Flotsam

The Flotsam is the airship on which the second book, "Skybreaker " begins. Matt was assigned to the the Flotsam, as part of a two week training tour from the Airship Academy. A stark contrast to the Aurora, the Flotsam is incredibly dilapidated and messy, appropirate, considering that "flotsam" is the floating wreckage of ships. Commanded by the grizzly Captain Tritus, Matt is the assistant Navigatior and primary Wireless Operator. The training trip is cut short when the the empty frieghter attempts to fly through The Devil's Fist, a "near perpetual monsoon, legendary for knocking ships out of the sky," to save time on a trip. A massive downdraft from the storm causes the crew to jettison all the ballast, the following updraft slings the now extra light Flotsam higher than anticipated. The crew then sees a ship in the distance, flying at around 20,000 feet, dangerously high. They assume that it is the long lost "Hyperion ", a ship rumored to hold untold riches. Drunk on low oxygen, Captain Tritus orders the Flotsam higher to salvage the ship, heedless to the warnings of Matt and others. As the whole crew, including Mr. Domville, the primary Navigator, and Matt's mentor on the subject, succumb to the altitude, a water pipe bursts flooding the control car and destroying the navigational charts, and Matt wrestles to bring the Flotsam back down to a breathable altitude, saving the crew.