The KAL-1000 aircraft challenge

[Klapaucius]

This is a bit of a selfish challenge.  I've had a heap of fun with the KAL-1000 controller, and now want to spread the love...

Basically, the goal is to create a new genre of aircraft and achieve critical mass. 

 

There is only one rule:

Create an aircraft that can takeoff and land without any use of the WASD keys.  You must use the KAL 1000 as your control mechanism. (Okay, I guess that is 2 rules, but they are tied together).

 

 

CAVEAT: If you find a third way of not using WASD that is totally gnarly, go for it!

 

Here are two examples:

 

 

Edited July 10, 2019 by Klapaucius

[Pds314]

Tempted to try an SSTO. Biggest problem is I don't know if we have a way to detect the ground and I sure as hell am not leaving an SSTO landing up to inertial guidance.

 

This brings me to my question:

Can we use multiple KAL-1000 units and activate them whenever we want?

Edited July 10, 2019 by Pds314

[Pds314]

So far I have got one KAL to get me on a suborbital flight at 55.2km. Twice. Which means that it is very precise. Thus, it should be possible to get landings from orbit or at least close. Maybe even circumnavigational flights in the atmosphere on a single KAL. In any case, it looks like the error accumulated over about 3 minutes and 18 seconds in a 55 kilometer high arc is maybe a 10 meters of altitude and maybe 0.3 m/s of velocity. It's very accurate indeed.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Pds314