New Switzerland will be starting a civilian airship service between Phoenix and New Amsterdam/Honolulu, and from New Amsterdam to Sydney. Would civilian ships be considered 'free' or would I have to pay for them?

Directly from the rules section.

QuoteBuilding time is six months.  Airships are financed from the military budget.

and to make it even better

QuoteUpkeep

Maintenance requirements for airships are high, and they need frequent overhauls.  They are treated as land units - 12.5%/25% peacetime/mobilized upkeep per six months.
Airships cannot be put in reserve.

Glorious France is paying gladly for it.

Yeah, but that's for military ships. We shouldn't have to pay military cash for civilian stuff, same as we don't pay for our merchant ships.

Quote from: maddox on December 14, 2008, 09:23:10 AM
HY 01 1915 France is operating 18 type 2 rigid airships. 
12 of these are specificly tasked with recon missions, and the other 6 are leased to the gouvernement for passenger service and airmail, competing with the trains.

Seems others are paying for them. I suppose you could purchase and pay upkeep on them out of the civilian budget, as long as they're payed for. I pay for 2 liners that CAN be used as troop transports and AMCs, but are not unless in time of war. I pay full military upkeep on them every half year.

When the Nverse3 airship rules were developed, it was a way to limit people ,and avoid a "Gabi".

For now, airships will be on the military payrole.
Maybe that later rules change this, as the airship rules need an overhaul. But that won't be before 1920 or -22