Refueling Aircraft on Kerbin?

[Canaan]

Alright, I'm trying to mount a world exploration on the Kerbals' home world.  I have decided I want to do it solely with aircraft.  What I want to ask then, is there some way to refuel aircraft after you've landed them?  Anybody who's played the game for very long, will know trying to get docking ports to match and lock while you're landed on Kerbin can be a real chore.  Is there an easier way?

 

Also, I've tried all sorts of different things to refuel my jet at the space center.  I've parked close to the big tank behind the hangar, tried pulling up to the hangar doors, and clicked all over the place when I did.  I even got out of the aircraft with my Kerbins and tried exploring around with them, to see if I could get something to activate.  Is there no way to refuel your jets at the space center?  Because, like, otherwise, the only way I know is to revert back to the hangar, but that resets your progress since your last save.

 

Anybody know how to make this work?  Any help will surely be appreciated!

[septemberWaves]

If you want to refuel at the KSC, you could always click "recover vessel". Hover over the altitude meter and that option should appear whenever you're landed at Kerbin. You'll have to relaunch the vehicle to fly it again, but you won't lose any progress.

For refueling elsewhere, you can use docking ports, but with a plane it's probably easiest to make a rover equipped with an Advanced Grabbing Unit.

[MiffedStarfish]

I could easily be wrong here, but I thought klaws couldn't transfer fuel?

As for refuelling there is no way to interact with the space centre beyond climbing the ladders. (And blowing it up ) I think the best way to do it would be to make all your crafts "uniform" in that they all have docking ports which connect at the right height, and thoroughly test it on different heights and ground angles before beginning. Unfortunately there is no way to land and just refuel from a fuel tank. You could use ISRU, but it would be very slow, and there is hardly any ore on Kerbin. I hope any of this helps! 

[Spricigo]

You want something like this? 

Alternatively there is several other mods that facilitate fuel transfer. Or just a rover with a claw I'd your setting are not "transfer obeys crossfed" 

[Blaarkies]

2 hours ago, MiffedStarfish said:

I could easily be wrong here, but I thought klaws couldn't transfer fuel?

Only on "Moderate"/"Hard" difficulty, or more specifically, when the "Obey resource cross-feed rules" checkbox is clicked when starting a new career. On easy/normal the claw still allows resource transfer.

Edited April 8, 2017 by Blaarkies

[MiffedStarfish]

@Blaarkies So i was sort of right! Thanks for clarifying.

[Canaan]

Thanks a lot, everyone!

Ever have I just only been a tinkerer with the game, though, never able to devote any real time to it.  It was just late last year that I was able to finally land on the Mun (without cheating! )!  My main interest in the game has always been building ultra-advanced aircraft, especially of the VTOL variety.  I've gotten my skills up to the point in this endeavor to where I have been able to build this really scarily efficient and fast swept-wing design that has range enough to fly about a full quarter around the globe.  I've been able to land on several very distant islands and all sorts of cool stuff.  My flight skills with the craft are that I am able to land right back in front of the hangar with its nose just inches from the door when I come to a stop.

My goal with this guy is to setup some kind of chain network around the globe, so I can land, refuel and explore onward and further.

To that end, I am playing the game in 'Sandbox' mode on 'Normal' difficulty.  I'll give the advanced grabbing claw a go for refueling attempts.  As I remember though, I couldn't get it to work from a rover mount (I got this big idea to go clean up debris once ).  Maybe with all of the updates that have come down the pipe between now and back then, maybe it'll work now.

Also, I've never used any mods.  Tried a couple but wasn't able to get them to install correctly, or something, because none of them ever seemed to work.  So I have just always played the game in 'out-of-the-box' mode.  I find it satisfying enough to play it that way, but I would like to explore some of the mods.  Autopilot for instance, would be especially nice!  At least for altitude control, anyway! 

Thanks for all your answers, guys!  This seems like a great community!

[AeroGav]

It's actually quite easy to build an aircraft that can circumnavigate Kerbin.   Refuelling requires docking (tricky) and then actually flying a tanker plane out to where the explorer aircraft landed.   Now if you are able to build a tanker that has the range to do that, get home again, AND have spare for the explorer,  than why isn't your explorer longer legged?

3 hours ago, Spricigo said:

You want something like this? 

Alternatively there is several other mods that facilitate fuel transfer. Or just a rover with a claw I'd your setting are not "transfer obeys crossfed" 

Thankyou ! I've been looking for something like this a long time.    Not for the reasons of the OP, but because my TSTO aircraft often have the lower stage land a long way from KSC after the sub orbital lob to put the upper stage in space.   Now they can refuel and fly home for 100% recovery.

 

[Hodo]

There is several ways of doing this.

You can create refueling stations around the planet, in specific areas where you fly to, to dock with them and refuel.   A docking port on the nose of your craft, and build a truck with a fuel tank and fly it there or use a rocket and drop it there.  Leave it remotely controlled so you can just drive and dock it to it.

The other option is to put a drill and a converter on it to convert your mined resources to fuel.  

 

 

[Spricigo]

2 hours ago, AeroGav said:

Thankyou ! I've been looking for something like this a long time.    Not for the reasons of the OP, but because my TSTO aircraft often have the lower stage land a long way from KSC after the sub orbital lob to put the upper stage in space.   Now they can refuel and fly home for 100% recovery.

 

I didn't tested it myself but it says is for craft landed at ksc only.  Also the refuelling don't cost funds (author says it will be added soon)  so you may consider cheating. 

Maybe you flight a tanker to the carrier and simplify the refuelling with something like EVA Resource Transfer 

Another option is  simple logistics 

 

Edited April 8, 2017 by Spricigo

[ForScience6686]

Just get kas/kis.  I struggled for many days trying to make a stock contraption, but to no avail.  Kas makes it so much easier while also adding a couple other gizmos to expand the game for you.  It feels more real as well as you need to use a kerbal to attach the hose.

[Spricigo]

 

53 minutes ago, ForScience6686 said:

Just get kas/kis. 

It's an option.  However only for the refuelling EVA Resource far superior:

›› only 1 part needed. 

›› vessels remains separated, no issues because of docking wobbliness 

›› transfer interface for refuelling the entire vessel with more simplicity and precision. 

 

 

 

[FleshJeb]

I explore with VTOL-capable craft. They all have a 0.625m docking port on the rear, between the two primary jets.

When I get low on fuel, I fly an identical craft out, and park it behind the other one.

Then, I engage the VTOL engine at <1.0 TWR on one of them, pitch up a little, and back it into the other craft.

Dock, transfer fuel, undock, and fly the tanker home.

You can also do this with a "stretch" (longer/more fuel) version of the original craft.