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Kerbin Helicopter Circumnavigation


Hotel26

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Leg 13 [prev] [next][progress]

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Departed: -17.151/125.015 @ 3.255.1.58   Airborne: 40m    Heading: 308    Distance: 276.3 km    Altitude: 3.5 km    Arrival: 0.063/104.400

"Only those who continue to the end, ehm...  will make it to the end."  Famous last words since it has been nearly three months since Dick's last, Apocalyptic Ride of the Valkyries.

Back in the saddle, though, and a couple of celebrations to be made!

  1. the trusty Chippewa has reached Netherania: the opposite point on the planet from the KSC departure point.  Hooray!
  2. Dick clocked a record speed of 130.6 m/s (straight & level) and also discovered how to engage Atmospheric Autopilot in this particular helicopter.  Hooray!

We are back in business, boys and girls!

Edited by Hotel26
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Leg 14 [prev] [next] [progress]

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Departed: 0.063/104.400 @ 3.255.3.55   Airborne: 62m    Heading: 238    Distance: 426.9 km    Altitude: 4.5 km    Arrival: -20.713/67.441

Dick records his longest leg yet, landing on the beach at Heavenly Valley next to an Aquarius, which will provide fuel.

 

Edited by Hotel26
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Leg 15 [prev] [next] [progress]

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Departed: -20.713/67.441 @ 3.256.4.8   Airborne: 68m    Heading: 205    Distance: 471.9 km    Altitude: 4.0 km    Arrival: -59.210/31.415

Dick is happy today to finally fly what he calls "the Great Circle route".  (Instead of going directly toward the ultimate destination, the "great circle" route is a more leisurely meandering toward any point of more proximate interest.)

In this case, he has packed his fly fishing tackle and will be heading to a gorge at the foot of a prominent mountain on a lonely, southern island.  Hooray.

Dick is today, also, to set a new distance record: 471.9 km.  Go, Dick!

Edited by Hotel26
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  • 4 weeks later...

Leg 16 [prev] [next] [progress]

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Departed: -59.210/31.415 @ 3.257.3.28   Airborne: 45m    Heading: 243    Distance: 297.3 km    Altitude: 2.0 km    Arrival: -60.337/-27.427

Yes, I know what you're thinking...  "Come on, Dick!  Get a move on!"  Or you'd even completely forgotten multimillionaire Dick Smith's solo attempt to circumnavigate Kerbin by helicopter??

Nope, it's still happening.  At snail's pace.  :)

What a great flight, though!  The scenery was great.  The transition to hover was effortless.  And we got a bonus (partial!) eclipse of the Sun by the Mesa South station, completely by chance, just as we had finished shutting down.  What a surprise that was?!!

Dick is continuing to learn great things about his Chippewa helicopter.  Fuel management onboard enroute can be quite tense because the Chippewa carries 380 kallons of JET-A, 180 usable and 200 on reserve.  Dick has figured out that he can simply watch the gauge heading down from 380 toward 200.  As it approaches 200 (Oscars running dry), he can pin open all ten Oscars and then begin transferring fuel from any of the 4 pontoon tanks.  By the time, Dick has transferred all fuel from the pontoon tanks, fuel load should be down to 180 or lower, which means the Oscars are then holding all remaining fuel.  This means that all fuel management can be performed in a single operation carried out spanning the short period between 200 and 180 kallons remaining.  "No drama", as the Ozzies would say!

Edited by Hotel26
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Leg 17 [prev] [next] [progress]

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Departed: -60.337/-27.427 @ 3.257.5.33   Airborne: 65m    Heading: 344    Distance: 451.7 km    Altitude: 7.1 km    Arrival: -17.067/-39.821

Not quite a distance record (previously 471km) but a new altitude record.  The Chippewa draws only 0.063 kal/sec at this altitude.  That gives it a range in excess of 600km!

As a bonus of landing on this large island at a well-used 'airport', Dick has been able to offer a ride to Engineer Newgas Kerman, who has been stranded upon an old, obsolete Hobgoblin field miner for 3 years now.  Although Dick is looking forward to the company for the rest of the journey, Newgas isn't going to have a lot of conversation about recent times.  So it goes.

tNwHBxw.png

 

Edited by Hotel26
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Leg 18 [prev] [next] [progress]

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Departed: -17.067/-39.821 @ 3.258.3.54   Airborne: 41m    Heading: 345    Distance: 281.2 km    Altitude: 7.0 km    Arrival: 9.280/-46.356

Dick and Newgas fly past Papillon and into the northern hemisphere to the Galapagos, where they find a "control tower" from which they can refuel using [1.11.2] Telemagic, provided by a company that Dick Smith (shameless self-promoter) owns a controlling interest in.  Newgas hardly said a word during the 41m flight, but he did extract his slide rule and began some calculations coming up with a new and more precise estimate of the Chippewa range, certifying it as 748km.  Enough to get home to KSC in one more leg!

