Class F shuttlecraft
The Class F shuttlecraft was the standard issue Starfleet shuttlecraft during the mid-23rd century.

History 
During the mid-2260s, Class F shuttles were based at starbases and aboard  starships, which were standard equipped with four shuttles of this class, along with other shuttle classes. (; )

The Class F shuttlecraft remained in service until the 2270s, when they were still being deployed to and from the San Francisco air tram station. ( Directors Edition)

Among the decorations in a lounge aboard the  in 2364 was the model of an Enterprise shuttle. ()

By the early 2380s, one Class F was on display in a museum on Vulcan when crew members from the  stole  a Romulan Bird-of-Prey. ()

Technical data 
 
Constructed with a duranium metal shell, the Class F was propelled by an ion engine whose power was generated by a matter/antimatter reaction; it was capable of matching the speed of a Constitution-class starship at warp. () The exterior could also be reinforced with a protective shield. () 

Upon viewing his first Class F shuttle, Zephram Cochrane, observed, "Hey, that's a nice ship. Simple and clean;" he further added that "your ship is sure a beauty." ()

The twenty-four  long Class F shuttle was divided into two sections: the forward section, which contained seating arrangements for at least seven passengers, and a smaller aft section, which contained access to the engineering components of the shuttle.  Access was made to the shuttle via an entrance on the port side, which consisted of two sliding doors and a hinged gangway, which, when lowered, stretched from the main body of the shuttle to the port nacelle. ()

In normal flight through the void of deep space, Class F shuttles operated on instruments only. The blast shutters on the three forward windows would be lowered when sensors detected something visually significant (e.g. a nebula). ()

Shuttles of the class 
 Columbus (NCC-1701/2)
 Conrad
 Da Vinci (SB4-0314/2)
  (NCC-1701/6)
  (NCC-1701/7)
  (NCC-1701/7) 
 Galileo II (NCC-1701/7) 
 Picasso (SB11-1201/1)
 Setar (NCC-1631/4)
 NCC-1701/9
 NCC-K7

Appendices

Appearances 
 
 

 

 

 
  (Director's Edition)
  (model)
 
 
  (digital image)

Background information 
The Class F shuttle made its first appearance on television in , despite being sequentially filmed after  (the otherwise accepted first appearance of a shuttlecraft).

The shuttlecraft interior set was built on Stage 10 at Desilu's main Gower Street studio lot. It debuted in "The Galileo Seven". For its last on-screen appearance in , the interior set was heavy redressed. In the last two appearances of the shuttlecraft (in  and ), only the studio model and the exterior mockup can be seen.

In the story outline for "The Galileo Seven", this type of shuttlecraft was described thus; "It is a small and extremely maneuverable craft, handy for [...] investigations [of anomalies, etc. in space]."

In ultimately unused dialogue from the script of "The Galileo Seven", the Class F shuttlecraft's hull was said to consist of titanite plates.

The aft access engineering panel at the rear of the shuttlecraft exterior – which Scott works on in "The Galileo Seven", and Spock works on in "Metamorphosis" – is referred to, in the fan community, as the "busy-box".

Studio models 
see main article: Class F shuttlecraft model

Spaceflight Chronology 
The full specification for the Class F was not heard in "The Menagerie" as the computer was stopped. It is likely that the craft had a limited warp capacity as attempting to follow the Enterprise, a faster than light vessel, would be absurdly futile with a slower than light ship. It also had limited range, as Kirk exceeded his point of safe return in "The Menagerie, Part I." Jefferies established the length of the shuttlecraft at 21 feet (22 feet with landing gear extended).

The following specifications were given by the Spaceflight Chronology:
 Enterprise Shuttle Craft (2188 – )
 Length: 6.8 m
 Weight: 17,000 kg
 Ship's Complement: 7
 Propulsion: Impulse Power
Performance:
 Range: Interplanetary
 Landing/Takeoff Velocity: 300 knots
 Atmosphere Cruising Velocity: Mach 12 (14,200 km/hr)
 Interplanetary Cruising Velocity: 350 million km/hr
 Engines: Advanced Impulse Power

External links 
 
 

de:F-Klasse-Shuttle
ja:クラスF・シャトルクラフト
nl:Klasse F shuttle
eo:Pramo Klasa F
Federation shuttle classes