Conventional Helicopters.

[Orbital_Decay]

So, I got this DLC wanting to make helicopters. I found out pretty fast that metaphorically bought the tool, but not the skill. Yet.

The DLC has a few stock "helicopters" which are just ducted-fan VTOLs and flying platforms. However, I'm trying to make a "conventional helicopter" so to say. A helicopter with a main rotor and a smaller tail rotor. So far, my results have been far from desirable.

 

My first rotor-tail rotor helicopter design (image links below) was awful. All it did was break itself. 

https://prnt.sc/tsxyu0

http://prntscr.com/tsxz61 

 

What's the right way to make a rotor-tail rotor helicopter? 

[Vanamonde]

They look just as rickety as the real first helicopters. Nice job.

[catloaf]

Don't learn from me, I suck at doing propellers in ksp. I recommend you find a YouTube tutorial.

Edited August 5, 2020 by catloaf

[XLjedi]

The right way to make a conventional tail rotor helo in KSP is to not bother starting...

They are at best clunky.  You can create something (I have) and it won't work well, and maybe you land it on a helipad or two around the KSC.  ...so toy quality with little mission usefulness for KSP rescue ops is what you end up with.  

The most mission capable rescue helos in KSP that I've been able to make are coaxial designs, no tail rotor, and jet propulsion with reaction wheels for extra stability and yaw control.  They can hold hovers, and land on boats or water and travel several hundred km to retrieve downed Kerbals from sea or mountain.

So people say my designs are not real "helicopters"  I think Sikorsky would beg to differ; the proper modern term is "Compound Helo"  (ref: S-97 Raider).  ...they have also been referred to as gyrodynes in the past.  They are not however gyrocopters.

[Orbital_Decay]

5 hours ago, XLjedi said:

The right way to make a conventional tail rotor helo in KSP is to not bother starting...

They are at best clunky.  You can create something (I have) and it won't work well, and maybe you land it on a helipad or two around the KSC.  ...so toy quality with little mission usefulness for KSP rescue ops is what you end up with.  

The most mission capable rescue helos in KSP that I've been able to make are coaxial designs, no tail rotor, and jet propulsion with reaction wheels for extra stability and yaw control.  They can hold hovers, and land on boats or water and travel several hundred km to retrieve downed Kerbals from sea or mountain.

So people say my designs are not real "helicopters"  I think Sikorsky would beg to differ; the proper modern term is "Compound Helo"  (ref: S-97 Raider).  ...they have also been referred to as gyrodynes in the past.  They are not however gyrocopters.

Well, thanks for the advice. It sounds like helicopters are kind of a dead-end in KSP...

What about a Ka-50 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamov_Ka-50) style helicopter? It's not a compound helicopter but it does use the coaxial configuration you namedropped. No jets or propellers, just the rotors to hover around with. 

Edited August 6, 2020 by Orbital_Decay

[XLjedi]

6 hours ago, Orbital_Decay said:

Well, thanks for the advice. It sounds like helicopters are kind of a dead-end in KSP...

What about a Ka-50 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamov_Ka-50) style helicopter? It's not a compound helicopter but it does use the coaxial configuration you namedropped. No jets or propellers, just the rotors to hover around with. 

Sure, you can make that.  You'll need reaction wheels for yaw control and the craft will just be slow.  

[KerikBalm]

On 8/6/2020 at 6:19 AM, Orbital_Decay said:

Well, thanks for the advice. It sounds like helicopters are kind of a dead-end in KSP...

What about a Ka-50 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamov_Ka-50) style helicopter? It's not a compound helicopter but it does use the coaxial configuration you namedropped. No jets or propellers, just the rotors to hover around with. 

Those were the first helos I built, and IMO the easiest to build.

All copters I build are either quad copters (often tilt rotor quads), or coaxial rotors.

Speed is slow for KSP... 50 m/s ain't bad for a real helicopter, but when you have rapiers to compete with, or even props getting you to 300 m/s, they seem slow

[Mikenike]

On 8/5/2020 at 5:20 PM, XLjedi said:

I think Sikorsky would beg to differ

Igor was one of the greatest to live. His designs inspired many helos.

On 8/3/2020 at 3:31 PM, Vanamonde said:

They look just as rickety as the real first helicopters. Nice job.

Wouldn't this go in the spacecraft exchange? It is BGD but also a space/aircraft exchange type topic.

[Garpy]

I watched the guides on YouTube

[jrolson]

I tried to use a tail rotor at first but had mystery roll that I couldn't figure out how to get rid of....

Ended up with this, seems surprisingly balanced and flies great.