Kerbodyne Touch & Go Racing League

[Wanderfound]

This one is simple: take off from KSC, fly to the island runway, do a touch & go (i.e. wheels must hit the runway but the plane doesn't need to stop) and come back to land at KSC.

Post screenshots of your flight, particularly including the start, the touch & go on the island, and the plane stationary on the runway at the end. Make sure that the elapsed time is visible in all three, and feel free to post extra images narrating the flight.

There are going to be four divisions: FAR/NEAR Formula One, Stock Aero Formula One, FAR/NEAR Open Class, Stock Aero Open Class.

If you're flying in FAR, you must keep aero failures turned on. Physics-altering mods apart from FAR/NEAR are not permitted, but normal flight aids (Kerbal Flight Indicators, PID tuners, etc) are fine. If in doubt, ask. The idea is to find to the best racing pilots and planes, not the canniest game exploit.

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The Formula One class is a pure test of piloting skill. In order to give a level playing field, all pilots will fly the same plane. You are allowed to adjust the control surface tweakables (control only, not the mass tweakable), but no other changes can be made to the plane.

This is the FAR/NEAR plane:

Craft file for FAR/NEAR at https://www.dropbox.com/s/95mathcq1i9o485/Kerboracer.craft?dl=0

And this is the stock version:

Craft file for Stock aero at https://www.dropbox.com/s/qitpft98cmzajlw/Kerboracer%20Stock.craft?dl=0

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In the open classes, you bring your own plane. The only limitations are:

* Must be a piloted, winged HOTOL aircraft.

* No non-stock engines permitted (magic overpowered thrusters ruin the competition, and there's no reasonable way to go through and check every modpack for balance). Alternate cockpits, procedural wings, etc. are all fine though.

* No rockets; therefore, no RAPIERs. No monoprop engines, RCS or Vernors either. Air-breathing thrust only.

* Drag chutes provide a huge advantage, negating the need for aerobatic braking. They're allowed, but chute-assisted craft have a separate leaderboard to non-chute planes.

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See http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Challenges/Kerbodyne%20Air%20Race/Demo%20Run/story for the obligatory demonstration run in the FAR/NEAR Formula One class.

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Leaderboards

Race 1

FAR/NEAR Formula One

Zarakon, 3 minutes 43 seconds

Zarakon, 3 minutes 55 seconds (NEAR)

Wanderfound, 5 minutes 26 seconds

Stock Aero Formula One

Zarakon, 5 minutes 14 seconds

hoioh, 5 minutes 21 seconds (partially fuelled)

Merandix, 5 minutes 49 seconds

Volcanix, 6 minutes 47 seconds

FAR/NEAR Open Class

Zarakon, 3 minutes 3 seconds

Zarakon, 3 minutes 29 seconds

Wanderfound, 4 minutes 19 seconds

Stock Aero Open Class

Right, 2 minutes 42 seconds

Zaracon, 2 minutes 56 seconds

Merandix, 3 minutes 19 seconds

Volcanix, 3 minutes 41 seconds

Merandix, 3 minutes 55 seconds

Merandix, 3 minutes 58 seconds

hoioh, 4 minutes 3 seconds

Captain Vlad, 4 minutes 5 seconds

Merandix, 4 minutes 11 seconds

ValCab33, 4 minutes 11 seconds

Starhawk, 4 minutes 13 seconds

Captain Vlad, 4 minutes 34 seconds (slightly missed island runway)

ValCab33, 4 minutes 44 seconds

Captain Vlad, 4 minutes 48 seconds

Merandix, 4 minutes 53 seconds

hoioh, 5 minutes 8 seconds

Captain Sierra, 5 minutes 16 seconds

Volcanix, 5 minutes 47 seconds

Sewerbird, 6 minutes 38 seconds (rocket assisted)

Chute Assisted

FAR Open Class

Wanderfound, 4 minutes 7 seconds.

