Hydraulics failure landing

[Pds314]

Land an aircraft that has suffered a total failure of all flight controls except the engine throttle. The craft must be an airworthy design and control "failure" should begin at over 1500 meters above ground level.

[Cattette]

Is engine gimbaling also not allowed?

[Pds314]

1 minute ago, Cattette said:

Is engine gimbaling also not allowed?

It is not allowed. The only control alowed is engine thrust level.

[vyznev]

There was a similar challenge last year, except that it specifically required landing the stock Stearwing A300 plane. One person (@silks) even managed to complete it. I might give it another try, just to see if I can do both challenges at once.

(Also, is using kOS allowed? Because I wrote a kOS script for throttle-assisted steering a while ago. )

(Ps. Just to check, is using thrust reversers allowed? I would assume no, if we're simulating a complete hydraulics failure, but I wanted to make sure.)

Edited September 2, 2020 by vyznev

[ralanboyle]

@Pds314 When you say "aircraft" do you mean airplane (or spaceplace)? Because a traditional pod w/ chute does this all the time. 

[doggonemess]

I was going to say, someone will take this literally and build a plane that can technically fly, then start at 1500 meters at 0 m/s and float down on four vertical engines.

Then they'll act smug and make faces.

[ralanboyle]

Okay, so this is actually pretty easy. It did take me several tries to hit the runway but I suppose that isn't required anyway. Really, you just need a stable airplane with big wheels to handle not flaring. I know there are also more complicated ways to accomplish the same thing. Perhaps we could have a scoring system to accommodate the harder stuff (like making it heavy). 

 

[sevenperforce]

6 hours ago, ralanboyle said:

Okay, so this is actually pretty easy. It did take me several tries to hit the runway but I suppose that isn't required anyway. Really, you just need a stable airplane with big wheels to handle not flaring. I know there are also more complicated ways to accomplish the same thing. Perhaps we could have a scoring system to accommodate the harder stuff (like making it heavy). 

Not to gatekeep someone else's challenge but keeping SAS on is against the rules, right? Anything that actuates the control surfaces is forbidden.

Edited September 2, 2020 by sevenperforce

[vyznev]

Does a water landing count?

(And does it matter that I lost both engines and the nose cone on splashdown?)

[Pds314]

9 hours ago, ralanboyle said:

Okay, so this is actually pretty easy. It did take me several tries to hit the runway but I suppose that isn't required anyway. Really, you just need a stable airplane with big wheels to handle not flaring. I know there are also more complicated ways to accomplish the same thing. Perhaps we could have a scoring system to accommodate the harder stuff (like making it heavy). 

 

Sadly you have used SAS, which manipulates the exact controls you're not supposed to use.

11 hours ago, vyznev said:

There was a similar challenge last year, except that it specifically required landing the stock Stearwing A300 plane. One person (@silks) even managed to complete it. I might give it another try, just to see if I can do both challenges at once.

(Also, is using kOS allowed? Because I wrote a kOS script for throttle-assisted steering a while ago. )

(Ps. Just to check, is using thrust reversers allowed? I would assume no, if we're simulating a complete hydraulics failure, but I wanted to make sure.)

KOS is fine I guess. As for thrust reversers, I think that'll be no.

[ralanboyle]

Alright then, this isn't going to be pretty... 

 

[vyznev]

I finally did it — and completed last year's challenge at the same time, too. Allow me to present to you a perfect landing of the stock Stearwing A300 at KSC from 7000 m ASL using engine throttle control only. No SAS, no steering inputs, no kOS, Mechjeb or other mods*, no action groups other than gears and brakes, no thrust reversers, no water landing and no lost parts or kerbal lives. 

And it only took me three attempts to pull it off, too.**

The trick seems to be flying really far away from the KSC so that you'll have plenty of time to learn to control the plane, find your heading, stabilize the altitude and line up a nice good and low approach. With this control method, nothing happens quickly.*** You'll notice that most of the video is at 8x speed. In real time, the approach and landing took about half an hour, most of it full of sweating and constantly adjusting multiple strongly coupled and lagged controls while monitoring the navball, the altimeter / vertical speed and the visual attitude of the plane itself (that being the most responsive indicator of which way the plane is about to pitch or roll).

*) Vessel mover was accidentally left open at the start of the run, but was only used to place the target marker at the end of the runway before the flight.

**) Plus at least two tries last year. Maybe more, I'm not sure. But who's counting…

***) Except crashing. Crashing always happens quickly.

[Pds314]

5 hours ago, ralanboyle said:

Alright then, this isn't going to be pretty... 

 

I love it. Instead of making the aircraft controllable with engines you made it a flying tank.

[ralanboyle]

8 hours ago, vyznev said:

I finally did it

epic