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I've seen a few Dropship designs on the forum lately and I thought I would have a go at my own version. 213 Parts. 115 tons. I made a couple of tweaks to the version shown in the video so it now carries 2 pilots and 4 passengers. You can't see the cockpit door but you can still EVA a Kerbal from it. The Mk1 passenger modules can be EVA'd from the cargo bay. Hotkeys: 1) Toggle Rear Engines 2) Toggle thrust reversal on Rear Engines 3) Toggle VTOL Engines 4) Toggle Afterburners on VTOL Engines 9) Toggle Roof Doors 0) Toggle Ramp Door Make sure SAS is on before flight, (unless you like a challenge :)). The ship can hover at 5/6ths throttle. Try not to land vertically harder than 8m/s. The Dropship handles pretty well and has a lot of fuel, (37 mins hover time and 1 hour horizontal flight time). I'm not sure how much she can lift but you can always use the afterburners if you need some extra power. Yaw is pretty good in this plane in either mode. Download here > https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9mK0rPybNaxU0REX1dkX1hSaDQ Enjoy and share your own Dropships if you like!

Hi all, Which mod is the best for controlling vtol craft? I've tried a number of them and I can't seem to figure out how to let a mod control the vertical to horizontal transition. Throttle controlled avionics gets installed and unistalled regullaly, as on paper is sounds great but can't figure out how to work it. Vertical Velocity Control seems good until it asked to remap all the keys to make it work. Any other ones that you would recomend? Thanks GE

Step 1: Get a plane. Many VTOLs are purpose-built and you've probably already gotten everything else laid out Step 2: Check the fuel drainage. This probably won't be as big a problem if you build planes the "traditional" way with most of the fuel in the back. When it drains, the center of mass moves forward. You'll probably want an RCS unit or reaction wheel just in case but often the cockpit wheels do the trick. Step 3: Activate the center of mass and thrust icons. As I said before, weight distribution will be more or less the same as it was before as you're only adding mass to the center of mass, however if you use jet engines (which you probably are), they have a weird CoM (due to realistic jets having a bunch of heavy moving parts inside the main body of the craft), so it may be moved upward slightly. If this happens, just move the wings up or lifting engines down a bit. If you still can't solve this problem, assuming you're using Wheesleys, turn the assembly upside down and turn on reverse thrust. This will make your craft even more stable in the air, making it hang like parachute due to the upward center of lift/drag Step 4: Deactivate the other engines. Assuming this uses lifting engines and standard engines, you'll want to set the standard engine thrust limiter to 0 (limiting 100% thrust). This way, the only factors affecting the center of thrust will be the lifting engines. Step 5: Select a lifting engine and mounting surface. I like to use either Junos or Wheesleys depending on the function (I'll elaborate on that later). As for the mounting base, you'll probably want to use an octagonal or cubic octagonal strut - they're light weight, small, and have two attachment nodes when mounted on a surface - allowing you to add more intakes which VTOLs often need. Step 6: Assemble the lifting assembly. Start by attaching the mounting base to where you want your engines to be (I'd recommend the wings as they are often convenient and there's two (or more) of them) and then rotating it so the nodes are vertical. Next, add the engines to the bottom of the assembly and make sure they clear the ground and put the intakes (if you're using extras) on the top. You may want to clip the engine or intake into the mounting base and the surface into the wing for a much cleaner look Step 7: Fine tuning. You'll probably want to get rid of the center of lift icon for this. Start by offsetting the mounting base so that it aligns with the center of mass and then you may want to move it inward a little to decrease it's moment of inertia (the more weight on the outside, the longer roll will take, same with pitch and yaw) so it's faster to respond to roll commands. Step 8: Re-enable thrust on the standard engines and set action groups. I like to use 1 for lifting engines and 3 for standard engines There, you should now have a well functioning VTOL or STOL. There are many uses for these craft and the engines don't have to be strictly for takeoff and landing - some of my favorite fighters like the DOVE 1.1 (upgraded DOVE) use Juno engines for linear maneuvering based on roll and also aid greatly in pitch-based maneuverers. These abilities are great for dogfights and attack runs because you can move in ways your opponents (probably) won't expect or be programmed to expect and can also get you out of a pinch easily. I've pretty much gone through everything I know here so Fireheart318 out!

