Wanderfound

Most of the problems with physicsless parts stem from their abuse as infinite TWR thrusters. It may be best to keep struts etc as physicsless but not anything that produces thrust; RCS/Vernor/O-10's. If you're sticking enough of those on your craft to strain the physics engine, it's probably because you're trying to do something silly and physics-defying anyway.

Just started uploading the Kerbodyne SSTO Division range to this. Has the potential to be very nifty. A few thoughts: * Add "Spaceplane" as a possible class? A spaceplane isn't an aircraft, strictly speaking, and mixing them in with the "ships" is probably not ideal. * "Vertical SSTO" is probably a worthwhile category as well. * Auto-detecting the action group assignments would be a major bonus. Entering them manually is tedious enough that I'm very unlikely to do it. * At the moment, it appears to be counting stock parts as a mod (named "Squad"). * As mentioned above, you absolutely need a way to differentiate FAR and stock aero designs. Auto-detect if you can, but a user toggle if you can't. Very few spaceplanes function adequately in both.

Best get in before all the good spots are taken, shouldn't I? First, some notes: All of the ships have the cockpi t batteries locked off as emergency reserve, and deployable solar stashed away somewhere. And some have Vernors set up as landing retro thrusters. The VTOLs should be opening the doors with the same action group as toggles the engines. If they aren't, there's an action group bug in play. None of them are designed to use staging at any time. The basic trick to piloting the more fragile lightweight stuff is to be very careful at low altitude. Nearly all of your blowups were around 1,000m or below, and you were usually above or close to supersonic. Low altitude supersonic can be done (see the entry post screenshots for the Scapa), but if you're having aero failure trouble, get a few thousand metres of altitude before you try to go supersonic. You can either throttle back until you've climbed a bit, or just climb steeply enough that all of your thrust goes into fighting gravity instead of acceleration. When you're manouevring, watch the g-meter as much as the navball. If it gets above five, back off (unless you're messing about with something like the Scapa at moderate altitude). If the g's constantly spike up and down to higher than five, you need to be less rough with the control inputs. If flying by keyboard, tap the controls, don't hold them down. In extreme situations, use fine controls or trim. All of them except the Invasion can be pulled into a vertical climb immediately post takeoff if done gently enough. And they do need a PID tuner if SAS is going to be on at low altitude; if you haven't already got one, there's one included in this rapidly developing mod - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/100073-0-25-Pilot-Assistant-0-6-Nov-20-Atmospheric-piloting-aids Kerbodyne SSTO Division: Award Nominees All entries designed for FAR/NEAR. All ships intended to be flown with SAS engaged and the use of a PID tuner to smooth out the SAS wobbles. If you don't have a PID tuner, using the FAR flight assistance toggles in place of SAS should provide adequate performance. All ships have deployable solar and cockpit power locked off as emergency reserve. Best Stock Spaceplane/Best Looking Ship: The Kerbodyne Cicada. VTOL doesn't have to mean utilitarian. Conventional takeoff... ...with extreme vigour. Vertical takeoff is also not a slow way to get flying. Not bad up top, either. Action groups: 1: Toggle RAPIER 2: Switch RAPIER mode 3: Toggle Turbojets 4: Toggle VTOL thrusters 5: Toggle intakes 9: Toggle monoprop RCS 0: Toggle Vernors Piloting Guide: Have fun. If you spend too much time hovering near ground level, the VTOL engine will become alarmingly hot. However, the temperature will drop to safe levels as soon as you gain some altitude or horizontal speed. Keep the Vernors on for stability during VTOL flight, but leave them off at most other times to save fuel. Disabling monoprop RCS while the Vernors are on will also save monoprop wastage. To transition from VTOL to conventional flight, run both VTOL and conventional engines until you've gained enough horizontal speed for level flight, then shut down the VTOL. Expect to temporarily lose a bit of altitude during transition. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/gmve0kkmg85hnjf/Kerbodyne%20Cicada.craft?dl=0 -- Best VTOL Spaceplane: Go anywhere, do anything, do it in style. And carry a hefty cargo with you while you do it. The Kerbodyne Dropbear. Heavy-lift VTOL capability and express spaceplane performance. Effortless takeoff. Stable VTOL flight with tanks full or empty, with or without cargo. Plenty of thrust. In both directions. Easily converts from vertical to horizontal flight. Simple takeoffs and landings in either mode. As well as an effortless climb to orbit at high time acceleration. As usual, manage engines as the air runs thin. And kick in the Aerospikes when the RAPIERs shift to closed cycle. Keep the turbojet on; there's a huge ram-air effect. Circularise on Aerospikes alone for efficiency. Plenty of amenities. And ample cargo space. Action Group Key: 1: Toggle Turbojet 2: Toggle RAPIERs 3: Toggle RAPIER mode 4: Toggle Aerospikes 5: Toggle VTOL mode 6: Toggle intakes 7: Decrease flap deflection 8: Increase flap deflection 9: Toggle monoprop RCS 10: Toggle Vernors Flight Instructions: As per the Cicada, just bigger. Handles quite well in VTOL mode: Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/mw5wd2llr38f8a9/Kerbodyne%20Dropbear.craft?dl=0 -- Best Heavy Cargo Spaceplane: Got some heavy stuff to lift? Want it lifted fast? The Kerbodyne Atlas. Express elevator to the gods. Broadwinged design makes for absurdly easy takeoffs, even when carrying heavy loads. No shortage of power. Supersonic within sight of home. And no slouch at altitude either. Easily to orbit with juice to spare. Despite a chunky payload. Trigger spoilers and flaps to enable airbrakes. Superbly stable. Action group key: 1: Toggle Turbojet 2: Toggle RAPIERs 3: Switch RAPIER mode 4: Toggle intakes 5: Activate spoiler (airbrake) 6: Increase flap deflection (airbrake) 7: Reduce flap deflection 8: Toggle doors, docking port and solar panels (space mode) 9: Toggle monoprop RCS 0: Toggle Vernors Flight Instructions: As per usual. The demonstration pics show it easily lifting the heaviest stock parts that I could fit into the bays; if it's a stock part that will fit in a Mk2 cargo bay, the Atlas can lift it. Feel free to use part-clipping or ballast mods to push the limits; it can lift a lot more than the demonstration load. The Vernors are not really required; they're just there as insurance against piloting error. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/2p7uo4zteqki73d/Kerbodyne%20Atlas.craft?dl=0 -- Best Vertical SSTO: Do you really, really suck at landing spaceplanes? Does your KSC runway now resemble the Somme battlefield? Well, Kerbodyne SSTO Division has just the ship you're after: the Kerbodyne Lancer. A shiny new VTOL SSTO with extreme performance and practical cargo lifting ability, as well as a landing protocol so simple that even Bob can manage it. No need for launch clamps, enough grunt to take off while the engines spool up. Keep the Vernors on until the ship develops enough momentum to maintain direction aerodynamically. Start pulling the nose down towards the horizon immediately post takeoff; aim to have it flying level by 15,000m. There's not a lot of control surface on this ship; keep the AoA below 10 degrees at all times and toggle the Vernors on if it gets squirrely. Perfectly stable and easy to fly if piloted appropriately. Landing procedure: begin by opening the parachute bay (action group 8). Deploy drogues first (action group 9). After the drogues fully deploy at 500m, deploy main chutes (action group 0). Give it a momentary puff of throttle on landing to soften the touchdown. Be careful not to completely halt your descent and begin climbing: the chutes will detach if you do. Action Groups: 1: Toggle Turbojets 2: Toggle RAPIERs 3: Switch RAPIER mode 5: Toggle intakes 6: Toggle Vernors 7: Toggle monoprop RCS 8: Open parachute bay 9: Deploy drogue chutes 0: Deploy main chutes Piloting guide: ​See images above. Craft file download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ytae5eepzzm0uqu/Kerbodyne%20Lancer.craft?dl=0 -- Best Atmospheric Plane: New from the Kerbodyne Suborbital Division: the Kerbodyne Scapa. Perfect from sea level to the edge of space. Effortless takeoff and climb. Flies with perfect stablity on either engine. Highly maneouevrable. Virtually immune to high dynamic pressure. Even when combined with high-g manouevres. Or high levels of time acceleration. Perfect handling to the edge of space and beyond. Self-correcting stability at Mach 5... ...Mach 3... ...and Mach 0.8. Perfect handling from sea level... ...to the edge of space. Action group key: 1: Toggle lower turbojet 2: Toggle upper turbojet 3: Toggle shock cone 4: Toggle structural intakes Flight instructions: Go nuts. Designed to be almost unkillable. Use the Vernors to get out of trouble if you overdo it. If you're flying high enough to need to shut down one engine, use the lower one: it'll give you a tiny bit of pitch-up torque that will assist in maintaining altitude. Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/jz5caf0nn7z84m0/Kerbodyne%20Scapa.craft?dl=0 -- Best Bomber: New from Kerbodyne's "hey, we just make the planes, it's not our fault what you do with them" division: the Kerbodyne Tartaglia. For all your precision gravity research needs. Turbofan power gives easy liftoffs even with heavy loads. Turbojet propulsion ensures that high Mach speeds remain available. IVA cameras assist in target acquisition. Spoilers help keep the nose on target while controlling altitude. Substantial carrying capacity. A substantial amount of rocketry. And plenty of gravitationally delivered crackers. Enough grunt for a quick getaway. Virtually stall proof above Mach 1. Tolerates extreme AoA. Smooth handling. Well loaded. Action groups: 1: Toggle turbojet. 2: Toggle basic jets. 3: Fire outer rockets. 4: Fire inner rockets. 5: Drop small bombs #1. 6: Drop small bombs #2. 7: Drop large bombs #1. 8: Drop large bombs #2. 9: Drop large bombs #3. 0: Open bomb bay. Flight Instructions: Do I really need to tell you? Go blow something up. Be careful of launching munitions while sideslipping, however; it is possible to hit yourself if you really overdo it. Despite appearances, the Bombs mod has no burst effect; you need a direct hit to damage something. Plenty of nice big targets around KSC, though... Requires the Bombs mod (http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/95510-0-25-Bombs-v1-5-ROCKETS-RE-MODELLED). Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/1n0fzxlw027jb7z/Kerbodyne%20Tartaglia.craft?dl=0 -- Best Passenger Transport: Thirty-four Kerbals, one flight, direct from the KSC runway to the planet of your choice. Also available in a paratroop version with ventral crew hatches. Simple liftoffs. Sufficient performance. Level out to build speed and close the shock cones until required to minimise drag. It's a big ship; use a shallow ascent. Gets up to speed easily if flown as required. Kick in the nuke once the air-breathers begin to struggle. Keep the RAPIERs in jet mode for as long as possible. Engage Vernors at high altitude to aid stability. And top it off with a pure nuclear burn. Use closed-cycle RAPIERs in short bursts if necessary to maintain ascent. Runway to interplanetary range; refuel in orbit to extend further. Tech Specs: Price: √135,266 Weight: 70.623t wet, 36.823t dry Part count: Action group key: 1: Toggle nuke. 2: Toggle RAPIERs. 3: Toggle Turbojets. 4: Switch RAPIER modes. 5: Toggle shock cones. 6: Toggle nacelle intakes. 7: Toggle solar panels. 9: Toggle monoprop RCS. 0: Toggle Vernors. Flight Instructions: As described in the pictures above; use a shallow ascent, maximising the use of air-breathing and nuclear propulsion. If you're in a hurry and can afford to refuel in orbit, a steeper ascent on the RAPIERs is also possible. Add a dozen Vernors to the underside if you'd like it to have low-grav VTOL ability for Mun/Minmus colonisation purposes, or stretch the cargo bay to make room for a command chair lander shuttle. Aerodynamically polished: Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/2y2rv7jy6gd33d2/Kerbodyne%20Invasion.craft?dl=0 -- Best Light Cargo Spaceplane: Takes off easy... ...and climbs steep. Extra-strength wings, able to handle large aerodynamic stresses. Vigorous speed... ...and ample cargo capacity. Tech Specs: Price: √64,200 Weight: 25.825t wet, 12.925t dry Part count: 66 Spectacular aerodynamic polish. Stable and smooth at all speeds and altitudes. Action group key: 1: Toggle central RAPIER 2: Toggle lateral RAPIERs 3: Switch mode central RAPIER 4: Switch mode lateral RAPIERs 5: Toggle intakes 7: Toggle solar panels 9: Toggle RCS thrusters 0: Toggle Vernors Flight Instructions: However you like. Deliberately designed to be tolerant of inexpert handling. Easy, tailstrike proof takeoffs at anything above 100m/s, self-correcting stability and the wing strength to tolerate extreme angles of attack. Not an aerobatic specialist, but as close as you'll get to it in a serious cargo plane. Just give it the usual pattern: get to 15,000m, level off and crank it up to Mach 5 while you climb to 30,000m, shut down the outer RAPIERs and ride the central jet for as long as you can then kick all three engines into rocket mode. Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/4b4y3jqmkuk9s1i/Kerbodyne%20Skua.craft?dl=0 -- Best Sporty Pleasure Craft: The first release from KSV's 25 model range! The KSV Whirlwind. Supersonic aerobatic performance with wings tough enough to take it. Orbital capability and extreme atmospheric performance, all in one affordable and easy to fly package. Self-launching at 120m/s. Perfect stability at extreme angles of attack, from barely supersonic... ...all the way... ...to hypersonic. Perfect balance. Even at the edge of space. Plenty of grunt when required. Tech Specs: Price: √42,291 Weight: 11.811t wet, 7.411t dry Part count: 34 Action group key: 1: Toggle turbojet 2: Toggle aerospikes 3: Toggle intakes Flight Instructions: Go nuts. Almost stall-proof above Mach 1; use the Vernors to get out of trouble if you overdo it while subsonic. If you care about fuel efficiency, do the usual "ride the turbo until Mach 5 and 30,000m then light the rockets". If you're willing to be wasteful, you can afford to kick in the aerospikes substantially earlier while still reaching orbit. Intended more for mid-altitude hypersonic nonsense than treetop aerobatics. Take care to slow as much as possible prior to landing: planes with strong static pitch like this have a tendency to bounce off the runway if you try to land them above takeoff speed. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/f5e3oredva8vhzf/Kerbodyne%20Whirlwind.craft?dl=0 -- Best Interplanetary Science Explorer: Triple-mode propulsion. Effortless takeoffs. Stable enough for hands-off flight through the sound barrier at high levels of time acceleration. Use a shallow ascent profile. Activate the nuke once the RAPIERs start to run out of air... ...and ride the atom all the way 'round. Use the RAPIERs on closed cycle as boosters if desired, but minimising their use will enhance fuel efficiency. Exceptional runway-to-interplanetary range can be further enhanced through orbital refuelling. But what has it got in its pocketses? That looks suspiciously like a munlander to me. As well as a few goo pods, an atmospheric sensor and a couple of RCS tanks. Equipped with a full suite of scientific equipment. 170kN of well balanced low-grav VTOL. Exceptionally stable at extreme angles of attack, even at supersonic speeds. Wings reinforced to cope with high-g manoeuvres. Perfect high altitude dynamics. Exceptionally easy takeoffs. Tech Specs: Price: √117,025 Weight: 30.272t wet, 15.372t dry Part count: 104 Action group key: 1: Toggle nuclear rocket. 2: Toggle RAPIERs. 3: Switch RAPIER mode. 5: Toggle intakes. 6: Toggle cargo bay doors. 7: Toggle solar panels. 8: Trigger all science equipment. 9: Toggle monoprop RCS. 0: Toggle Vernors. Flight Instructions: Easy handling all the way. Give it the usual 10°-20° ascent slope, build speed to Mach 4.5+ before departing the oxygenated altitudes, activate the nuke as soon as the RAPIERs switch to rocket mode and deactivate the RAPIERs whenever you can while still keeping your apoapsis ahead of you. The lander has sufficient fuel, but not a lot of slack. You can ease the fuel strain on the lander considerably by removing the bulk of orbital speed with the nuclear rocket on the main craft prior to lander deployment. Stop, drop, burn back up to speed and then switch control to the lander. Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/8hnfunulsiswu8y/Kerbodyne%20Endeavour.craft?dl=0 -- Best Tanker: In an updated version of the classic, Kerbodyne presents the Wedgetail XXV. A medium tanker that is as enjoyable to fly as it is useful to own. Not the largest fuel hauler in the Kerbodyne range, but unmatched for when you need a rapid top-up in orbit. Easy takeoffs. Performs like a much lighter craft. Not slow. Plenty left in the tanks after reaching orbit. Superb aerodynamic design. Even at extreme angles of attack. Tech Specs: Price: √98,847 Weight: 66.511t wet, 25.511t dry Part count: 107 Action group key: 1: Toggle Turbojets. 2: Toggle RAPIERs. 3: Switch RAPIER mode. 5: Toggle intakes. 7: Toggle solar panels. 9: Toggle monoprop RCS. 10: Toggle Vernors. Flight Instructions: Just give it the usual: climb to 15,000m as rapidly as possible, then level out and crank it up to Mach 5 on the way to 30,000m. Stable enough to fly hands-off at 4x physics acceleration. Keep the Vernors off unless needed; toggle the standard RCS off while using the Vernors in order to avoid wasting monoprop. Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/qxhv6nl5f6xizj2/Kerbodyne%20Wedgetail%20XXV.craft?dl=0 -- Best Low-tech Spaceplane: Self-launches at around 130m/s. Get some speed and altitude from the jets... ...before closing your intakes, lighting the fireworks and climbing into the stratosphere. Flatten out in the upper atmosphere to shorten the circularisation burn. Plenty of delta-V to play with, and a probe core on board so it can be used for orbital rescues. Beautifully behaved airframe. Action Group Key: 1: Toggle rocket 2: Toggle jets 3: Toggle intakes Flight Instructions: See images above. As with the Whirlwind, slow as much as possible prior to landing or you'll re-launch as soon as the front wheel hits the runway. Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/4va1y0wwjr2xjym/Kerbodyne%20Alphatek.craft?dl=0

