Help needed with f117 replica

[landfish2]

In my quest to replicate every noteworthy modern military plane I have come to the f117 and hit a problem I have not been able to overcome. The body is done and looks pretty decent but I cannot figure out how to make it fly (where to put the engines so as not to ruin the look or how to distribute and place fuel tanks or control surfaces). As such I have come here seeking help, whether it be simple advice or an attempt to physically make it fly. Until it is fixed it shall remain forever a statue:

If anyone wants to help the craft file can be downloaded here

[AlexanderTeaH]

This looks great! I'll have a crack at it when I come back from vacation in a few days.

[sgt_flyer]

Hint the retractable ladders bodies don't block thrust so you can create a hole in the rear hull for your engines' thrust, and cover the hole with those ladder bodies - though, if your playing on 1.0x, you'll find that you'll need to cancel out the downforce generated by the wings that shape the plane's body. Still, very nice replica

Here's an album of a F-117 replica i built for a challenge, if you want to have a look

http://imgur.com/a/zxqDf

Edited August 25, 2015 by sgt_flyer

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

I'm on it!

[landfish2]

Hint the retractable ladders bodies don't block thrust so you can create a hole in the rear hull for your engines' thrust, and cover the hole with those ladder bodies - though, if your playing on 1.0x, you'll find that you'll need to cancel out the downforce generated by the wings that shape the plane's body. Still, very nice replica

Here's an album of a F-117 replica i built for a challenge, if you want to have a look

http://imgur.com/a/zxqDf

I tried this and it appears that they must have changed it because almost none of my thrust was going through:

without ladders the plane flies fine

[ghostbuzzer7]

Have you tried the communitrons? They sometimes work but I dont know with jet engines. But if it does work it looks flush into the craft.

[VR_Dev]

This is the problem with sculpting craft with the wing parts. The weird angles cause way too much drag. It's the main reason I can't finish a new f35.

Apparently in FAR you can designate wing structures as fuselage structures. We need that in stock, or the ability to turn down lift like a resource. The real life equivelent would be making a part flatter instead of wing shaped.

Edited August 25, 2015 by clown_baby

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Alright, I've almost gotten it in the air!

[eorin]

This is the problem with sculpting craft with the wing parts. The weird angles cause way too much drag. It's the main reason I can't finish a new f35.

http://i.imgur.com/3rE9W8Y.png

Apparently in FAR you can designate wing structures as fuselage structures. We need that in stock, or the ability to turn down lift like a resource. The real life equivelent would be making a part flatter instead of wing shaped.

I have already proposed to create an option that disable lift on wings, but people just laughed at me... They don't know what means building a replica in 1.0 here the link http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/126724-disable-lift-option-for-wings

Btw i really doubt this f117 will fly decently (for my standards obviously), there is for sure too much drag that slow the plane and don't allow precise manouvers, still an awesome looks.

Edited August 25, 2015 by eorin

[landfish2]

I have already proposed to create an option that disable lift on wings, but people just laughed at me... They don't know what means building a replica in 1.0

Btw i really doubt this f117 will fly decently (for my standards obviously), there is for sure too much drag that slow the plane and don't allow precise manouvers, still an awesome looks.

yeah I mean for latest tests i just got a bunch of d type wings to provide lift at the nose, and then clipped a bunch of control surfaces. Allows for some control but it flies like I imagine a glider would with a top speed of 60 m/s at a TWR of 1.0

[eorin]

yeah I mean for latest tests i just got a bunch of d type wings to provide lift at the nose, and then clipped a bunch of control surfaces. Allows for some control but it flies like I imagine a glider would with a top speed of 60 m/s at a TWR of 1.0

from experience i can say in stock there is no way to resolve these strange drag forces caused from the angle of the wings, even adding more surfaces don t really work. I have learnt this with my 0.90 f-22 (still the best looking raptor replica imo), with 1.0 it became totally unflyable, a brick with wings, and adding surfaces and more engines didn t really resolved the problem.

You did an awesome design, we can only wait and see if squad will do something about the drag and lift.

[landfish2]

from experience i can say in stock there is no way to resolve these strange drag forces caused from the angle of the wings, even adding more surfaces don t really work. I have learnt this with my 0.90 f-22 (still the best looking raptor replica imo), with 1.0 it became totally unflyable, a brick with wings, and adding surfaces and more engines didn t really resolved the problem.

