Thunderbird 1 is a hyper-sonic rescue aircraft belonging to International Rescue, featured in the movie Thunderbirds. It was designed by Brains, like all of the Thunderbirds, and is piloted by Scott Tracy.
After a distress call from Earth is received, it launches vertically from underneath the pool on Tracy Island, and then flies horizontally to the danger zone. It is usually launched alongside the bigger and heavier freight carrying craft Thunderbird 2, and is designed to arrive at the destination first in order to be used for reconnaissance.
Technical Data[]
- Armaments: multi-barrelled cannon
- Crew: up to 4
- Engines: 5 thrust-vectored turboscram jets (2 fitted in each horizontal section of the tailplane; 1 in the fin); 2 Hackenbacker VTOL engines
- Length: 33 metres (108 feet)
- Maximum speed: 24,150 km/h (15,000 mph)
- Power source: Hackenbacker series 3000 fusion reactor
- Range: unlimited
- Weight: 135 tonnes
- Width of fuselage: 3.8 metres (12.5 feet)
- Wingspan with wings extended: 18.3 metres (60 feet)
- Maximum altitude: 150,000 feet
- Diameter: 4 metres
Design[]
Thunderbird 1 is designed to be as fast as possible, and has a very streamlined missile-shaped body with small, backward swept wings. Its nosecone is red, but the rest of its body has a silver and blue colour scheme. Its one room, the cockpit, is located at the front right behind the nosecone, and the blue windows located above allow Scott to see his surroundings. On the underside of the craft, a powerful spotlight can be deployed to aid Scott in scouting, as can a cannon that fires rockets capable of extinguishing large fires. There are also powerful jets on the underside, giving Thunderbird 1 the ability to hover, and to take off and land vertically with the help of landing legs located in the wings.
Role[]
TB1 and TB2 leaving the oil rig after successfully rescuing all 6 rig workers.
Thunderbird 1 appears alongside Thunderbird 2 to save six men trapped in a burning oil rig about to explode in the films opening. After Thunderbird 2 lowers a rescue platform to evacuate the men, Thunderbird 1 launches a rocket at the heart of the fire, robbing it of the oxygen it needed to burn. The incident was filmed by a news channel, and watched by Alan Tracy and Fermat from their school.
Arriving at a hospital to drop the men off after the rescue, one of the men, Mullion, secretly shoots a glowing green adhesive at Thunderbird 1. The compound is later revealed to have been tracking Thunderbird 1's movements, allowing the Hood and his men to discover that Tracy Island is their origin, and that Jeff Tracy and his sons are behind the secret International Rescue organisation.
TB-1 landing next to TB-2, after the Mole is released.
After taking over the island, the Hood uses Thunderbird 2 and its pod vehicles to rob the biggest banks around the world, starting with the Bank of London. After Alan gains his father's trust, he boards Thunderbird 1 with Fermat, Lady Penelope and Tintin in order to fly to London and foil the Hood's plans.