Thrusters, control surfaces and wings

[kodemunkey]

Do any of you more experienced builders out there have any tips about where to place control surfaces on the wings, the "best" type of wings to use for a regular jet aircraft, and where best to place them? All my aircraft still seem to suffer from the same flaw in that they pull down and to the right when i'm taking off.

As for RCS Thrusters, is there an efficient pattern to use them in? i normally put two rings of them at opposite ends of my rocket with the result that nothing particularly happens.

[Cykyrios]

If you build your plane using symmetry, it shouldn't lean right or left. If a plane pulls down, it means you have either too much weight at the front, and/or too much lift at the back. Try adjusting your wings to move the center of lift (it can be a bit tricky, though).

[kodemunkey]

Ahh, you'd think there'd be a plugin for mechjeb which would show the centre of lift.

[EndlessWaves]

I've found veering to often be the result of unstable wheels. Placing them on something stiff such as the fuselage or main fuel tank works well, and as far apart horizontally as possible.

Edited August 25, 2012 by EndlessWaves

[nibula]

next patch we will have center of mass

[theflyingfish]

Control surfaces at the front (canards) will often reduce takeoff roll and help control delta wings more effectively.

For wings, I've found that the most effective are the generic wing boards stacked on top of each other in conjunction with the delta wing parts to make a giant delta wing to be most effective. The wing is simple, sting, and very effective.

[kodemunkey]

Ahhh, another couple of hours and i'd have been desperate enough to try that Anyway, about RCS Thrusters, is there a particular pattern to put them in?

[Cykyrios]

If the mass of your ship is even (CoG around the center), I find it better to put 4 thrusters on both ends. If the mass is uneven, you should put a bit more on the heavier side, or bad things may happen

[kodemunkey]

Any solution for an aircraft which violently swerves to the left on the runway? i'm checking the wheels now.

[Bluejayek]

Any solution for an aircraft which violently swerves to the left on the runway? i'm checking the wheels now.

A curved runway?

Sometimes I find this is a bug with how it is set on the launchpad, and just restarting the launch will fix it.

[_Aramchek_]

Accelerate slowly until you hit 50-ish m/s then give it full throttle and you shouldn't have as many problems with the swerving.