You did an awesome design, we can only wait and see if squad will do something about the drag and lift.

I dunno I feel like maybe if you clip enough fuel tanks and engines into the plane to give it an appropriate thrust and mass for the amount of lift and drag that could work. pure speculation though I have no idea what would actually happen

[VR_Dev]

I have already proposed to create an option that disable lift on wings, but people just laughed at me... They don't know what means building a replica in 1.0 here the link http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/126724-disable-lift-option-for-wings

Btw i really doubt this f117 will fly decently (for my standards obviously), there is for sure too much drag that slow the plane and don't allow precise manouvers, still an awesome looks.

I've been thinking that for while just never wrote it down. Would there be a way to extract just that module from the FAR plugin and use it in stock?

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

You could try this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/121678-F-117-By-AMRSD It looks terrible compared to yours, but it does fly.

[Azimech]

This is the problem with sculpting craft with the wing parts. The weird angles cause way too much drag. It's the main reason I can't finish a new f35.

http://i.imgur.com/3rE9W8Y.png

Apparently in FAR you can designate wing structures as fuselage structures. We need that in stock, or the ability to turn down lift like a resource. The real life equivelent would be making a part flatter instead of wing shaped.

Since when? I've never heard of this (but always wanted it badly!)

- - - Updated - - -

I have already proposed to create an option that disable lift on wings, but people just laughed at me... They don't know what means building a replica in 1.0 here the link http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/126724-disable-lift-option-for-wings

I've voiced my support.

[Castille7]

Hint the retractable ladders bodies don't block thrust so you can create a hole in the rear hull for your engines' thrust, and cover the hole with those ladder bodies - though, if your playing on 1.0x, you'll find that you'll need to cancel out the downforce generated by the wings that shape the plane's body. Still, very nice replica

Here's an album of a F-117 replica i built for a challenge, if you want to have a look

http://imgur.com/a/zxqDf

Man that one is creative! I was not expecting to see weaponry, nice work!

[sgt_flyer]

Man that one is creative! I was not expecting to see weaponry, nice work!

Yes, but a brick flys better than this thing i had to clip in maybe around 40 to 50 additional D&E wing parts to counteract the downforce generated by the hull shape (there's 0 occlusion by wings in 1.0x flight model), that it's incredibly draggy (top speed around 40 m/s from it's two basic jet engines) - and it tends to like to fly upside down

[Majorjim!]

Yes, but a brick flys better than this thing i had to clip in maybe around 40 to 50 additional D&E wing parts to counteract the downforce generated by the hull shape (there's 0 occlusion by wings in 1.0x flight model), that it's incredibly draggy (top speed around 40 m/s from it's two basic jet engines) - and it tends to like to fly upside down

Oh man.. 40M/s? Squad really need to sort these restrictive issues..

[landfish2]

Oh man.. 40M/s? Squad really need to sort these restrictive issues..

yeah top speed with mine is 60m/s stall speed has not yet been located

[selfish_meme]

Hehe my Wellington out performs a F117...sorry

[Columbia]

Oh man.. 40M/s? Squad really need to sort these restrictive issues..

No wonder all my wing-built airplanes fail.. I was just about to start a Gameplay Questions thread on building planes with wing parts.

[Jetenginestar]

I've managed to add the engines without ruining the asthetic too much, but I can't get it to nose up even with hack gravity on though

[Majorjim!]

I've managed to add the engines without ruining the asthetic too much, but I can't get it to nose up even with hack gravity on though

http://i.imgur.com/yle7LfS.png

http://i.imgur.com/RjJNJr5.png

Can you show us the Center of mass and lift icons? Also, try using the rotate tool to set the surfaces in a lifting position from the start, it may help. I had to do something similar on my Short SC-1 VTOL.

[Jetenginestar]

It's supposed to be unstable, but idk...

[Majorjim!]

It's supposed to be unstable, but idk...

http://i.imgur.com/XrVV0L9.png

That's going to be unstable. You want the center of lift to be behind the center of mass for stability and for maneuverability you want the center of lift to be on the center of mass. That's a simplification but it holds true. Try to move it behind the center of mass.