Kerbal Express Airlines - Regional Jet Challenge (Reboot Continued)

[hoioh]

Skaled Komposites 787-10 Dreamliner

I built this for a different challenge, but with a few tweaks it makes a very nice KEA plane and it actually looks like a real plane! So why not post it?

Link to craft: https://kerbalx.com/hoioh/KEA-787-10-Dreamliner

Stats:

Price: 89,114,000
Fuel: 5440 kallons
Cruising speed: 250m/s
Cruising altitude: 5000 m - 8000 m
Fuel burn rate: 0.47 kal/s - 0.33 kal/s
Range: 3383 km
Passengers: 96
KPPM: 0.0268

@neistridlar I already added it to the Google spreadsheet under Medium regional jet's where it performs slightly above average to my surprise 

Edited May 7, 2018 by hoioh

[Andetch]

So, it appears naming aircraft after the reviewers brings positive results! However, there are so many submissions waiting, in fairness I would urge that judges try not to show favouritism or this thread will only have planes called CJG/Neistrildar/Panzer/Nightshine...... .. Hmm, can I rename all my previous entries? 

Haha... Thanks for that review @CrazyJebGuy!

The wing wheels are to prevent wingstrike, as it can wobble a bit on takeoff - but this also allows for use on circular runways. The initial prototype found it hard to go in a straight line on the ground.

We also have fitted an emergency passenger release system just in case there are issues with passengers complaining about the inflight snacks, it is as standard de-activated, but in order to activate this you enable staging on the structural pylon, put the staging event in the right place, and next time those passengers complain just press space dump them into the sea!

As for delivery of these planes, we have placed the order with our factory and they said (quote Smash Mouth)

"Allow if you're still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer is shun, you might as well be walkin' on Kerbol"

Anyone fancy taking Mister Tiddles for a spin? We actually put effort into that! 

Edited May 7, 2018 by Andetch

[CrazyJebGuy]

23 minutes ago, Andetch said:

We also have fitted an emergency passenger release system just in case there are issues with passengers complaining about the inflight snacks, it is as standard de-activated, but in order to activate this you enable staging on the structural pylon, put the staging event in the right place, and next time those passengers complain just press space dump them into the sea!

Increase the order by one please.

 

In other news we thing round runways have a lot of potential for phsuedo-scientific gimmicks....

[Andetch]

On YouTube there are videos explaining why circular runways could actually work, with people doing flight sim demos! It is actually an idea given serious consideration by the aviation world

 

[CrazyJebGuy]

2 hours ago, Andetch said:

On YouTube there are videos explaining why circular runways could actually work, with people doing flight sim demos! It is actually an idea given serious consideration by the aviation world

Why? It's just one more thing a pilot can muck up on landing. And what if it's windy? Don't you normally want to land in some direction (I should know which direction, I think into the wind) relative to the wind?

[neistridlar]

6 minutes ago, CrazyJebGuy said:

Why? It's just one more thing a pilot can muck up on landing. And what if it's windy? Don't you normally want to land in some direction (I should know which direction, I think into the wind) relative to the wind?

Allways being able to land into the wind is one of the arguments for circular runways, since you  can land in any direction. Well, that assumes you nail your touch down spot every time. No gliding along the surface to bleed off speed. Also, you need to land in a turn, or bank violently just before touchdown, because of the bank angle required for the runway. There are many other downsides as well.  (I don't think circular runways are ever going to be commonplace). 

[CrazyJebGuy]

Just now, neistridlar said:

Allways being able to land into the wind is one of the arguments for circular runways, since you  can land in any direction. Well, that assumes you nail your touch down spot every time. No gliding along the surface to bleed off speed. Also, you need to land in a turn, or bank violently just before touchdown, because of the bank angle required for the runway. There are many other downsides as well.  (I don't think circular runways are ever going to be commonplace). 

If they wanted to be able to land in any direction, they should just use the simple solution they used in WW1. Just have a big circular field.

Although if they want it to be much better than grass that may get expensive, and assumes a lot of free land is available. Would certainly though be easier than having to land in a circle.

Probably practical for small airplanes and the so on.

[TheTripleAce3]

Circular runways seem mostly impractical to me nowadays. Great concept, but we barely have enough space in some areas to get normal airports in or where we do, there isn't enough of a pull factor to do it.

[roboslacker]

Would it be against the rules to use EVA parachutes for wings?

[TaRebelSheep]

1 hour ago, roboslacker said:

Would it be against the rules to use EVA parachutes for wings?