Stock Open Class

hoioh, 4 minutes 21 seconds

VincentS, 4 minutes 38 seconds

hoioh, 4 minutes 52 seconds

VincentS, 5 minutes flat

Captain Sierra, 5 minutes flat

Race 2

For the race 2 route, see http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/107682-Kerbodyne-Touch-Go-Racing-League?p=1679351&viewfull=1#post1679351

To explain the difference between 2a and 2b, see http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/107682-Kerbodyne-Touch-Go-Racing-League?p=1679421&viewfull=1#post1679421

Race 2a (scenic route)

FAR/NEAR Formula One

Stock Aero Formula One

FAR/NEAR Open Class

Stock Aero Open Class

Merandix, 5 minutes 9 seconds

Race 2b (extra-challenge route)

FAR/NEAR Formula One

Stock Aero Formula One

Merandix, 6 minutes 33 second

hoioh, 7 minutes 51 seconds

FAR/NEAR Open Class

Zarakon, 4 minutes 29 seconds

Wanderfound, 5 minutes 41 seconds

Stock Aero Open Class

Merandix, 5 minutes 7 seconds

Edited January 22, 2015 by Wanderfound

[Volcanix]

Hey there,

here is my entry with my small Kerbin Exploration Plane "Falcon"

Stock Aero.

Time: 5:47mins,

however I made the screen of the start a little bit too late, I hope that's okay?

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[Wanderfound]

Hey there,

here is my entry with my small Kerbin Exploration Plane "Falcon"

Stock Aero.

Time: 5:47mins,

however I made the screen of the start a little bit too late, I hope that's okay?

http://imgur.com/a/OCtBV

All cool. Thanks for the entry.

Gonna have a go at the Formula One class as well?

[Volcanix]

All cool. Thanks for the entry.

Gonna have a go at the Formula One class as well?

Yep, here you go:

6 minutes 47 seconds

However, don't forget I'm a bad pilot (at least without Joystick)

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[Wanderfound]

Yep, here you go:

6 minutes 47 seconds

However, don't forget I'm a bad pilot (at least without Joystick)

http://imgur.com/a/9gU21

Hey, you're coming first in two divisions, at least for now...

I just spent an hour building and tweaking a much faster ship (blew up several of them while test flying through dynamic pressure alone; 110kPa is not a friendly environment), and just now got it through a full run...for 5 minutes 37 seconds. I spent so much time doing S-turns to wash off speed before landing that I burnt through all of the advantage I'd gotten from the faster flight. Bah.

It's a lower drag (and therefore faster) design than the Formula One plane, but that also means that it has a harder time slowing down quickly. There's just less wing to drag through the air. I might be able to make it work with a really extreme zoomclimb/stall/plummet thingie, though.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Wanderfound

[sewerbird]

I took my AeroFoo Let's Play's flagship on the run. I race-fit it best I could, lowering fuel amount, bu totherwise keeping it the same as in my videos! Here's a recording of the 'STOCK Open Class' (mods are aesthetic) attempt:

6:38:42!

<~EDIT!>

I didn't read closely enough, it seems, though -- it's a gatecrasher due to the rockomax 45-7S afterburners. I don't think rockets ruin the challenge, but naturally it's your call - hopefully you enjoyed the video anyways

</~EDIT!>

Edited January 18, 2015 by sewerbird

[hoioh]

Submitting for stock open class the bumblebee:

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Top speed is just under 300m/s at 3000 meters. I also found the basic jet engine to be more effective as the turbojet due to the low flight path it is much more efficient, provides slightly more thrust and uses a lot less fuel allowing a much lighter plane. Since intake air at the altitudes is not a problem at all I could use the inline intake that comes with the engine mount which has less drag and which happily carries some fuel as well making a secondary tank obsolete, further reducing the weight and drag. I'm sure someone else can do it in less than 5 minutes, but this is as good as it gets for me. Had to try long enough to hit that runway anyway... I think my screenshot was a little too late to actualy show the touch, hope you don't mind.

Made a video of an even faster run, uploading will take a while though, managed to get it just under 5 minutes!