WARNING! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE YOU MAY DO TO YOUR GAME HERE! THIS REQUIRES SOME EXTREMELY LIGHT MODIFICATION TO THE CONFIG FILES OF KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM! THEY SHOULDN'T DAMAGE ANYTHING BUT JUST IN CASE! Step 1: Open the GameData folder and from there, open Squad Step 2: Open resources and from there, open ResourcesGeneric.cfg Step 3: Locate 'name = IntakeAir' Step 4: To make visible change the modifier for 'isVisible' to 'true'. To make tweakable (able to change amounts in VAB/SPH) change the modifier for 'isTweakable' to 'true' THESE VALUES ARE ALL CASE-SENSITIVE! IF YOU DON'T DO IT EXACTLY, IT PROBABLY WON'T WORK! This is a valuable tool for being able to see when you run out of air for SSTOs and figure out why your VTOLs aren't working and how many intakes you need to fix it. It's just a generally good thing to have in the game and I don't know why Squad changed it. That's all I've got to say here so Fireheart318 out!

Not sure why I created this or what I'm going to do with it, but it's been kinda fun to fly... If you know about Rapiers, at low speeds they loose thrust as you gain altitude, so it's a little tricky on takeoff, but basically, just hit T Z <SPACE>, start pitching slowly right away to get airspeed and get the wing flying. A wheel or two might actually make a nice addition, but it was just kinda fun to do it this way. I make no guarantees about landing, as I actually haven't landed this yet... But she does get on orbit with 400-500 dV to spare on the Rapiers. Some of you cool folks feel free to update this and make it even better... Danny. Tough to make it any cooler looking though... Oh hey - maybe I ought to include the .craft? https://www.dropbox.com/s/ruk0iuwhmhrrfhx/Ray.craft?dl=0

Sector 7 Space Laboratories - VTOL Division - Aurora 2000 Stuck on small craft designs again, this is my Aurora 2000 a VTOL / Watercaft it's a dual seat craft and it runs lite on fuel. I guess if I would have worked with it long enough I could have packed more Juno Engines under it to liftoff with full tanks but decided to go with the lighter version. I should have named it with some kind of insect name because it looks like a bug. During testing I found the water is much nicer in 1.1 and underwater is looking much better also. Aurora 2000 Flight Operations: Engage RCS and SAS, throttle up to full then press spacebar, if you would like to jump up quickly use the K Key, this is the downward thrust which is also used for landings. Hold the K Key until you gain some height then press spacebar a second time to engage the rear engines. The lift engines are on action group 1 and the forward thrust engines are on 2. Controls 1- Juno Lift Engines 2- Wheesley Forward Thrust Engines Craft File Aurora 2000

Maverick - S7V

Sector 7 Space Laboratories - VTOL Division - Maverick S7V The handling is very nice but not a quick handling craft, bank turns are a little slow and also when landing like an Airplane it's very challenging because of it's small wingspan and weight. The craft requires high speed landings with gentle touch downs and full braking is a good idea as soon as you hit the pavement. With the Panthers kicking with afterburners in the rear it looks really cool in flight. Maverick - S7V Flight Operations: Engage RCS and SAS, throttle up to full then press spacebar and this will engage the lift engines for VTOL if you perfer to takeoff like an Airplane press spacebar a second time to engage the rear engines. The lift engines are on action group 1 and the Panthers on the Stern are on 2 with Mode Toggle on 3, leave all engines engaged during flight until enough speed is gained to maintain flight with out the lift engines. When landing, half throttle has been working for a slow descent then use the Vernor Engines (Letter K) to control your rate of descent. Special Note: Maverick S7V will put an advanced pilots skills at tense levels when landing on the runway at the Island or at Mission Control if you are planning a complete stop on the runway. Controls 1- Toggle Wheesley Engines 2- Toggle Panthers 3- Toggle Panther Mode 4- Verticle Landing Lights Craft Files Maverick S7V