I've seen designs incorporating parachutes as wings, and there's nothing in the rules that says fixed wings are a requirement, so I say yes, as long as you can find kerbals willing to be wings, seeing as we can't remove them from the kerbal and attach them to a plane for whatever reason.

[Artienia]

can't wait for the next review, wanna see more planes

[CrazyJebGuy]

Test Pilot Review: @Andetch's ADXL 'Mr Tiddles'

Figures as Tested:

• Price: 385,148,000 wet
• Fuel: 20,480 kallons
• Cruising speed: 915 m/s
• Cruising altitude: 20,000 m
• Fuel burn rate: 6.3 kal/s
• Range: 2,930 km

Review Notes:

 For review this week, my cat! Mr Tiddles is a tabby, jet engined British short-hair. I have just been informed that this is actually a plane. Which makes much more sense to review. Oddly it certainly doesn't have the sort of styling you might expect from a thing called "Mister Tiddles", it sort of looks like an over-grown fighter jet, and it has lots of big engines, so fast or something.

 Now on the runway it does have a bit of a concerning quirk, concerning in that it's supposed to have the highest cruising altitude of any plane thus reviewed, at high speed, and it flexes, quite a lot. But it's modeled after a cat, and cats are known for being very flexible. (I can confirm this by the way - I have one) And after the ADX CJG, we trust the Andetch engineers more.

Once we started it though, we thought it might be able to use less engines. It can really slam you back in your seat, 1.6gs of acceleration! The takeoff speed? It's about 80m/s. Which is reasonable considering the class of superjumbo, and it accelerates quickly so medium runways are quite doable. The engineers at Andetch also had the idea to have two pilots as legally required, not by having a larger cockpit like normal companies, they have two cockpits, and we initially thought this might block the second cockpit's view, but no. They put a special luxury cabin for VIPs, and the space means the rear cockpit's view is just fine.

We couldn't get it much higher than 20km, we just scratched it, and at 915m/s cruising speed we get a range of 2930 km, 430 more than advertised. Although we can see why it was not advertised the fuel consumption, which while tremendous, is not so bad when adjusted for passenger count, with a GPPM of .014, which is better than most planes, but it's pretty bad by the standards of aeroplanes this big and hypersonic jets cruising at crazy altitude.

 Up at 20,000m it suffers from abominable handling, although that seems unavoidable, so does every other plane at such altitude. At lower heights and speeds, it has stupendously powerful rudders, we might even say too powerful seeing as they can spin the plane right around, into a spin. Other than that we have no issues with control, we just strongly advise against using the rudder much at all.

It's actually not that bad on price though, per seat wise it's okay, and maintenance wise 263 parts with a dozen engines, may become expensive, but not when considering the passenger count. And mostly the passengers are comfortable, a few affected by noise and vibration, but most of them get a pretty good flight.

The Verdict:

We like it and it's quite appealing but for the fact it needs metal bars preventing the rudder from deploying fully, but those only cost $30 and that's frankly insignificant compared to the rest of the cost. It's enormouse, and we think our busiest routes could benefit from this, the sheer passenger throughput of going really fast and carrying loads of passengers. So we want 3, and also we hope it doesn't drain the remainder of Kerbin's oil reserves. Just in case, we'd like to request a gas powered piston engine craft.

Edited May 8, 2018 by CrazyJebGuy
forgot to finish a sentence

[HamnavoePer]

1 hour ago, CrazyJebGuy said:

For review this week, my cat! 

I thought kerbals kept "kats". Aren't cats mythical creatures from a fairy tale, the brothers krimm or something like that?

[Alienwall]

The Golden Ratio Corporation proudly announces its first product, the GRJ-001!

This line of small regional jets promises great STOL use.

...is that it? I thought we were gonna be more ambitious-

For under 30,000,000 kerbucks you've gotta try it!

This is the GRJ-001. It has a capacity of 40 kerbals and take off/landing speeds at or below 35 m/s. It has plenty of fuel already, but also includes space for 80 extra units in the nose adapter. We recommend flying it at ~290 m/s at 9000m. Costs 26,307,000.

 

And this is the GRJ-001C, the cargo variant. It has an extra cargo pod on the bottom which can fit many things, from extra suitcases to sacrifices extra kerbals. It also serves as a pontoon. We recommend flying it at ~276 m/s at 8000m. Costs 28,151,800. (if used in water landing speed shouldn't exceed 60 m/s).