Edited January 18, 2015 by hoioh

[Volcanix]

Submitting for stock open class the bumblebee:

http://imgur.com/a/NPFb2

Top speed is just under 300m/s at 3000 meters. I also found the basic jet engine to be more effective as the turbojet due to the low flight path it is much more efficient, provides slightly more thrust and uses a lot less fuel allowing a much lighter plane. Since intake air at the altitudes is not a problem at all I could use the inline intake that comes with the engine mount which has less drag and which happily carries some fuel as well making a secondary tank obsolete, further reducing the weight and drag. I'm sure someone else can do it in less than 5 minutes, but this is as good as it gets for me. Had to try long enough to hit that runway anyway... I think my screenshot was a little too late to actualy show the touch, hope you don't mind.

Damn it, I will optimize my plane design later. Congrats!

[Merandix]

@#%@# the biggest challenge here? Taking a screenshot of the moment I touch and go, it's more bounce and go in my case. Sorry if I missed it, but the touch lasts for a tiny moment.

Toughest part next to that was the final landing... this little bugger just DOES NOT want to stop.

Plane consists of a basic jet engine, some small elevons, winglets for tail and rudder, a Mk1 inline cockpit, Type A wings, ram inlet and some gears, a Mk1 fuselage with 45 fuel, and an structural fuselage... All in stock. No mods.

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edit, and no, Bill is not suicidal, just wants to prove he can be as much a badass as Jeb... by performing a touch and go at 950 kph!!!

Final time from start to full stop at KSC: Stock Open Class, 4:53

Edited January 18, 2015 by Merandix

[hoioh]

We are really close together: 4:52 is the exact second I have 0.0 velocity on the runway.

• 
  

It can be done faster if I deployed my braking chute a little closer to the ground.

[Captain Sierra]

I have only been able to do one run so far. WIth practice, a joystick, and maybe the application of braking chutes, I could cut this down to a leading time.

I exploited the lack of speed requirement on the touch-and-go and did mine at about 190m/s. Practice will get that speed higher.

The new prototype Stratos Aerospace Enterprises Diamondback racing jet ready for takeoff.

Cruising fast enough to get mach effects. This is not the plane's maximum.

Only Jeb would not be crapping his pants right now as he approaches for landing still at supersonic speeds.

This was MILISECONDS after I bounced off the runway. I was still negative AoA on touchdown and I bounced off. It actually helped me carry the momentum into the flip-back towards KSC.

I was too aggressive with the brakes and it slid off the runway and I steered it back on, avoiding busting the wings as it tried to roll sideways on me.

Final time there is 5:16.

My final time for a rookie run is 5:16. I can shave that down.

EDIT: I should mention that this is stock aero. I have not considered using FAR yet but I might if this plane flies well under it.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Captain Sierra

[hoioh]

Okay, so I rebuilt merandix plane and added a chute to the tail in order to get it to stop faster. managed the run in a mere 4:21

Video to follow once the upload finishes.

[VincentS]

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Here is my 5' open stock entry, with another minimal design !

Taking screenshot at the right time while piloting is not easy, I only managed to get one before and one after rebound on island.

The final landing was a bit … unusual. It took me several seconds to actually realize that everything was ok and take the screenshot.

[Captain Sierra]

After additional runs and practice, I can safely do the touch and go at about 240. I'm still getting the hang of the braking chute technique but I've gotten the entire run to 5 minutes exactly.

Additional obligatory screenshots.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Captain Sierra

[Merandix]

Lol, Hoioh, I expected as much when you added the parachute, it took me over 30 seconds to get the damned thing to stop

Congratulations on improving it! That breaking chute is so simple and elegant that it's genius. I thought it wouldn't work because when you touch the ground it disappears.

How do you fly it? Because it seems wasteful to climb above 2,5 km. Climbing slows you down to much. Get at cruising altitude (2 to 2,5 km), and don't spend too much time climbing. Those 10-20 m/s extra will only cost you time in the climb, which could have been spent accelerating. That's the reason most subway systems in the world accelerate like crazy, but have a low top speed. Also, you might be able to do away with one of the elevons to reduce drag. I also had a bit of dihedral on the wings to guarantee landing stability. Nice improvement though!