Also: the way O-Doc is doing it here is probably the best way to go about it. If you're entering multiple ships, put 'em all in one post, with multiple spoiler tags dividing them up. Be kind to your possible voters: make it easy for them to find your designs, and don't oblige them to download a squillion images without giving them the choice not to. People are much more likely to vote for you if you don't annoy them.

I'm a GURPSist rather than a D&D guy, but, the first rule of tabletop RPGs: relax and enjoy yourself. It's a cooperative storytelling game, not a competition. The only way to lose is to not have fun.

Does anyone know where I can find a table of correspondences between altitude, atmospheric density and temperature for FAR?

("How to do a spoiler" post deleted on the grounds of being more confusing than helpful. See Andrew's post immediately below if you're not sure) A list of all the formatting codes usable on the forum can be found at http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/misc.php?do=bbcode You may find this helpful when formatting your entry post. Aim for clarity rather than aggressive attention-grabbing, though. Using supersized brightly coloured flashing text isn't going to achieve anything except to irritate your audience.

Ditto. My spaceplanes get into trouble fairly regularly when I forget that "plenty of LF remaining" doesn't necessarily mean "plenty of O remaining". Having to keep the resources tab open all the time to prevent this is a screen-cluttering PITA.

Do you want experienced players to enter this to demonstrate optimised ways of doing it, or would you prefer that we left the field clear for the newbies to work it out amongst themselves? There are pros and cons either way; demonstrations are useful, but the KSP mavens may intimidate the novices away from posting their own efforts.

Thank you. Is there any possibility of including the option to resize the fonts? As with the stock window (and the Contracts Window+ mod), the text is far too small for me to be able to read comfortably. The relatively low-contrast colour scheme aggravates this problem, unfortunately.

I think the suggestion may have been: Thrust off, transfer from any tank to any tank. Thrust on, only able to transfer between tanks connected by crossfeed or fuel lines. Works for me.

Like this?

BTW, my favourite SF reviewer (James Nicoll) has been doing a Heinlein retrospective lately. James is one of the brightest, best-educated people I know, and his knowledge of SF is completely encyclopaedic, particularly at the "hard SF" end of the spectrum. http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/reviews/series/the-great-heinlein-juveniles-plus-the-other-two-reread Worth a look, both for Heinlein fans and those who loathe the man.

I'd actually say that it's fairly unoriginal (it has a lot in common with with Blake's 7 and Farscape, and most of the more original-by-TV-standards bits are lifted directly from literary SF). The acting is deliberately over the top; it takes a fair bit of skill to keep a straight face while you're chewing the scenery that hard. And as for the special effects...well, compare it to the Blake's 7 clip. Now those were some dodgy special effects (didn't stop them from telling a great story, though). I watched Lexx in the 90's when it was first made; by the standards of the day, its SFX were actually pretty impressive. None of the early attempts at digital effects have dated well; the fakeness of them leaps out at a modern viewer. Lexx definitely was a love-it-or-loathe-it show, though. - For genuinely awful no-redeeming-features-at-all TV SF, see Andromeda: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_(TV_series) Yeesh.

