Airship

An Airship (unofficial) is a transportation vehicle the world of RWBY. They are first seen in Episode 1, in which they are used to transport students to Beacon Academy.

Description
While there are most likely other models of the Airship, passenger Airships, the only type shown thus far in the series, are very slow-moving. Each ship has four huge, moving 'wings' that most likely cannot support aerodynamic lift by themselves.

Instead, given the similarity of the wings' motions to those of turtle flippers, they may be part of the propulsion system. Airships are also seen with three clusters of three glowing nozzles at the back, with another two below, but their purpose is unclear. Near the wings are stairs leading up to what may be the main part of the ship (similar to a cruise ship), most likely for boarding purposes.

As there is no visible explanation for how the Airships are able to fly, it is highly probable that the secret of their flight capability lies in application of Dust.

Accommodation and Facilities
Airships are shown to have a single viewing gallery, approximately 12 feet across, which runs along the bottom of the hull with four semicircular windows, mounted at a downward oblique angle, on each side. The windows also seem to have holographic projectors which can be used to show commercial media broadcasts, such as VNN news broadcasts, or pre-recorded information presentations.

From the opening, we see that there is also an open-to-air observation deck at the upper front of the hull. This deck is immediately in front of a set of viewing windows, but it is not clear if it serves as the piloting compartment or part of the passenger facilities.

Airships dock at pier-like skyports and have a downward-hinged exit ramp that mates directly onto the pier structure, allowing passengers to disembark directly onto land.

Docking procedure
When docking at a skyport, an Airship's wings fold down, and it flies alongside the pier before slowly moving sideways until its exit ramp is aligned with the pier. There don't seem to be any visible mooring ropes or ground crews, implying the crew members have a high degree of fine control over the vehicle's movements, comparable to that of a helicopter. It may also suggest that the Airship has a highly-advanced, automated docking system.

Trivia

 * The Airship seen in the first episode had the Beacon Academy insignia on it.
 * It is unknown whether they are commercially owned or limited to important citizens, such as Academy headmasters like Ozpin.