[hoioh]

You can watch the video in about 30 minutes Merandix, I only have 2mb upstream so uploading video takes a while. I climb pretty fast at first and then continue to climb at about an AOA of 10 degrees. Then at the island I steeply drop during the turn and line up for the runway, that's a pretty erratic and frantic bit pushing keys to get it to just kiss that island runway and not crash directly into it. Then steeply pull up while turning towards the KSP and do the same thing again. The final aproach is pretty much meters above the sand directly towards the runway, shutdown the engine once you are close enough and then directly above the runway hit space to pop the chute. because the engine is still pushing you it keeps your nose up while the force from the chute tends to pull it down. Don't forget to click the break button before you make your final aproach! after that it's just waiting for touchdown and 0.0 velocity.

I also have an entry for Formula Stock: 5:21 and here I really noticed that breaking problem you were talking about. (video to follow in a couple hours most likely.)

@Captain Sierra: I can't see your screenshots. it appears they aren't in a place where my browser can open them. This goes for both your posts. Any change you can put them on imgur and link the album using the

- - - Updated - - -

@Captain Sierra:

I copied a link and noticed it is already on imgur.

If you want it to show on the forums properly put the code between imgur tags

It will look like this: (don't copy, it will not parse, just write the same thing)

[noparse][imgur]VEA3F9C">Javascript is disabled. View full album

[/noparse]

It will looks like this:

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Another options is to click through to the actual image and post is as such using the appropriate button in the post editor.

That will look like this:

[Captain Sierra]

-snip-

@Captain Sierra: I can't see your screenshots. it appears they aren't in a place where my browser can open them. This goes for both your posts. Any change you can put them on imgur and link the album using the [imgur] tag? It's fairly easy.

They are on imgur. If you cannot see them, then I have no idea whats wrong. I'll double check to make sure I grabbed the right embedding link.

Also I seem to have reached the functional limit of my plane design under stock aero. I cannot do it any faster, I end up destroying the plane in the process.

EDIT: I grabbed the wrong embedding link. Issue is rectified.

[hoioh]

I added some tips to my previous post, Captain Sierra. Hope it will help. I found that the standard imgur tag didn't work for some reason, but using the actual image does.

[Merandix]

@hoioh: That's because the aircraft essentially generates too much lift. Even an airstream of a few m/s will already want to lift the featherlight craft off it's wheels. Therefore, the brakes work fine, but you sort of skip across the ground. I had to mostly break pushing the nose down. A four wheeler may actually be a more sensible aircraft.

With heavier aircraft, I'd use a flare to bleed off speed before touchdown... but because there's so much lift, flaring basically would put it into orbit (I may be slightly exaggerating here ).

Still, of this entire endeavour, I think the uploading of my images took the longest lol. I literally slapped this plane together in like five minutes, then ripped the wings off and put the smaller current ones in place. I suspect it'll perform even better with wingstrakes

@captain Sierra: you can safely perform the touch and go at 265 m/s or however quick your craft CAN go at that altitude. Just make sure your downwards velocity is as small as possible. Your horizontal speed matters little. Mind you, you can pull this off far better with a shallow approach than with a steep one.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Merandix

[Captain Sierra]

I added some tips to my previous post, Captain Sierra. Hope it will help. I found that the standard imgur tag didn't work for some reason, but using the actual image does.

Yeah. I grabbed the image link instead of the direct link like I should for using in [noparse][/noparse] tags. IIRC it has to do with how the tag works and what it targets. Should be working now.

@captain Sierra: you can safely perform the touch and go at 265 m/s or however quick your craft CAN go at that altitude. Just make sure your downwards velocity is as small as possible. Your horizontal speed matters little. Mind you, you can pull this off far better with a shallow approach than with a steep one.

