From The Skybrary

Cidane Merkle
Born	15 Delphanus Cidade
Died	N/A
Species	Giraffe
Affiliation	Blue Faction
Wing
Profile	Profile

[edit] Preflight History

Cidane "Circle" Merkle was born on a small farming skylet near Cidade. The skylet was large enough to support two farms: her family's, and another belonging to the Whitclaw family. Circle was the second of four children, and the oldest girl. She grew up feeling cramped and bored with the agrarian lifestyle, so it was little surprise to her family when at 18 she announced she was leaving to go to flight school.

Circle's grades indicated that she was a competent combat pilot prone to occasional bouts of carelessness, with uninspiring grades in economic theory and navigation. She showed an aptitude for working with machines, which she credits to a childhood maintaining farm equipment, and could have found work as a mechanic if she were not so determined to fly.

[edit] Flight

After graduating from her flight school issue CR-4P Circle flew a Phantom for a short time, though she never got around to naming either plane. It was not until purchasing her Valkyrie that Circle felt at home in a plane. The Trafalgon was her plane for most of her career. It went through several major upgrades, including the costly overhaul to designate it a Mk-II.

Circle eventually found steady employment at a small plane design company known as Full Circle Flight based at least partly on the coincidental nickname she picked up in school. The company let her pour upgrades into her plane in the interest of showing off company designs. She flew the Archangel design until the time came to enter the Olympics. Circle flew a heavily modified Thor to victory in the marathon event. The gold medal now sits on a shelf in the Rotor and Prop, next to other such artifacts and memorabilia on a top shelf.