Meanwhile, Amelia Kerman had landed her Juice Goose 2 a km or 2 away to the east on the very small island, next to a Chalet.

"The world is starting to get awfully crowded again," growled Dick, who generally does prefer the wilderness.

Edited by Hotel26
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Leg 19 [prev] [fin] [progress]

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Departed: 9.280/-46.356 @ 3.258.5.48   Airborne: 44m    Heading: 260    Distance: 296.5 km    Altitude: 4.0 km    Arrival: -1.524/-71.903

Dick: "Lay in a course for Gilligan's Island, Engineer Newgas"

Newgas: "Aye aye, Cap'n".  "But we could get home, ye damned fool!!", under his breath.

                                        

Approaching Gilligan's, Dick can't resist a 'beat-up' of the field.

Dick: "Set speakers to 11, Engineer!"

Newgas: "Aye aye, Cap'n...  But, Cap'n Smith: is it wise to -snip- 'warm yellow liquid' off the natives immediately before landing??"

Dick: "This isn't Minecraft, Newgas; this is KSP!  And we're not landing!  We're intrepidly pushing onward, I say!!  And damn those fuel gauges!"

                                        

Some time later, apparently lining up an airport approach...

Newgas: "Excuse me, Cap'n.  It's bin a long time, aye...  but this din'na look like the Space Center...?  What's happen'd in all these long years ah've ben cast-away?"

Dick: "Well, Engineer, you are right: it's been a long time since you've been in Polite Society, but I think gentlebals should give the lady [referring to Amelia Kerman] a chance to catch up and land at KSC first, wouldn't you agree?"

Newgas: "Aye aye, Cap'n.  Right you are..."

 

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The KSC Spaceport Times would later headline, "Showboat Millionaire: disappoints huge, waiting, KSC reception crowd".

Edited by Hotel26
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Leg 20 [prev] [progress]

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Departed: -1.524/-71.903 @ 3.259.0.52   Airborne: 8m    Heading: 298    Distance: 32.3 km    Altitude: 0.5 km    Arrival: -0.097/-74.618

Dick Smith and trusty Engineer sidekick Newgas Kerman embark upon the final, arduous leg of the journey over a particularly hazardous stretch of shark-infested waters...

...and touch-down on the roof of the KSC VAB.

No one had believed this journey -- thither & there & back again -- would ever complete.  But here we are -- where we were.

Well done, Everyone![1]
 

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Dick Smith, having followed the 3-page Chippewa Shutdown Check List, takes note of the awaiting, cheering, adulatory crowd...  No one.

Then realizes he has landed, of course, on the hardest place to get to in the KSC.  Only one thing for it!  JUMP!!

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Amelia Kerman & Dick Smith pose together before the ever-reliable Juice Goose supply ship: "Could not have done it without you, Amelia!", says Dick, most warmly.

                                                                               

The next morning's KSC Spaceport Times headline would herald:  "Dick Smith Completes '20 Legs Around The Globe' Voyage"

[1] including, You, most Gracious Reader!

Edited by Hotel26
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1 hour ago, Hotel26 said:

The next morning's KSC Spaceport Times headline would herald:  "Dick Smith Completes '20 Legs Around The Globe' Voyage"

Three cheers for Dick, Amelia, and their support crew! And a warm welcome back to Newgas - your long service is appreciated.

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In honor of Dick Smith:  220px-Dick_Smith_in_May_2013.jpg  Australian entrepreneur and first person to circumnavigate our Earth solo in a helicopter (a Bell JetRanger)
-- with the bullet holes to prove what a hardy race we are.

Edited by Hotel26
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OK, so some people have never seen a helicopter before...

And helicopters can be rowdy, e.g. in the wee hours!  See Leg 19, in which our intrepid Dick Smith 'beats up' Gilligan's Island for no good reason -- other than chopper pilots are, well, a 'rowdy' bunch.

Or maybe that's just Australians in general?

Edited by Hotel26
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