I seem to be haveing some problems getting a VTOL running. Not because of balance issues, but one of the two engines always fails! I've rebuilt the plane several times, and each time, one of the VTOL engines on either wings just flames out for appearantly no reason. I'm not really familiar with the game's air flow logic, but it seems like it shouldn't be happening. The engine on the left flames out during spool-up, but the one one the right runs fine Plane side profile Plane top profile

I made something smaller a.k.a. cupcake lander. I don't know if I should post actual craft because it's so simple. VIDEO

Sector 7 Space Laboratories - VTOL Division - V-Copter The V-Copter, it's name comes from VTOL & Helicopter. The looks take some getting use to because of it's upper rotor not being there but it's growing on me the more I fly it. The craft is handling well and it's range and flight time is good for having fun. V-Copter Flight Operations: Engage RCS and SAS, throttle up to full then press spacebar, if you would like to jump up quickly use the K Key, this is the downward thrust which is also used for landings. Hold the K Key until you gain some height then press spacebar a second time to engage the rear engines. The lift engines are on action group 1 and the forward thrust engines are on 2, leave all engines engaged during flight and this will not be a problem with fuel consumtion because the Juno's are easy on fuel. Special Note: Water landings are very tough, keeping it at balance is a challenge but the craft will hold level. Controls 1- Juno Lift Engines 2- Juno Forward Thrust Engines Craft Files V-Copter Land Craft V-Copter Water Craft

I saw an earlier work of a F35 swivel jet and thought I'd have a go at such a design. I never tried the F35 craft file so this was developed independently and I'm not sure if it works the same way. Goes from vertical to horizontal flight and back again. Engine rotation can be controlled when there's no forward or backward momentum. When RCS runs out or turned off, it becomes as a stunt plane, able to hover upside down while the pilot gets some fresh air outside the cockpit. Skip to 1:30 for the main part. Just another video showing specs, takeoff, and landing. [Download]

I am humbly requesting a mod for vtol engine balancing. There are currently some mods available for stock, but nothing that works with AJE. I would ideally love Davon Throttle Control to be compatible with AJE as it seems the most advanced, but the current author doesn't seem interesting in extending compatibility. Advanced VTOL control is another mod that was great and even synced engine throttle with pitch input. This was a great mod, but really needed a solution for roll control as well. If anyone would be willing to update/add AJE compatibility to either of those mods, or make a new mod it would be a great thing for all AJE users and you'd have my personal thanks Thanks!

Sector 7 Space Laboratories - VTOL Division The Tri-Pack Release of 105 Craft Spider - KSF (Kerbin Security Fighter) Globe Runner Spritz-105 Spritz-105 SS (Fuel System Updated) Come Fly The Skies with Spritz 105's

