Flying wing tips

[SRB]

Is it possible to use wing panels to construct a larger, airfoil-shaped wing with air intakes imbedded in it to make something like this:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_YB-49?

Also, I know that for pitch/roll control, IRL flying wing use elevons, which is possible by assigning control surfaces to handle both movements.  Flying wings also have rudders which consist of two identical flaps on each wingtip that open outwards up and down from the tip, only one side at once for yaw, and both for air brakes.  While air brakes are useful in KSP, as long as the plane is stable in yaw, it wouldn’t need yaw controls because it can roll to turn, and KSP doesn’t model engine failures or crosswinds.  Would a flying wing with just elevens work?

[Laie]

(one of these days, cupcake is going to demand royalties as I always show around his video)

Under the peculiar aerodynamics of KSP, some of the real-life tricks don't work. Vertical stabilizers may not be strictly necessary, but it's pretty hard to do entirely without.

[Scarecrow]

This was my simple take on a YB49

 

[SRB]

Thanks-I know that some flying wings use dihedral to increase roll stability, but I don’t know if KSP simulates this.  I also don’t know if it simulates different angles of incidence generating different amounts of lift, allowing one one to both lift the plane and go it pitch stability.

Further, would a plane without full yaw stability/control suffered severe Dutch roll?

Edited November 4, 2019 by SRB
Forgot something

[bewing]

Dihedral is modeled mostly by the position of the Center of Lift -- dihedral causes it to rise above the CoM. And yes, lift is a function of incidence up to a stall angle at around 30 degrees incidence.

[SRB]

What about Dutch roll?

[Klapaucius]

You don't need any yaw control, none of my flying wings have it, but you do need a small bit of vertical stabilization.

[OHara]

2 hours ago, SRB said:

What about Dutch roll?

KSP's stock aerodynamics figures forces on wing-parts depending on their angle of incidence to the airflow,
and applies the forces at the locations of the wing parts,
and that is accurate enough to reproduce spiral instability, its solution with dihedral, and Dutch roll (if you have too much roll stability).

The picture at right shows an airplane that weakly recovers from a spiral.  Too much dihedral can give it Dutch roll.  I suspect you will see Dutch roll in a flying wing, and will need significant (static) vertical fins to make it pleasant to fly.

Beware that the reaction wheels in KSP are very strong and built into nearly all cockpits, so you need either SAS off or reaction wheels disabled in order to see the aerodynamic stability.

What stock KSP is missing, is interaction between wings --- so your elevons on a flying wing will act as if they are in the undisturbed airflow, not in the down-wash from the main wing.

[TheTripleAce3]

You still need some way of yaw control. Even spoilers can work. The problem with 0 yaw control is that you will eventually get into a maneuver and want to turn out, rolling out is fine but then you will have a slip and not be able to correct for it easily, and that causes asymmetric lift and drag performance which can cause a nasty spin.

[SRB]

10 hours ago, TheTripleAce3 said:

You still need some way of yaw control. Even spoilers can work. The problem with 0 yaw control is that you will eventually get into a maneuver and want to turn out, rolling out is fine but then you will have a slip and not be able to correct for it easily, and that causes asymmetric lift and drag performance which can cause a nasty spin.

Real flying wings use spoilers-because of the relatively short fuselage, a very large tailing and rudder would be needed, eliminating the drag/RCS reduction.  You might as well use a normal plane.

 

[Klapaucius]

10 hours ago, TheTripleAce3 said:

You still need some way of yaw control. Even spoilers can work. The problem with 0 yaw control is that you will eventually get into a maneuver and want to turn out, rolling out is fine but then you will have a slip and not be able to correct for it easily, and that causes asymmetric lift and drag performance which can cause a nasty spin.

I have yet to find a situation I could not get out of with no yaw control (excepting sheer stupidity, of course--but yaw would have made no difference in those situations).