The Contest Okay; due to the fun that a bunch of us had with Sirine's Better SSTO Spaceplane Challenge, (http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/86202-Better-SSTO-Spaceplane-Challenge-%280-23-5-0-24%29-Fin%21), I've decided to start another one. This time around we'll be dividing it up into categories. This should ensure that the voters in each contest have an interest in flying all of the craft in the categories that they're voting on; it'll allow the compulsive designers amongst us to enter more than one ship; and it will avoid the difficulty of trying to make a fair comparison between craft that are designed for sharply different purposes. However, this is still a design contest, not a showcase thread. The idea is to present your best design and see how it compares against your peers, not to spam the thread with every last thing that you've ever built. So, as previously: only one entry per contestant. If you decide to change your entry, don't make a new post; edit your previous post, delete your prior entry and replace it with your new one. However, the limit is one entry per category, not one entry overall. The contest will run for two months (September 15 to November 15), with an extra week for voting at the end before we declare the results. As before, the way to qualify to vote is by entering a design in the category or categories in which you wish to vote on. And, as before, you're not allowed to vote for your own ship, and you will be expected to make a post explaining who you're voting for and why. Entering a ship but then not flight-testing and voting for one of your competitors would be rather unsporting; try not to do that. Winners will be expected to make a full Oskar-style acceptance speech. Don't forget to thank your parents, your dog, your primary school teacher and the Akademy. (BTW: if any of the graphically-minded folks out there feels like coming up with some little green Oskar statues as badges for the winners, please do) Keep in mind that all of the other contestants will be flight-testing and publicly critiquing your craft (politely). If you don't think that you can graciously accept a review that may not be 100% positive, think carefully before entering. How to Enter To enter, you need to post a link to the craft file of your design so that the other contestants can take it for a spin. The entry post should be divided into two sections, with a spoiler tag hiding the second part. In the first part, put a link to the craft file, a list of any mods required, a brief bit of "advertising" text that justifies why you think your ship should win, and one screenshot of the craft. Also list exactly which category or categories that you wish to enter the craft into. It's allowed to enter a single ship into multiple categories, but if you try to use the same ship for all parts of the contest you're likely to get stomped in the voting by the specialist designs. In the second part, hidden by a spoiler tag, post a set of flight instructions, technical specs of the craft (including but not limited to price, part count and action group key) and as many other screenshots as you feel like. Screenshot narratives that provide a dramatic/amusing demonstration of your design's capabilities are encouraged; just make sure to keep them under the tag so that the thread remains easy to read and navigate. Unlike Sirine, I'm not going to exclude myself from the contest. However, as the winners are judged by democratic vote, my position as challenge host shouldn't give me any advantage. I won't be attempting to disqualify any entries; if you put up something that obviously doesn't belong in a category, the only consequence is going to be that you probably won't get any votes. Whether or not a design truly meets the criteria for that category is purely up to the voters. Any and all mods are allowed, but remember that the more mods you include, the less likely it is that other people are going to be willing to test-fly your design. Folks are likely to be unwilling to vote for anything that they haven't flown personally. So, it's a good idea to minimise your use of mod parts and strip out any superfluous gadgets that aren't essential to the design. This is also a reason to keep your part counts within sane limits; if no-one can fly your craft without melting their computer, you're not likely to get many votes. As very few flyers are willing to stray from their preferred aerodynamic model, all categories will be divided into stock aero and FAR/NEAR sections. If you think that there should be a category that isn't already included, feel free to suggest it. We do need to keep it to a relatively sensible number of categories, though; a voting contest doesn't work unless there are a least a few entrants in each category. Any category that doesn't have at least three entrants at the end of the contest will be declared a no-prize. NOTE TO EVERYBODY: There's a known bug (possibly related to Hot Rockets) that causes action groups to disappear (usually the #1 group) when craft files are shifted between saves. Give everything a once-over in the SPH before you fly it, and restore any action groups that have gone AWOL. Categories & Nominees: Stock Aero * Best sporty pleasure craft. O-Doc, Razorback. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1416833&viewfull=1#post1416833 FCISuperGuy, KSV Raven. