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Propellers popped up in Dakota's Top Ten Requests thread a few times and I got to thinking about them. I really enjoyed making propeller and rotorcraft in KSP1 but I thought they were really fiddly and I think they need to be re-thought for KSP2, if they decide to implement them. Here's how I'd go about it! We should still have torque It's an important design consideration and getting rid of it would make propellers too similar to jet engines! Blades should be parameters Instead of attaching blades to motors and then fiddling with them, the critical things should be parameters on the motor: Number of blades Size of blade Rotation direction (affects both blade variant and motor direction so they always match) Reverse rotation switch (for backward-facing props) These should have a sensible default for each motor size. Blades should have auto-pitch as the default option We've had constant-speed propellers with automatic pitch for ages and ages and I think we should have them in KSP as well. There should be an option to switch to manual pitch as well because sometimes you want to. Default axis binds for torque and pitch Throttle controls engine torque Up/Down controls blade pitch (if not set to automatic/constant-speed) You could reassign these but you shouldn't have to assign them manually every time. Handle helicopter main rotors separately You would have to explicitly choose to make a propeller a helicopter rotor. This would change its axis/keybinds and behavior. These could be entirely different parts, or a switch you can flip on a part. Constant-speed/automatic pitch would be removed The up/down axis would control pitch The roll and pitch axes (QE/WS) would control cyclic Handle helicopter tail rotors separately Like for the main rotor, the tail rotor should be either a designated part or a mode/switch you can flip. It has auto-torque to keep it constant speed The yaw axis (AD) will control pitch SAS will automatically adjust it to keep the craft's orientation stable In sum If they were designed this way, making a functional propeller plane would be almost as easy as making a jet plane, as you'd only have to deal with torque. Making a functional helicopter would be fairly straightforward too: install a main rotor and tail rotor (or two counterrotating main rotors), and off you go. I know that this may sound too much like "easy mode" for some people, but I really think they were too difficult to get into for most people, and even when you knew how they worked, they needed too much manual tweaking to fly. Single main rotor helicopters in particular were really hard to build and even when built right were really squirrelly. I think that with this kind of approach, lots more people would use them, and you'd still be able to set them to "full manual" if you wanted the advanced stuff. What do you think?

The KDF OH-69 Djinn is The KDF’s latest Light Observation Helicopter. Capable of Flight on most planetary bodies with atmospheres. Armed with twin cannons to provide rapid-fire support. This craft Is fully stock only requires DLC Single passenger Comes with a fully interactive cockpit full of instrument clusters and levers. Action Groups Space Bar - Fire Cannons AG1 - Control form Command Seat. AG2 - Control from Probe. RCS TRIM KEYS I, K - Trim Top Propellers J, L - Trim Rear Propellers H, N - Tilt Rotor Forward/Back Flight Details Main Throttle will control the RPM of the Motor Rotorblade Pitch Cluster - Optimal flight is set marked by a red marker on the Instrument cluster. Try to stay in this mode for the best flight. Lower than red will put you into hover mode. Full engagement will send you into a high incline. Use full throttle when you want to gain high altitude Download here https://kerbalx.com/InterstellarKev/KDF-OH-69-Djinn https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2936514208 Details Type: SPH Class: aircraft Part Count: 184 Pure Stock KSP: 1.12.5