So, seems that i have again found the limits of what KSP physics and Infernal robotics can handle. And here it is then, a project that started out as a MK-4 cargo/passenger rover and what then turned into one of my most challengin builds so far. And it is the S-Tornado, a VTOL/ seaplane/ cargo-plane hybrid that is big and i mean BIG. You need to be a real professional to fly this thing. The design believe or not actually flies, but it's stupidly unreliable witch makes it pretty much useless. And here are the main issues: The size itself isn't an issue, it's the size of the engines. The size and mass of the engines causes them to be very wobbly and loose at all times. Aka the engines want to be at an angle at all times witch causes stability issues. And the problem is that it is physically impossible for me to make them point straight. 1. Because of how infernal robotics works, the only things that will make the part to witch the rotatron is added and the part that is added to the rotatron collide with each other is landing gears and landing legs. Landing gears worked "ok" for me, they made the engines point more straight, but because i can't use mirroring it's very hard to get them to be mirrored, since even the slightest miss alignment will cause the engines to point on different directions, witch in turn causes the aircraft to go off course and crash (happened to me at one point but i fixed the problem later on). Even at this point they don't make the engines point straight enough. I was able to fix all the stability issues, but because of the looseness of the engines they tend to explode (only the back engines do) and take a chunk of the aircraft with them. 2. And again because of how Infernal robotics work, i can't strut them up of they will be stuck. 3. I wanted to use powered hinges on the back engines (none of these problems would have existed), but for some reason they pretended to be pistons (either it's a bug or they just don't like to be pointed the other way around) and just broke my engines before moving even one degree down. And yes that was me flying in a straight line. I guess i just made a more modern version of the Heinkel Grief (Nickname: "Flying Zippo") witch was a WW-2 german Heavy bomber whose engines (two per propeller) would randomly catch fire mid flight. Even altough i said to myself that i'm not gonna give up that easy, That pick above was the point in witch i just gave up. If it can't fly in a straight line without exploding there's no chance that i could make it any better since i tried pretty much every trick in my book. All and all, it works but it's a hit or miss. Anyway, i hope you enjoyed looking at this beast of an aircraft. Mods used: MK-4 fuselage pack, Infernal robotics and Nebula decals. Download link: Unless you guys really want it, i won't be putting up a download link.

Powered by 6 state-of-the-art turbojets, the V-22 is capable of 8-second takeoffs with its afterburners engaged. Turn RCS on for a easier time, but it is not required. When the craft reaches a minimal attitude of 180 meters above terrain, the cruising jets can be engaged. As they build up speed, it's a good idea to sustain the VTOL engines, just in case it needs more velocity. It does convert remarkably well though. While in conventional flight, it is capable of speeds exceeding 120 m/s. RCS may be disabled now. Armed with 10 medium range APHE rockets and a large cargo bay for bombs. Cannot take off conventionally without some VTOL assistance, but can land conventionally and vertically. Docking port on top is for landing purposes only. Action group 1: Toggle VTOL afterburners AG 2: Toggle VTOL jets AG 3: Toggle conventional flight jets AG 4: Open bay doors Instructions: Activate VTOL jets and afterburner. Wait until alt above terrain < 180M or so. Activate conventional jets, turn afterburners off, and activate RCS if you haven't yet. When turbofans hit 100 thrust, deactivate VTOL jets and pitch up immediately. You should be able to fly it normally now Landing: Set control to the Clamp-o-tron Jr. above the cargo bay. Turn off conventional jets, and point retrograde or semi-retrograde. Burn until angular velocity is > 2 m/s. Point engines down, lower gear. Throttle to 1/2 power, only throttle up if your speed is above 20 m/s and you're less than 40 meters above terrain. Alternatively, you can perform a conventional landing with the wheels. It can do that, of course. Download Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/afiaqw3am6wc7lg/MK2%20transition%20VTOL%20Armed%20prototype.craft?dl=0

Craft File: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7y8taoffl62rqb4/AVT-10%20Splinter.craft?dl=0 (NOTE: This comes in a drydock setup with no launch vehicle; I'll eventually try and make one, but for now I'd say your best bet is to either put it in a fairing atop a tall rocket and/or hyperedit it to the planet of your choosing.) Controls: 1- Toggles engines on/off G- Landing Gear Piloting at surface-level is done via the horizontal view (via the internal crew seating or probe core), while in-space piloting is done via the top-mounted docking port for a vertical view inline with the CoT. Supplementary Information: -This craft is partcount-heavy for a small dropship, so beware if your computer isn't capable of handling a 200 parts-or-so craft. -Crew can only be loaded/removed by placing them inside the chairs in the internal "roll cage" cockpit in the center of the hull. To do so, get your kerbal either on top of or under the hull, clip your camera inside, and then place them into the chair by right-clicking on the seat and selecting the menu option to do so. Powered by twin LV-909 rocket engines, the AVT-10 Splinter is a reliable, aesthetically pleasing, and Safe!tm VTOL dropship capable of transporting up to 2 kerbals in style at high speeds on airless worlds (and Duna). With a proper transfer vessel to haul it around, the Splinter is capable of flying on a variety of worlds, provided they aren't Kerbin, Eve, Tylo, or Laythe (high gravity and/or oxygenated air and the Splinter do not mix). A robust design with a high degree of crew survivability means your crew can walk away from even the worst high-speed crash-landings in the Splinter unharmed! Enjoy, and let me know what you think of the Splinter! -ScriptKitt3h

