Build a reversible aircraft

[Klapaucius]

The challenge: build an aircraft that can take-off, land and fly in either direction.   

 

* Extra credit: Try to build an aircraft that can successfully change directions mid flight.

 

RULES:

 

1. You must have a pilot.

2. The craft must take off horizontally. No VTOL.

3. No additional reaction wheels (and bonus style points if you can fly yours with SAS off and all internal reaction wheels turned off)

4. It can be a palindrome aircraft, meaning it is symmetrical front and back, but that is not a requirement.

Otherwise, anything goes.  However, this challenge is about design, not about getting around rules. I'm sure I forgot some detail, so just bear that aforementioned in mind.

 

I built this one a while ago and had a play with it today, as well as took this footage.  (I still have not figured out what I am doing for @Triop's Temple rally, so this was a fun distraction). It is certainly not my most fun plane to fly, but it more or less works.  I created the challenge because I am keen to see how others solve the problem.

 

 

 

[doggonemess]

This is so funny. I've actually built a craft like this as a joke. I even wrote some lore to go along with it. I'm going to add a secondary engine(s?) and submit it for approval.

Until then, enjoy the first version:

XRA-69

Description
Here at Lev Aerospace, we’re always pushing the boundries of aviation technology. While examining one of our planes, an engineer remarked that maybe we had been building them all wrong this whole time. The XRA-69 is the realization of that idea.

The whole aircraft is backwards, upside down, and inside out. We’re breaking every paradigm with this one, and thinking so far outside of the box that the box is a dot to us!

If it actually flies, it’ll be a miracle. So far, nobody has volunteered to test pilot it.

Info
Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.3.0.

[Klapaucius]

@doggonemess.  Yay!  The first contestant :-)  

 

Do you know about this plane? I saw this guy at the Pratt & Whitney airshow when I was a kid.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2018 by Klapaucius

[fourfa]

Paging @RocketPCGaming to show off De Plaen!

[vyznev]

Make an aircraft that can fly backwards, eh? Why not upside down and sideways too, while you're at it? As if that could ever work!

Yeah, right. No way that'll ever take off.

OK, so you got it off the ground. Big deal.

Unfortunately, I don't have video recording software set up on this laptop, so I can't properly show how this thing flies. Which is a shame, because it really does have a... unique feel to it. You'll just have to download the craft file and try it yourself. 

As noted, this craft can take off, fly and land equally well in four different directions, both right side up and inverted. It has no reaction wheels, so all control is via aero surfaces. Unfortunately, I didn't read the instructions carefully enough and forgot to include a pilot.  I guess strapping a command chair somewhere (say, in the middle of the upper wing) might be an option. 

General tips:

• Use action groups 1 to 4 to control navball facing and thrust direction (1 = forward, 2 = left, 3 = backwards, 4 = right).
• For sideways takeoff, use action group 5 to toggle the alternate set of landing gears (and G for the default set).
• There's no need to touch the staging. Just pick the direction you want to take off and throttle up!
• Takeoff speed is about 60 m/s in any direction. (Increasing the authority limit on the elevons might reduce it somewhat.) Beware of rapid pitch-up after takeoff.
• There is no rudder, so the A and D keys do nothing. Use QWES to steer.
• Controls are inverted in modes 3 and 4! Using SAS in these modes is a bad idea. Not that you really need it, anyway.

Changing flight mode in midair is possible, but takes a bit of practice. The biggest difficulty is that the engines take a moment to spool up and down, and you'll have limited control authority during that time. The safest technique I've found is to start fairly high up, pitch sharply up to slow down and gain even more altitude, and try to steer so that your new prograde after the switch will point more or less downwards. That way, you'll hopefully start in a nice and stable dive that you can fairly easily pull out of after gaining some speed.

[Klapaucius]

4 hours ago, vyznev said:

Unfortunately, I didn't read the instructions carefully enough and forgot to include a pilot.  I guess strapping a command chair somewhere (say, in the middle of the upper wing) might be an option. 

I think we can let this slide; this is just brilliant.  I also did not find it hard to switch directions mid-flight, both forwards and backwards, or changing 90 degrees,

However, just because I could, here it is piloted.  Alas, it needs more power to take eight Kerbals. It went all the way to the end of the runway and was not too keen on staying in the air.

 

 

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Does a plane that takes off on it's belly but lands on it's back count? I built this a while ago, it's supposed to be a bomber in one orientation and a fighter in the other, with two pilots.

Interestingly enough, it's tricycle on take off and tail dragger on landing. Lol.

Edited September 2, 2018 by Rocket In My Pocket

[Klapaucius]

10 hours ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

Does a plane that takes off on it's belly but lands on it's back count? I built this a while ago, it's supposed to be a bomber in one orientation and a fighter in the other, with two pilots.

Interestingly enough, it's tricycle on take off and tail dragger on landing. Lol.

 

 

Why the heck not?  

 

PS. Did you see the video posted above?

Edited September 3, 2018 by Klapaucius