Island runway is too short and my skill is not high enough to do that, and take a screenshot. I may have to recruit the assistance of FRAPS to actually get that. And my craft is so dang twitchy that even with fine controls, I'll never be able to put it down without hooking up my joystick (which I will do later today).

Edited January 18, 2015 by Captain Sierra

[VincentS]

4 engines stock aero entry

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New personal record is 4'38 ! (And my landing gets better !)

Edited January 18, 2015 by VincentS
Added gallery

[Merandix]

Sorry to sound slightly negative, but the 'Formula One' league deserves a nippier plane to be honest... We have almost 10 times the fuel we need aboard.

Note to everyone, I count editing controls and other values (for example, editing the way control surfaces work) on the ground as piloting. Do you all agree? If not, gatecrash me please Everyone has access to this on the ground, and I find this plane to be illogical. It has too much roll authoroty, 10 times the fuel we need, and a turbojet... to name just some things. It's not really a sporty plane for a class that's called 'formula one'.

I also completely missed the touch and go, due to me hitting F2 at first, in stead of F1... so I'm fine with this if you guys want this disqualified.

Stock Aero Formula One entry: 5:49

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@Captain Sierra

Put on less, or smaller control surfaces, and try to limit the control surfaces to only one direction (yaw, pitch or roll) per control surface. Also, give your craft a nice dihedral so it wants to land bottom down. I'm as much a rookie as anyone, and readily admit to being a horrible pilot. That's why I asked if I could edit some values. Most people are ok with really twitchy planes, I prefer them to fly a little smoother. I may pilot Ok-ish (landing is actually one of my better points ) but I require the planes to be easy to fly to do so

[Captain Sierra]

Control surfaces are already tweaked (I do that compulsively anyway). Plane is not dihedral (its a multi-purpose sport craft not built exclusively for this challenge) but I can try it like that, and my yaw+roll is pretty good (I can probably cut down the vert stabs some). My overly strong pitch authority is likely a function of my flying at 250+m/s, not the plane. Plane lands perfectly down at 90 but is really responsive up at 200+.

[hoioh]

Completely agree with you there Merandix, I also find fuel amount tweaking to not be tampering with the actual craft, rather with the filling of the tanks. That shouldn't be any problem whatsoever.

Just made the below run, ending at just over 4 minutes, but I'm not satisfied with it, that plane makes at least 30m/s more speed as my previous 4:21 flight in Merandix's model with the chute, so I should be able to fly this in less than 4 minutes. Hitting the runway at 320m/s is scary by the way.

Not satisfactory!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2935674/Kerbal/screenshot480.png

Here's the video of the 4:21 run Stock Open Class:

Screenshot of finish:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2935674/Kerbal/screenshot473.png

And finally a finish screenshot of the 5:19 Formula stock: (video uplaod at 58%, 37 minutes remaining)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2935674/Kerbal/screenshot476.png

(Images may take some time to upload due to internet overloading on my end.)

[Merandix]

I actually did NOT tweak the fuel, because you do that in the SPH... because that DOES influence what plane it is significantly. It makes it much lighter. I only tweaked stuff you can do on the runway. That seems like fair game to me.

Anyway, new entry in Open Stock Aero: 4:11 with a new three engined plane! Actually flying hyperbolic to around 5 km now works highest speed measured: 419,3 m/s

Again with me completely missing the touch... and yes, doing transonic or even supersonic touch-and goes IS scary... especially with that tower so close to the runway.

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edit: second attempt with slight modifications: booyah! 3:58, top speed 525,7 m/s

Nice high speed runs, a touch and go at 300+ (camera below ground again, just after the 'go' in touch and go). Accidentally wound up at 8 km altitude and nearly lost control... I did go over half a km/s because of it. 525,7 m/s = 1892,5 km/h (1175,9 mph)

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edit2: Also, why is this so much fun?

Edit, same plane 3:55 meh... obviously late again for the screenshot, but you don't bounce like that without hitting the runway. That bounce was most welcome... as would've plowed into that hill face first otherwise XD

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Edited January 18, 2015 by Merandix