Update to version 0.9.3.1!
Scott Manley's video:
[spoiler="What it does"]Stall: Wings above a certain angle of attack get a sudden reduction in lift and a large increase in drag. Can cause plane crashes.*
Wing Exposure: Detects wing location relative to other parts and adjusts lift in a pseudo-realistic fashion (wing pieces at wingtip make less lift and more drag than ones at wing root, leading edge pieces make more lift and more drag than mid-chord wing pieces).
Mach Effects: Lift coefficient increases for a given angle of attack as Mach number increases, drag coefficient increases to a peak at Mach 1 and then drops off, as in real life. Planes at high Mach numbers may suffer minor structural failures during control actuation.**
Control Axis: Manually set control axis for control surfaces, and make the rudder act separately from the ailerons. Alternatively, make the ailerons actuate on yaw inputs and make the rudder respond to pitch inputs!
Nose Cones and Other Parts: If used properly will reduce the drag on planes and rockets in a realistic fashion, allowing you to go faster in-atmosphere. Good for making planes more efficient or for making rockets reach orbit easier.
*Not my fault if you put it into a flat spin.
**AKA disintegration.
[/spoiler]
So you know what's going on, the FAR Flight Systems module is added to cockpits to print out Mach number, atmospheric density, and provide additional simple stability augmentation systems.
License: Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike
Note:
This project is in development. Bug reports and reports of strange happenings would be greatly appreciated.
Another thing:
The part.cfgs do get overwritten, so you might want to back up your current Parts folder before installing.
Mac OS Users:
Make sure that you merge folders when installing this plugin; by default, moving folders overwrites them instead of merging them. If you fail to properly merge your folders KSP will not load.
FAQ
Does this mod make nosecones and other aerodynamic parts behave realistically?
Yes. Nosecones and such are necessary to make your plane or rocket fly at a decent speed in atmosphere.
Does this plugin work properly with other mods / part packs?
Sure; FAR figures out what the properties of the part should be based on its dimensions and some basic aerodynamic assumptions. If you use a mod and suspect that it causes unrealistic behavior, search the thread to see if it has been brought up / addressed by the latest release; if it hasn't, feel free to bring it to my attention. The only exception is with wing parts, which are more complicated and currently must have their properties specified manually.
Does this plugin make payload fairings and cargo bays work properly?
It is set up to identify parts labelled "fairing" or "cargo bay" and apply the proper effects to them and the other parts the affect.
Why don't control surfaces figure out what they should do on their own?
Because they are not psychic. Also, you've already put a lot of the work into designing the wings, the fuselage, the engine placement, and landing gear placement. It's not much more to remember what you wanted the control surface to do when you slapped it on the tip of the wing.[/spoiler]
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