The runway burm needs to go.

[Motokid600]

Why in every hell is the runway built up a few feet off the ground? There's a deadly ramp surrounding it. So if your trying to land you better NAIL it PERFECTLY or your screwed. I had to ditch my SSTO landing and put it down in the grass because of it. It's a BIG bump too. So with .21 coming out you think the new KSC will fix this? I really hope so.

[spacecake]

I like it, the drop at the end of the runway is what gets half my planes into the air.

Edit: Also i'm sure there is a mod that makes it flat.

[bogpad]

they said the will rework the KSC area, not sure if it will come with .21, but it will come, and mayhaps they will change this too. the sides of the runway can be a bit annoying indeed, as long as they do not take away the lower ground on the end I would welcome this change aswell, but I need at least this because some of my planes only get airborn when I drive down the whole runway and force them to leave ground at its end.

[Flixxbeatz]

Well good thing they've already added a "ramp" in the launchpad and the runway. Attempting to get out and back of the runway without flying back then always ended with a boom.

[leopardenthusiast]

they said the will rework the KSC area, not sure if it will come with .21, but it will come, and mayhaps they will change this too. the sides of the runway can be a bit annoying indeed, as long as they do not take away the lower ground on the end I would welcome this change aswell, but I need at least this because some of my planes only get airborn when I drive down the whole runway and force them to leave ground at its end.

You know what would probably help with end-of-runway-takeoff syndrome? A variation on the runway with a ramp. Maybe even make the angle and curve adjustable in the SPH. Hell, put a rocket on a rocketsled - most likely using SRBs for excessive T/W, which is all that really matters as long as your boosters don't burn out before you reach the end - and launch it off a ramp that ends at about 80 degrees and curves very gently, build up quite a bit of speed before you even lift off and start your main engines!

[SkyHook]

I think that the runway burm is good, and certainly better than what it was! If you miss the runway irl, you are pretty screwed as well, and that wouldn't be the devs' problem really

[Sma]

I think that the runway burm is good, and certainly better than what it was! If you miss the runway irl, you are pretty screwed as well, and that wouldn't be the devs' problem really

Agreed, I think the burm is good, it helps sometimes getting off the ground lol. The edges are a little steep though, as small rovers have a hard time climbing up and over the runway.

[m1xte]

The runway should be three times wider and double length.

Wingspan of my biggest planes are almost double of the runaway width and the runway is supposed to be biggest one in kerbin.

[PDCWolf]

1- If your planes need the runway burm, you are doing something wrong.

2- Please, remove it, it causes more accidents than what it helps.

3- The runway is more than OK in size and lenght.

A way to still have the burm or simply something to kick the planes up would be to make the runway completely flat but the ground at the end a little bumpy, so even if you're out of the runway you can still have a little kick for your spaceplanes.

[numerobis]

So if your trying to land you better NAIL it PERFECTLY or your screwed.

Consider that every pilot everywhere has this problem. Granted, they generally have better instruments to help them.

[Themohawkninja]

It wouldn't feel like there was much there if it was just a texture. Plus, as many other people have stated, it helps get your craft off of the ground, which can at least tell you if your lift to weight ratios are decent.

[cesarcurado]

Agree, it just isn't right.

[Whackjob]

Am I really the first one to mention it's a Berm? O_o

[m1xte]

Consider that every pilot everywhere has this problem. Granted, they generally have better instruments to help them.

Is there anywhere airfield where pilots land experimental aircrafts in runway where runway is narrower than wingspan of the aircraft?

(12,000 m × 270 m)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_Air_Force_Base

Edited July 15, 2013 by m1xte

[Deadweasel]

I asked something similar to this a couple of days back, and the responses made a lot of sense.

The runway and launchpad areas are elevated for two reasons:

1. Kerbin's scale is small enough for the curvature to be noticeable over the length of the runway. Not a big deal for takeoffs, but a potential big pain for landings. The elevation allows the runway to be perfectly flat despite the curve of the terrain over the distance.
   
2. Elevation prevents "z-fighting" (that funky jittering dance your parts textures do when you clip them into one another) with the ground terrain.
   

[Fiddlestyx]

I like it, I use it to test the jumping abilities of my rovers.

[ComradeGoat]

I like it, the drop at the end of the runway is what gets half my planes into the air..

Suspect a) insufficient lift, or wheels in the wrong place, or c) both.

B most likely, IME.

[Capt'n Skunky]

Just be glad it's not the original runway that had a square, 3' drop at the edges. Forget trying to drive up on to it.

Cheers!

Capt'n Skunky

KSP Community Manager

[flyingpotato]

Digressing a bit...

Me and many other IRL pilots like to do what is known as a 'visual approach'. We pretty much just have a quick glance now and again at the airspeed indicator and the altimeter... Flying mostly by the seat of our pants... As for 'nailing it every time', well, that just takes practice....

[M5000]

The current runway is 100% fine with me. If your plane can't fit or take off from that ample area, or isn't durable enough to taxi off and go somewhere else to launch, you need to re-design, or you shouldn't be building that big.

Also, if you're using the berm to get into the air, good luck using your plane anywhere else, where you can't be guaranteed a drop-off. If you can't take off from flat land, the plane is not usable and needs a redesign.

A wise man once said...

KSP is more like an Erector set than a Lego set. You can do a lot of cool things, and your imagination will take you far, but you have to stay within some kind of limits of the system.

Anyhow, the current runway is perfectly fine, consider spending more time in the SPH. Make each launch an event, not a to-do.

[Van Disaster]

Compromise - have the land end at ground level ( or fractionally above, if you want to kill z-fighting - just enough there'd be a little bump ) and the seaward end have it's elevation. I don't want to think about how many main gears I've lost by clipping the western end berm...

Harrier-carrier style skijump ramps would be fun to test, yes.

[TheHengeProphet]

The runway is completely fine as is (it can be a little difficult to hit with controls being as squirrely as they are, but that's the way things go). I do think brakes are insufficient, though, as far as stopping craft goes, without being able to use proper air brakes and such... Reverse engines are just so heavy...

[PDCWolf]

z-fighting can be avoiding by turning the runway into a decal instead of an independent 3D object. It'll lose some resolution tho.

[cesarcurado]

z-fighting can be avoiding by turning the runway into a decal instead of an independent 3D object. It'll lose some resolution tho.

Or you could always change it so the ground under it is 100% flat, allowing for thinner runways.

[Van Disaster]

Or the lower LODs for the runway model can be a little further above the ground. Or invisible and the runway is a decal, and the close in model obscures it. Lots of ways around it. I would however like some way of driving off the "launch" end that doesn't run the risk of either rolling or snapping a vehicle...