first aircraft that Gadget Hackwrench built on Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers. It was the successor of the Screaming Eagle and the predecessor of the Ranger Wing.
History[]
After the Screaming Eagle's crash at Glacier Bay in "To the Rescue", Gadget scavenged some raw materials from Aldrin Klordane's supplies and built the Ranger Plane out of them, along with a few parts formerly used on the Screaming Eagle. The construction is not shown, as the Ranger Plane is first seen when Gadget uses it to save Chip, Dale, Monterey Jack and Zipper after they are thrown off the flying iceberg by Fat Cat. Unlike the Screaming Eagle before it, the Ranger Plane is shown to be easy to maintain and to repair even after several heavy crashes, and it remained in use even after the introduction of the Ranger Wing.
In "Adventures in Squirrelsitting", Bink became the youngest pilot ever to fly the Ranger Plane. In "Dale Beside Himself", it was (temporarily?) upgraded with extraterrestrial technology, multiplying its top speed. In "Kiwi's Big Adventure", it was captured by a tribe of Kiwis who worshipped it as a deity and requested it to give them back their ability to fly.
In the Darkwing Duck comic story arc "The Duck Knight Returns", a one-panel flashback shows Launchpad McQuack, apparently wanting to join the Rescue Rangers, saying to Gadget that he could fly the Ranger Plane himself, a claim that Gadget is quick to say is impossible.
Construction[]
The fuselage of the Ranger Plane is made of a bleach bottle, turned horizontally with the handle to the bottom. On the opposite side, a large piece is cut out for the cockpit and the four seats. The bottle cap serves as a maintenance hatch now, allowing access to the space between the nose and the dashboard. Right behind the back seats, two Rescue Rangers logos can be seen. Oddly, the logos were there from the very beginning, before the group officially named themselves the Rescue Rangers. (It is possible that the logo was actually some sort of brand icon for the bleach-bottle that, by coincidence, used the same alliteration.)
The wings are made of an unknown fabric, shaped and supported by a framework. In addition to lifting the Ranger Plane, the wings supply it with thrust by flapping up and down, and push it into the desired direction. Since they lack ailerons, they can as well be tilted backwards to an upright position. The necessity of this ability is proven during a dogfight with Cruiser and Bruiser in "Three Men and a Booby". Two fins made of the same materials are attached to the stern, serving as elevator and yaw rudder, and improving the maneuverability.
The most characteristic part of the Ranger Plane is the big red balloon strapped to the fuselage. It supposedly applies most of the lift to the Ranger Plane and helps it hover in the air, so the gas in it has to be lighter than air. However, in "Ghost of a Chance", the Rangers ride the detached balloon as they descend to the ground without the Ranger Plane, and afterwards, the balloon stayed on the ground. Another explanation may be that the balloon is more of a safety device in case the wings fail. The aforementioned "Three Men and a Booby" shows the Ranger Plane being able to fly without it after it had been released to distract the falcons.
Behind the wings, the two landing gear legs are attached to the sides of the fuselage. They are not considerably retractable, but this helps them being the most versatile components on the Ranger Plane. They can move in a way that makes the plane walk. This works on most surfaces as they have suction cups on their ends which, according to Gadget, are tested up to 300 pounds. The Ranger Plane is also able to land on vertical surfaces or even upside-down. The suction cups also turn the forelegs into plungers which can be shot and pulled back up in a harpoon-like way to catch falling objects or beings or to hoist them up from the ground.
Like the Screaming Eagle, the Ranger Plane has only one pilot's seat on the left-hand side and no second set of controls for a co-pilot. A bottle cap serves as a yoke. Among a number of switches and levers, the two largest instruments on the dashboard are a wristwatch without straps which is mounted in the center, and a compass which is placed right before the pilot.
Though there are a few electric controls and switches on the dashboard, the Ranger Plane works entirely mechanically. There is a crank tied to the handle which is for winding up a clockwork-like power source driving the wings and the legs. This makes the Ranger Plane less powerful and slower than the Screaming Eagle or the Ranger Wing, but it is also independent from electricity and thus does not require batteries. "Battle of the Bulge" shows a replacement for the power source: To force the Rangers into some physical exercises, Gadget installed four pairs of pedals and makes her friends power it like a bicycle.
Appearances[]
TV episodes[]
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Comic stories[]
- "Rescue Rangers to the Rescue" (Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers #2)
- "The Cheez-o Cheaters" (Disney Adventures Volume 1, Number 1)
- "Gone With the Breeze" (Disney Adventures Volume 1, Number 5)
- "Raining Cats and Dogs!" (Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers #13)
- "For the Love of Cheese!" (Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers #17)
- "The Ghastly Goat of Quiver Moor - Part 1" (Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers #18)