Gil's flyer

Gil's flyer, or alternatively, falling machine as Agatha calls it, is that rarity in the Girl Genius world, a means of aerial transportation that's heavier than air and therefore not an airship. It makes its appearance here, as a means for Gil to take his lady friend out for a spin and impress her with his  Sparkiness. Unfortunately for his ego but essentially for plot development, it goes into a spin of the aerodynamic kind, and looks like it's going to punch a hole in the ground below, with messy effects on Gil and Agatha. This, however, is just what Agatha needs to convince Gil that she too is a Spark to be taken note of, if he had any doubts in the matter. The flyer recovers at treetop level and climbs back up to Castle Wulfenbach, giving Agatha her first real glimpse of exactly what kind of mess she's gotten herself into.

We don't know whether this is the start of a heavier-than-air trend or just idle experimentation by a talented, but possibly bored, Spark. Certainly airships continue to fill the skies over Europa for a long time after this episode. Stay tuned.