License: All Rights Reserved This is for the .mu files, everything else is open for use. Link: https://spacedock.info/mod/3128/The Belafonte Hi and welcome to "The Belafonte". This a companion mod for @Caerfinons "The Life Aquatic" mission packs mod. https://spacedock.info/mod/2808/Kerbin%20Side%20Remastered%20-%20The%20Life%20Aquatic Included are the ship "The Belafonte", The mini sub "Deep Search", The small helicopter "Zelicopter", A "Resue Boat" , a Deck Crane and cable that use the BREAKING GROUND system, 3 types of grabbers: A magnet for the crane to pick up the sub, A heli pad grabber to secure the Zelicopter and a boat grabbing frame to retrieve the rescue boat. The boat and the frame have a decouple on the nodes that first connect them so that the boat can be included when building. You then decouple and use the grabber from then on. Remember to unstage all decouplers if you don't want them to immediately decouple when first staging. There is a marine engine for the Belafonte and there are 2 nodes on the bottom rear for 2 of them to attach to. They will not work above sea level. The boat motor has a reverse toggle, as do the sub and the Belafontes marine engines. There is a docking plate that has a node on deck to attach to, in front of the crane, it is for the sub to dock to. Just undock right before grabbing with the magnet and then crane the sub to the water. On return drop the sub just above it and the sub will usually vibrate itself back to being docked. The sub and boat have a ballast system. The boat should spawn half full, this is because to get the balance between not going under at full load and not looking like it is hovering above the water it needs to be balanced. It should look right at first but if you full load you will probably need to empty some. There is built Belafonte in a SPH folder in the main folder, minus the Zelicopter. The Zelicopter is all one piece so you just spawn and it is ready to go. The top 2 staircases never would climb out right so you need climb till you are above the deck and then let go. Type Belafonte for all pieces. There is also a custom category if you have the Community Categories mod. I hope you have some fun with this.

License: CC-BY-SA-4.0 Link https://spacedock.info/mod/3072/Huey and Chinook Helicopter parts pack. Updated to 1.0.1 As pointed out to me by @Caerfinon and @doctorbai My part variations were pointing to my Hind mod and so if that was not installed then no textures showed up, this has now been fixed. Hi. This is a parts pack that uses the half size MK3 parts system like can be found in Airplane plus and is compatible with those parts. Provided are parts to make the equivalent of a Huey helicopter and a Chinook troop or cargo helicopter with a loading ramp. You can mix and match to make several variations. Included is a rocket pod that uses the fireworks system, and you should adjust it once attached to get the effect you want. The engine bases that sits on top of the fuselages are a hinge and require that "Breaking Ground" be installed for functionality. The main rotor attaches to it's top node and this allows the rotor to be tilted in flight for stable horizontal flight. The tail planes are fully functional and as such create drag on vertical movement when rising and descending. The Huey nose is designed to exactly counter the drag at the other end and needs to be attached when the tailplanes are so that the craft doesnt pitch violently when moving vertically. The nose and the tail sections also have adjustable ballast so that once you have built your craft you can balance it so that the centre of thrust from the rotor goes straight through the centre of mass. The Chinook doesn't have tail planes and empty is usually balanced, the cargo tail has the ballast system. The external fuel tank that attaches to the bottom and gives the fuselage the Chinook look is also a lifting surface, but as it is central, it doesn't cause the uneven drag. Having some lifting drag on the helicopters has been found to make them more stable. Being that the Chinook is a heavy helicopter, it's rotor has a small spool up and down delay and so when taking off and landing you should allow for the time it takes to react, especially for landing so that you don't hit the ground hard by waiting too long before throttling up to slow your descent. Half throttle is usually enough to get most loads off the ground. The Huey rotor is a bit more responsive but not as powerful. Everything has nodes for click and connect. Be sure to check the Centre of mass and thrust before launch and adjust so they are through each other. Type Huey in the part search for all the Huey parts and Chinook for all the Chinook parts. I hope you will have some fun with this.

License: CC-BY-SA-4.0 Link https://spacedock.info/mod/3065/Hind MI-24 and MI-17 parts pack. Hi. This is a parts pack that uses the half size MK3 parts system like can be found in Airplane plus and is compatible with those parts. Provided are parts to make the equivalent of an MI-24 Hind attack helicopter and an MI-17 troop or cargo helicopter with a loading ramp. You can mix and match to make several variations. Included are rocket pods and a missile rack that use the fireworks system, and you should adjust them once attached to get the effect you want. There are also 2 sizes of auxilary fuel tanks that have the ability to be jettisoned. Remember to turn off staging for them when attached, to stop from accidentally dropping them just after launch. The engine base that sits on top of the main fuselage is a hinge and requires that "Breaking Ground"be installed for functionality. The main rotor attaches to it's top node and this allows the rotor to be tilted in flight for stable horizontal flight. The tail planes are fully functional and as such create drag on vertical movement when rising and descending. The turret (gun or camera) is designed to exactly counter the drag at the other end and needs to be attached when the tailplanes are so that the craft doesnt pitch violently when moving vertically. The turret and the tail sections also have adjustable ballast so that once you have built your craft you can balance it so that the centre of thrust from the rotor goes straight through the centre of mass. Being that they are heavy helicopters the rotor has a small spool up and down delay and so when taking off and landing you should allow for the time it takes to react, especially for landing so that you don't hit the ground hard by waiting too long before throttling up to slow your descent. Half throttle is usually enough to get most loads off the ground. I will include some premade craft in a SPH folder inside the main folder. Just type in "hind" to have all the parts come up. I hope you will have some fun with this.