Get both of these today!

GRJ-001: https://kerbalx.com/Alienonawall/GRJ-001

GRJ-001C: https://kerbalx.com/Alienonawall/GRJ-001-C

 

[Andetch]

Thanks for the review again @CrazyJebGuy I am pleased you liked her. The rudders are strong because yes it can put itself into a spin, it can also get out of the spin. We figured that kerbals might enjoy going into safe spins. The body flex reported is to allow higher G turns, as a rigid body can break up easier (that's my story, I'm sticking to it).

Andetch is committed to customer satisfaction, and that is why we will be mining extra-kerbinal bodies in order to fuel this thing. We cleaned the mun out in development, and the KEA test flight turned minimus into a hollow shell.... Next fuel delivery is from Ike, and due sometime in the next year or so...

In regard to circular runways - the idea is that you can always takeoff and land into the wind, and you can have planes taking off at closer intervals because the effects of the wake are lessened. Or at least that's what I understood from the youtube videos explaining the idea... The issue I have found in KSP comes down to drag, that as you turn you lose too much speed to make it viable.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Andetch

[Andetch]

ADX Cave Tech Regional Jet - Nestrider

We thought that KEA needed something that will be suitable for those with a fear of technology.... So we have released the Nestrider; built to comply with Caveman Tech Rules.  

Named in honour of another judge, complete with a brown paper bag filled with cash for the CEO and chief procurement officer of KEA this baby is sure to impress.

We tested the stats as a range of 1700 KM cruising as pictured around 6KM at 325 m/s, carrying 32 passengers. Highly capable of enough G to knock everyone unconscious, and then some. Priced reasonably at 18,681,000 wet. Take off well below 80 m/s, and easy to land. We found that once lined up with that muddy strip the pilots could just cut the engines, take their hands off the controls and leave the craft to it, although we wouldn't suggest anything more than a 10 degree descent angle for this. 

Climb as steep as you want... Vertical climbs are possible but it will run out of punch fairly quickly. 

If you have a lvl 2 hangar, you can fit a toggle for the reverse thrust, but that's optional!

https://kerbalx.com/Andetch/ADX-Cave-Tech-Regional-Jet-Nestrider

https://imgur.com/a/uCdKkig

Edited May 9, 2018 by Andetch

[CrazyJebGuy]

3 hours ago, Andetch said:

ADX Cave Tech Regional Jet - Nestrider

 

@neistridlar Mine's bigger.

[RedPandaz]

How long until my plane is reviewed?  It's been months

[neistridlar]

2 hours ago, RedPandaz said:

How long until my plane is reviewed?  It's been months

Your Delta Impulse is the 6th oldest not reviewed now, but reviews have not been coming in very steadily lately, so there is no way to tell.

[HamnavoePer]

2 hours ago, RedPandaz said:

How long until my plane is reviewed?  It's been months

Trust me, I know what it feels like. Waiting for the Zoomer to be reviewed was agony...

[RedPandaz]

17 minutes ago, neistridlar said:

Your Delta Impulse is the 6th oldest not reviewed now, but reviews have not been coming in very steadily lately, so there is no way to tell.

But so it should be 6th from now then?

[neistridlar]

3 minutes ago, RedPandaz said:

But so it should be 6th from now then?

Approximately, they are not being done in chronological order necessarily. I tend to pick from the 5-10 oldest ones, but not all reviewers do it like that.

[RedPandaz]

2 hours ago, neistridlar said:

Approximately, they are not being done in chronological order necessarily. I tend to pick from the 5-10 oldest ones, but not all reviewers do it like that.

Maybe mine could be a little sooner then? I'm at least active, I bet some people aren't even really active anymore

Edited May 9, 2018 by RedPandaz

[Magzimum]

29 minutes ago, RedPandaz said:

Maybe mine could be a little sooner then? I'm at least active, I bet some people aren't even really active anymore

Just a warning to the reviewers: If you honor this request, then you are making us all beggars. We will all start asking if we can get a little priority. Just saying, not everybody who is active on the forum is posting a lot.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Magzimum
Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please :)

[RedPandaz]

1 minute ago, Magzimum said:

Just a warning to the reviewers: If you honor this request, then you are making us all beggars. We will all start asking if we can get a little priority. Just saying, not everybody who is active on the forum is posting a lot.

I's mainly a bit of a joke, but I do think we should at least take a heads-up of who's even active anymore and put some on hold if they're not active