Charles T. Miranda (June 14, 1893 - August 2, 1971) was a Meridonan inventor and pilot. He is known as the “father of Meridonan aviation”.
Charles was born in Alasdairo and raised by his father, Wallace, who worked on the railroads. His mother died as a result of complications from his birth. In 1909, the worst train crash in Meridonan history occurred near of the village of Mitalia. Wallace was held responsible and sunk into a deep depression, eventually killing himself in 1911. Charles left Meridona for Europe, spending the next 2 years traveling the continent.
He married Kora Pagonis, a Pontic Greek seamstress, in 1913 and the pair settled down in the quaint village of Loutro. Sadly, the marriage would only last 4 years, as Kora was imprisoned at a concentration camp while attempting to visit her family in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Hoping to find his wife, Charles enlisted in the Greek military.
A talented mechanic, Charles was assigned to Greece’s Army Aviation unit, where he first fell in love with airplanes. He quickly rose the ranks, becoming one of the unit’s most promising pilots by the end of the war. In 1918, Charles returned home to Meridona with extensive knowledge in aviation, but was discouraged by his inability to find his missing wife.
Back in his home of Alasdairo, Charles began to experiment with a variety of airplane designs. In 1931, he developed the Teak Queen, built with the indigenous islandic teak that grows in northern Meridona. The Teak Queen became the first flight in Meridonan history, but did not end well as Charles was nearly killed when the plane’s landing gear failed on landing. Despite the crash, the trial run caught the eye of the Meridonan military, who financed Miranda’s future projects. 5 months later, the Teak Queen II became the first successful flight in Meridona in front of an awe struck crowd of thousands.
Due to the high cost of building the Teak Queen and Teak Queen II, mass production was never a viable option. In 1942, Miranda designed a similar aircraft built with the basalt fibers used extensively in Meridonan architecture. When built, the Kora of the Sky or K-Sky, was one of the most innovative aircrafts in the world. The Meridonan air force at NASO was equipped with 7 K-Sky aircraft, and Miranda hoped to cash in on WWII by selling the designs to Allied forces. However, due to Meridona’s strict isolationist stance during the war, any type of military sale to a foreign country was strongly prohibited.
In 1964, Charles was involved in a car accident that left him with extensive brain damage and unable to communicate. At the time of the accident, he was nearing completion of an advanced aircraft. Despite numerous attempts by some of the leading experts in the aviation industry, no one has been able to complete Miranda’s enigmatic design, which has earned the nickname The Rubix.
In 1971, Miranda passed away while living in an assisted care facility. The legacy of his life and work is far reaching. The largest airport in Meridona, located in Alasdairo, is named for Miranda, as are several streets, buildings and parks. A large statue of Miranda can be seen on the roundabout at Miranda Ave. and 4th St. in Alasdairo. In 1997, Aladairo’s St. Denis University opened it’s Miranda School of Aviation. The school has emerged as a leader in aviation and is highly renowned by those in the field.