After more research and testing, I would like to share what I have learned about designing and flying helicopters in the game.

Hello KSP community! This is my first mod I'm putting out for a test drive. This is a MAS-Enabled IVA for the Firespitter Apache cockpit. It is intended to be as accurate as the props i had available will allow. It's not perfect.. YET... But hopefully support for the functions of some props will come soon. This mod refreshes and brings FUN back to Firespitter! Plus i just love helicopters for some reason.... and I wanted a realistic cockpit to fly around in! Have fun everyone! Download Link: https://spacedock.info/mod/2993/Firespitter Apache IVA Upgrade

I've been thinking about this for a while now and I'm wondering with the new stuff with the robotic parts and the new helicopter blades, why not get ones with tip jets on them like the fairey rotordyne, reason being with the helicopter motor (R7000 turboshaft engine) produces a lot of toque and i don't want to do a duel rotor design, for mass issues as well.

The primary feature of the DLC is, of course, that you can assign some variables for rotors and servos, such as target angle, target RPM, target torque, etc. as dependent variables in the KAL-1000 controller, where the independent variable is the play position of the controller. It is also possible to slave the play position to any of the game's available axes (main throttle, translatory controls, standard flight controls, etc). I am curious as to whether this relationship can be inverted - that is, whether the play position of a controller can be determined by, chiefly, the current angle of a rotor or servo, though I'm sure the other variables would have some uses. If this is not possible in normal KSP, is there a mod that provides a similar function? I ask this because, if this is possible, it may finally allow some aspects of lift dissymmetry to be solved.

Most people like to think big: Go big or go home. But how about going small? I 've designed a small VTOL. Hoverbike, Skycycle, whatever you call it, it's small (barely one ton), fast (It can cruise at up to 62 m/s, although ~55 m/s is advised), and with excellent endurance. And it seats two kerbals! Running on batteries is how I got it so small. twin rotors and SAS wheels keep it stable. Truth is, it's got more power than you'll actually need. *edit* how do I attach images? *edit2* fixed with KerbalX mod Here's the lowrider on KerbalX: https://kerbalx.com/lucho/Lowrider

So, I got this DLC wanting to make helicopters. I found out pretty fast that metaphorically bought the tool, but not the skill. Yet. The DLC has a few stock "helicopters" which are just ducted-fan VTOLs and flying platforms. However, I'm trying to make a "conventional helicopter" so to say. A helicopter with a main rotor and a smaller tail rotor. So far, my results have been far from desirable. My first rotor-tail rotor helicopter design (image links below) was awful. All it did was break itself. https://prnt.sc/tsxyu0 http://prntscr.com/tsxz61 What's the right way to make a rotor-tail rotor helicopter?

I tried to replicate the DeLorean from the epic movie "Back to the future". I think it looks okay, but I did miss something to make it feel more authentic... That's why I reenacted a part of the last scene from the movie (poorly), just to add a bit more flair.

Hi folks, I recently decided to do a circumnavigation of Duna by plane or helicopter. After many hours of testing, I finally came up with a compact helicopter that flew pretty darn well! Here are its specs: - Weight: 1.24 tonne - Top speed: ~75 m/s (65 m/s on average) - Kerbal capacity: 2 meat bags - Power consumption: ~2.5 Electrical untis/s - Max air time: infinite - KSP Version: 1.9.1 with breaking ground My goal was to circumnavigate Duna and get as much biome-science as possible. I didn't want to visit every biome, but only land on the ones that were along the path of the circumnavigation. Since Duna's circumference is ~2.000 km and my average speed was around 65 m/s, this mission would take me at least 8,5 hours. I believe I flew over 3.000 km in the end, but I wasn't able to record it properly, so I could be wrong. I made a time-lapse video of the mission. You can check it out in the link below (~7:00). Hope you liked it. Some highlights from the mission:

Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow To control the heli, start by controlling the rotor collective with Translate U/D keys I and K. Then, set the throttle to slightly below 1/3. Parts: 351 Weight: 23t Length: 13.6m Top Speed: ~35m/s AH-64D on KerbalX

I created a feedback report explaining the situation in detail. https://bugs.kerbalspaceprogram.com/issues/24853

I present my newest invention: Samson Mk 1.5! Inspired by the Samson Sa-2 from James Camerson's Avatar, this little helicopter is a vehicle of choice for the scouting parties both on Kerbin and other planets. Initially designed as a search-and-rescue craft by KAEC, which also made a combat prototype also known as "Samson 0", the KSCRD team upgraded it for exoplanet missions. It can carry up to 4 passengers (seats can be swapped for cargo holds), its engines can be easily tweaked for a thinner atmosphere, has an infinite range with the help of its 2 RTG generators, and thanks to its ability to fold the rotor blades, it can fit in the MK3 cargo bay, making it easy to transport. This craft has two modes: transit and lander (ACTION GROUP 5) Recommended engine speed for "lander" is 80%, for "transit" is 100% HOWEVER: before you fly the helicopter, make sure you have pressed ACTION GROUP 3 in order to make it work. It is highly recomended that you fly with SAS on, and that you take caution when performing maneuvers. Download from KerbalX (You need both expansions for this craft.) I am open for suggestions on how to improve the craft. If you feel there is something I really need to fix, please comment below and I will update the craft ASAP Known bugs: *Sometimes, when the craft is landed on a building, the lander legs clip through them when loaded FIXED *When opening the engines, there is a chance that one of them will go rogue. Revert to start/quickload to fix this.

Hello everyone! I enjoy your interest in my previous craft Mi-26, so this community inspired me to create the second! Pretty small, stock and fun to play with! KSP 1.8 + BG 1.3 Specifications: No SAS, no reaction wheels and no RCS, only tiltable blades and several servos! Parts: 98 Crew: 1 or 2 kerbals. Possible to put up to 2 more seats, but it will nose dive almost everytime Mass: 1221 kg Main rotor diameter: 7.9 m (200 rpm) Lenght: 8 m Speed forward: 22-24 m/s Speed sideways: 17 m/s Climb rate: 5 m/s Flight time: up to 90 minutes Control groups: 1 - start/shutdown all systems. Throttle - main rotor pitch How to fly? I advise to use gamepad or some sort of controller to feel real cyctic control, but it possible to use keyboard. Set camera to locked behind tail, press 1, set throttle to 40 and wait 20 second. Then you can increase throttle, nice and easy, watching its positon, speed and forgeting about Z/X. As speed rises it will tends to climb and maybe roll left a bit. Once you reach medium speed it will feels like some sort of an airplane. Just watch a video below and you'll see. Have fun flying around! Craft file: https://kerbalx.com/IkranMakto/Bell-Helicopter

Dear Kerbonauts, I am a long time KSP player but i had been gone for a while. I started playing again and became as fanatical as the first time i played. I intend to be more interactive, post stuff on the workshop, visit the KSP forums more often and i even started redditing and youtubing for the occasion. Recently i discovered the robotics. Awesome! I finaly made a functional helicopter. I Present to you: Mayakovski Helicopter: -10 person, main rotor-tail rotor configuration, lifting capable Helicopter. Flies great! Space: Toggle engine. R: Rotor brake. (Double tap to release first time. Only works when engine is engaged) Throttle: Lift. 1: toggle grapler and landing lights. I use Q/E for yaw and A/D for Roll, i dont know wether that causes issues for others. Part count: 57 Length: 15.5m Width: 13.3m Heigth: 3.7 Top speed: 50m/s Needs Making History and Breaking Ground DLC Side view: Front view: Youtube footage: Workshop page: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1866487775. Reddit post: ttps://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/d6whw7/my_first_helicopter_and_my_first_reddit_post/ KerbalX Entry: https://kerbalx.com/Robdjee/Mayakovski-Helicopter Kind regards, Robdjee