I'm afraid of supersonic jets

[lost_in_space]

I managed to scrape up 300 science to get the Whiplash Engine tech. I wanted it to fulfill my contracts where I have to fly at over 19,000 meters and take crew reports.

So I removed the Wheesley engine from my favorite plane and slapped the Whiplash on. I was amazed at how quickly it climbed and the speed! I am used to operating at full throttle, but max power with the Whiplash is just insane. I hit well over 1,000 m/s and my plane turned into a giant red fireball. I thought it was going to explode.

Anyway, it made me real uncomfortable. Instead of a nice, leisurely flight, I was nervous and on edge. So, I completed two objectives on a contract and high-tailed it home. I just barely made it back after sucking down almost 600 fuel. This thing is not as economical as the Wheesley.

After that, I decided to go to the north pole ice cap and do experiments. I chose the Wheesley plane for this because I felt more in control with it vs. the Whiplash.

I guess I just need more experience with the Whiplash to figure out the best cruising altitudes and speeds. Or maybe I should shut the graphics off so I can see the plane instead of flaming metal. Is it possible to go over mach 1 without turning the fuselage to magma?

[SpenSpaceCorp]

I say GIMME FUEL GIMME FIRE GIMME THAT WHICH I DESIRE!

[Rocket Farmer]

Mach 1 = 340m/s so you are about at Mach 3.

At sea level your ship will disintegrate from heat somewhere between 1,075 and 1,250m/s depending on how you built it.

Above 20k you can get 1,300m/s+ if you fly right but your engines also begin to die due to lack of oxygen.

Best of luck.

[cybersol]

You should be able to supercruise at about 750 m/s at 15-17 km basically indefinitely. Drag is crazy in the transonic region from 300-550 m/s, but settles back down after that. You want to avoid that region as much as you can to save fuel. I find it cool that this cruising speed tends to be around mach 2.2, as that similar to real life supercruise.

[georgTF]

Keep that plane handy. Building planes is so frustrating that i sometimes go back to my own simple TJ racer just to vent some anger. It's nice to have a plane that goes!

Anyway, you have two problems with a high altitude, high speed plane. The lag in throttle response of the engine, and the few parts the plane is made of. More complex planes have more parts and therefore more or better heatsinks. If you make a high altitude screamer dedicated to science try using an extra fuel tank or two, just to absorb/radiate heat.

This craft is entirely limited by heat. By that i mean i will be forced to land to cool off long before i'm out of fuel. It's an old build and i'm sure improvements could be made. I made it to deal with the Kerbin athmospheric contracts. There's also a smaller one that can make larger suborbital hops but is less usefull at altitude.

The throttle response is just something you have to get used to. Once the turbojets go nuts at supersonic speeds, it takes them a few seconds to stop providing thrust and then the plane still has to suffer drag for a few more seconds before it slows down enough or you pull up. Airbrakes are also usefull, but there is a nice cruising altitude and speed you have to experiment a bit to find. I'f i'm honest though, i'm far to impatient for that. I'd rather go suborbital even if it means taking on heat on the way up and down. Or not bother with athmospheric contracts anymore... :\

Edited June 4, 2015 by georgTF

[Sir Nahme]

Just remember when you encounter one in the wild, back away slowly and don't show that fear. In general they are more afraid of you than you are of them.

Seriously though it's all about angle of attack.

and taking advantage of caplocks for more minute maneuvering for better control.

[Deutherius]

Unrelated: anyone know the latin name for "fear of supersonic jets"?

[mikegarrison]

Unrelated: anyone know the latin name for "fear of supersonic jets"?

maybe this: fluentorum celeris terror

(fear of fast flows)

[Esme]

maybe this: fluentorum celeris terror

(fear of fast flows)

Or celerophobia, maybe?

[mikegarrison]

Or celerophobia, maybe?

"Phobia" is a Greek word, FWIW.

Edited June 4, 2015 by mikegarrison

[Sidereus]

I find that the sweet spot for the Whiplash around 18-21km. At that altitude you're unlikely to explode anything, so long as nothing rated below 2000 degrees is exposed; you can go balls out as long as you have O₂.

Below that, and you have to do a lot of throttle feathering to keep it below 800m/s, which, while realistic, is annoying.

We really do need an engine that's between the Wheezley and the Whiplash in terms of performance. Something that will go mach 1.5-2.0 at most.

[waterlubber]

Well, there's the RAPIER. I just use all the thrust to go supersonic and then limit it at 750 or so m/s. Burns no fuel.

[Deutherius]

"Phobia" is a Greek word, FWIW.

This one's on me, I was thinking of a "phobia", but I derped.

[michaelsteele3]

I'm going to spray paint a picture of a supersonic jet on your bedroom wall...

[spudman2]

I say GIMME FUEL GIMME FIRE GIMME THAT WHICH I DESIRE!

It's official: Metallica's favorite engine is the turbofan Whiplash.

[Raptor9]

I have an SR-71 analogue that I use between 20-23km altitude at ~Mach 3.1 (throttle maxed out due to lower air density). It mounts two Whiplash engines with a shockcone intake and precooler on each nacelle. Works pretty well for long-range flights.

If you're afraid of the runaway freight train effect at lower altitudes, once you're past the transonic speed range and into the ramjet effect of the J-X4 Whiplash, you can bring down the thrust limiter on the engine(s) so you can still use your throttle without worrying too much about overspeed. I have a twin-Whiplash engine fighter that I keep both engines at 70% thrust limiter, and a single engine fighter I keep at 80%...they won't break through the transonic barrier at low altitude without bumping up the thrust limiters, but at medium and high altitude, it keeps the engines governed better.

It just comes down to testing limiter settings at the altitudes you want to operate at and find what configuration works for you...just think of it as prototype flight testing

[ajburges]

Speed and fuel economy are helped by throttle control. Few jets (even space planes) fly well with a binary throttle.

Jet ISP is dependent on her thrust in game. The less drag, the less thrust needed to counter said drag, and the less fuel needed. This is why you want to avoid cruising at trans-sonic speeds and fly high for distance.

At 1 km/s level flight at 20 km you should have no heat issues. Sensitive parts may display heat gauges, but they should not climb above 60%. Going faster than that on Whiplash engines in level flight is very hard (as they quickly lose thrust at faster speeds)

[mikegarrison]

Speed and fuel economy are helped by throttle control. Few jets (even space planes) fly well with a binary throttle.

Reminds me of a story told to me by one of my co-workers. He was on a test flight with a pilot who kept going from full throttle to flight idle and back again. My co-worker asked him why, and the pilot said, "you either need thrust or you don't."

That's not the normal way of flying, though....

[Temeter]

I absolutely love how volatile TRJs are.

To bad they probably get nerfed...

[luizopiloto]

... I was nervous and on edge ...

On the edge... It's the right way to enjoy life...

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Funny, I'm trying to achieve supersonic flights, but my planes never break past Mach 1. I'll probably need to try a bit harder.

[Wjolcz]

i say gimme fuel gimme fire gimme that which i desire!

Whiplash!

E: Oh, wait its a different song

Edited June 5, 2015 by Veeltch