Dear Netizens of Miranda,

One if by land, two if by sea, but what warning from above should we see? Too long have we been slayed while on the ground... then taking refuge in the oceans until they too became unsafe, yet the skies remain empty. Today marks the day, we take the sky as our domain! From the machines of old to what future will take us further, you're called to take us there.

The time has come to have our first contest in Miranda, and what better than to have a collection of aircraft? That's right, planes, helicopters, shuttles, marvels of science! If any of you have dropped by recently, you may have noticed a large landing strip flanking the south side of Vendislorne (behind the Super C). As such, the stage is set for your creations to take flight! The contest starts today, July 1st, and will run the entire month until July 31st.

The contest area is pretty lax, looking at the map, try to keep it within the bay area around the runway. There's no defined spaces, size limitations, or height requirements unless noted in the categories. You can build either in the air, or add a "parking" spot along the side of the runway. To add a parking spot, break up to 4 lamps and replace with stone, the main build must be at least 3 blocks away from the runway, and use redstone torches as 'guide lights' along the front and corners (check the helipad near the Super C for an example). This is if you decide not to build in the air, since planes are not always flying.

Some "ground" rules for builds and categories are as follows.

West side of the runway: Build older designs over here, bi-planes, World War fighters, bombers, floatplanes, etc.

East side of the runway: Newer and current craft, jets, carriers, gliders, and stealth type aircraft.

South side of the runway: The end of the runway is designated for futuristic/space craft. This category comes with a height rule, all flying craft must be above Y150, we're going to SPAAAAAAAACE after all. The exception to the rule is marine launching builds with 'parked' craft. i.e. the SpaceX launches/landings. These cannot be attached to the runway like the east/west craft parking.

You may build in all three categories, as they will all be judged differently. You must identify your build in the sky with two marker lamps, glowstone, sea lantern, or redstone lamp the same position as the front of your craft, and the width. Basically make front corners of your build area, and place a sign on one of the markers. Parked craft only require a sign on their lot for identification.

Special category! With all the directional rules, what about above the runway? This area is for teams! What fun is air control without a little mayhem? Builds must be done by a team of two people (or more), air battles, in-flight crashes, fights over lanes on the runway, etc. As such, these will not be judged for major prizes, however they do give you participation. These builds are for pure fun, but please don't feel discouraged and not do these, we need a bit of rivalry in the skies.

Since the primary build destination is in the sky, Contractor's Evening will be ENABLED for the duration of the contest. Thus enabling use of the flight shrine near spawn. Super C will, as always, be open to paying customers. For those who do not remember, the Super C contains all regular building blocks to save on collection time for larger builds.

Well, let's get to the reason you're all interested... Awesome builds! No.. wait... prizes. Remember, each category has it's own rankings. Ages, Current, Future/Space, participation only for team builds in center.

1st: $10 game or DLC on Steam.
2nd: 10 Merit Points + Equal shares of Super C profits (Iron/Diamond collections)
3rd: 5 Merit Points + Your choice of player head.
Participation: 1 Merit Point.

All participants with a COMPLETED BUILD will also receive the Contractors rank and access to Ouroboros (Go here for more info), the creative planning superflat. Sorry, no partial/incomplete builds, judges' discretion on if whether builds are complete or not. Incomplete builds will be sunk for Squid spawning habitats.

If you are interested in being a judge, contact me on the forums or IRC, I'm bad at catching Discord PMs so don't poke that. As a reminder, Mu is still around for those who want to build, and watch things together. Mu information can be found here. I'm also using this opportunity to expand Miranda's borders a bit, enjoy more land.