This is a simple challenge. Drop four Kerbals off on the Island, and return the vehicle to KSC as quickly as possible. The catch: You must do it in a VTOL aircraft. RULES: - Craft must take off and land vertically. - Craft must use airbreathing engines. Rockets not an option. - Stock parts only with the exception of informational mods such as KER and MechJeb. - Stock atmo. Default heating settings. - Passenger Kerbals must travel in enclosed pods. - Vehicle must be piloted by a Kerbal at all times. - No bits dropping off. - Passengers must be dropped off at or near the relic barn on the Island. - Normal physics and fuel rules apply. SCORING: Completion dependent on successful deployment of four Kerbals on the Island and safe return of vehicle to KSC. Time taken from when the vehicle comes to a complete stop on the KSC runway after deployment.

Sector 7 Space Laboratories - VTOL Division - Crosshair This VTOL Craft has lots of flight time and the handling is great but if you plan to do some EVA's download Crosshair II. Most of the photos are showing Crosshair II Craft Assembly: Juno Engines, Wheesley Engines, Dart Engine, Inline Stabilizers, Ramp Air Intakes, Canards, Lights, Mk1 Cockpit, Fuel Cell Arrays, FL-T400 & T800 Fuel Tanks, Vernor Engines Flight Operations: Engage RCS and SAS, throttle up to full then press spacebar, if you would like to jump up quickly use the K Key, this is the downward thrust which is also used for landings. Hold the K Key until you gain some height then press spacebar a second time to engage the rear engines. After reaching about 70m/s press the number 1 action key to kill the lift engines and press number 2 action key to kill the Dart Engine unless you want the speed and not concerned about fuel consumption. Engineer's Report: Parts - 142 Mass - 30.6t Height - 4.9m Width - 10.2m Lenght - 8.4m Controls: 1- Juno Lift Engines 2- Dart Engine (Center Rear Engine) 3- Rear Wheesley Engines Craft Files: Crosshair Crosshair II

https://youtu.be/-_dNArLBiaw

I present to you, my VTOL-capable replica of the RAF's BAE Harrier. Very stable and easy to fly as a regular aircraft and in VTOL mode. Action Groups: 1. Toggle forward-thrust engines 2. Toggle VTOL engine 3. Toggle flaps/airbrakes 4. Toggle ladder Download here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w1at5z9l3k8x67u/BAE%20HARRIER.craft?dl=0 Enjoy!

The Aerrier VTOL series brings you a (relatively) stable HoverJet training platform! A must-have for all aspiring lander pilots and powered-lift enthusiasts alike! Here you can fly the entire series, from the Vernier-controlled early models to the latest M4 gyro-stabilized designs! Once you get used to the deadly slow response unique handling characteristics of the turbine power controls, these vehicles become enjoyable death traps flying adventures that will hone your crew's VTOL skills to their sharpest at the comforts of your local space agency! Manufacturer warranty for over 40% engine reliability!! (non-applicable to M3 models and earlier) Get it here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1374365/Aerrier/Aerrier%20VectorJets.zip only uses stock parts!

Second version of my VTOL. Bigger, 2 more engines and landing struts. http://www./?86vzvej8bk9q5t7