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1419029&viewfull=1#post1419029 Aesthetics, Kaster Mk1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1420314&viewfull=1#post1420314 Pecan, Bantam. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1421588&viewfull=1#post1421588 Fenya, Wasp. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1432394&viewfull=1#post1432394 Avera9eJoe, Avera9eJoe's Stunt Plane. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1440406&viewfull=1#post1440406 INTERKOSMOS, Orzel-4DSR H1HO-V3M. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1494044&viewfull=1#post1494044 Roflcopterkklol, SR-72 White Bird. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1507161&viewfull=1#post1507161 * Best light cargo spaceplane. Fenya, Wasp. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1432394&viewfull=1#post1432394 Batz_10K, Serpens-C. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1496882&viewfull=1#post1496882 (votes: CocaDaPuf) Roflcopterkklol, Titan Hunter Mk5 SSTO. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1506924&viewfull=1#post1506924 (Votes: INTERKOSMOS) CocoDaPuf, The Space Goose VTOL. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1528550&viewfull=1#post1528550 * Best refuelling tanker spaceplane. O-Doc, Erinyes. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1416833&viewfull=1#post1416833 Roflcopterkklol, White lightning Mk2. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1506909&viewfull=1#post1506909 O-Doc, Matador. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1416833&viewfull=1#post1416833 noname117, NAFA-7 Mamba Multi-role fighter. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1436759&viewfull=1#post1436759 Avera9eJoe's, Spruce Moose. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1440406&viewfull=1#post1440406 Roflcopterkklol, B-2 Spirit Bomber Mk2. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1506942&viewfull=1#post1506942 DavidParks21, Mysteriously Nameless Tanker. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1543624&viewfull=1#post1543624 * Best all stock parts spaceplane. FCISuperGuy, KSV Globemaster. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1419029&viewfull=1#post1419029 Avera9eJoe's, Aurora II. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1440406&viewfull=1#post1440406 INTERKOSMOS, Orzel-4DSR H1HO-V3M. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1494044&viewfull=1#post1494044 Batz_10K, Serpens-C. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1496882&viewfull=1#post1496882 Space Cowboy, Generation Twenty Five Lifting Body Pilot Trainer. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1497508&viewfull=1#post1497508 (votes: CocoDaPuf) CocoDaPuf, The Space Goose VTOL. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1528550&viewfull=1#post1528550 * Best-looking craft. O-Doc, Robin. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1416833&viewfull=1#post1416833 Sirine, Better Aeris 3a. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1416715&viewfull=1#post1416715 Fenya, Wasp. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1432394&viewfull=1#post1432394 noname117, NAFA-7 Mamba Multi-role fighter. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1436759&viewfull=1#post1436759 INTERKOSMOS, Orzel-4DSR H1HO-V3M. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1494044&viewfull=1#post1494044 (one vote from CocoDaPuf for "Best of the Rest"; not in that category) Batz_10K, Serpens-C. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1496882&viewfull=1#post1496882 (votes: CocoDaPuf) CocoDaPuf, The Space Goose VTOL. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1528550&viewfull=1#post1528550 (votes: Batz_10K) Spatzimaus, Sleazy Weasel 7E. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1532271&viewfull=1#post1532271 * Best of the rest (i.e. entries from categories with <3 entrants) Sumrex, Cadzilla. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1424479&viewfull=1#post1424479 SP+, Firespitter Silks, Klutterfly. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501921&viewfull=1#post1501921 Batz_10K, SC4A Kestrel http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1530875&viewfull=1#post1530875 CocoDaPuf, The Space Goose VTOL. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1528550&viewfull=1#post1528550 O-Doc, Dragonfly. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1416833&viewfull=1#post1416833 Stratzenblitz75, Triton-14400. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417680&viewfull=1#post1417680 O-Doc, Hawk. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1416833&viewfull=1#post1416833 O-Doc, Airwolf. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1416833&viewfull=1#post1416833 Avera9eJoe's, Spruce Moose. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1440406&viewfull=1#post1440406 FAR/NEAR * Best sporty pleasure craft. Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Whirlwind. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 Alshain Orbiter 106 - Shrike. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1527784&viewfull=1#post1527784 KillAshley, Basilisk HUAS-IV. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1533224&viewfull=1#post1533224 B9 RT Hodo, FA-106A Thundergod. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1541029&viewfull=1#post1541029 B9, PW, PP, RC, BD Armoury kcs123, Sporty Mk1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 * Best light cargo spaceplane. Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Skua. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 kcs123, Space plane MK2 V8. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 B9, PW, FS, TAC-LS, IR Teutooni, DC 1.1 E. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1498349&viewfull=1#post1498349 B9, PW Alshain Orbiter 107 - Vireo. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1523182&viewfull=1#post1523182 Rakaydos, Manticore V1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1529338&viewfull=1#post1529338 MJ KillAshley, Incubus HMCS-III. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1533224&viewfull=1#post1533224 B9 * Best heavy-lift cargo spaceplane. Sonertial, SSLS4c. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1436306&viewfull=1#post1436306 Jimbimbibble, C-47 Globemaster IV. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1506865&viewfull=1#post1506865 B9, EngineerRedux kcs123, Space plane S3 V3. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 B9, PW, KWR, IR Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Atlas. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...=1#post1417046 KillAshley, Incubus HMCS-IV. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1533224&viewfull=1#post1533224 B9 * Best refuelling tanker spaceplane. Sonertial, SSLS4c. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1436306&viewfull=1#post1436306 Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Wedgetail XXV. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...=1#post1417046 (votes: Jimbimbibble, provisional) kcs123, Space plane HL V3. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 B9, PW, KWR, IR * Best passenger transport spaceplane. kcs123, Space plane MK2 V8. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 B9, PW, FS, TAC-LS, IR Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Invasion. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 Alshain Orbiter 107 - Vireo. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1523182&viewfull=1#post152318 Rakaydos, Manticore V1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1529338&viewfull=1#post1529338 MJ * Best non-space aeroplane. Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Scapa. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 Alshain Atmospheric 313 - Wren. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1527784&viewfull=1#post1527784 KAXkcs123, Sporty Mk1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 * Best all stock parts spaceplane. Sonertial, TL2a. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1436306&viewfull=1#post1436306 KIDS Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Cicada. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 Rakaydos, Manticore V1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1529338&viewfull=1#post1529338 MJ kcs123, Sporty Mk1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 * Best use of B9 parts. Jimbimbibble, C-47 Globemaster IV. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1506865&viewfull=1#post1506865 B9 Alshain Orbiter 210 - Eagle. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1527784&viewfull=1#post1527784 B9 kcs123, Space plane S3 IP V3. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 B9, PW, KW KillAshley, Incubus HMCS-IV. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1533224&viewfull=1#post1533224 B9 Hodo, FA-106A Thundergod. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1541029&viewfull=1#post1541029 B9, PW, PP, RC, BD Armoury * Best-looking craft. kcs123, Space plane MK2 V8. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 B9, PW, FS, TAC-LS, IR Teutooni, DC 1.1 E. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1498349&viewfull=1#post1498349 B9, PW Jimbimbibble, C-47 Globemaster IV. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1506865&viewfull=1#post1506865 B9 Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Cicada. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 Rakaydos, Manticore V1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1529338&viewfull=1#post1529338 MJ KillAshley, Incubus HMCS-III. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1533224&viewfull=1#post1533224 B9 Hodo, FA-106A Thundergod. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1541029&viewfull=1#post1541029 B9, PW, PP, RC, BD Armoury * Best of the rest (i.e. entries from categories that had <3 entrants) Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Tartaglia. https://www.dropbox.com/s/1n0fzxlw027jb7z/Kerbodyne%20Tartaglia.craft?dl=0 Bombs Sumrex, Cadzilla. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1424479&viewfull=1#post1424479 SP+, Firespitter Alshain Atmospheric 312 - Blue Jay. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1527784&viewfull=1#post1527784 KAX, B9 Rakaydos, Manticore V1. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1529338&viewfull=1#post1529338 MJ Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Alphatek. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Lancer. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Dropbear. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 Wanderfound, Kerbodyne Endeavour. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1417046&viewfull=1#post1417046 kcs123, Space plane S3 IP V3. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93779-SSTO-Spaceplane-Airplane-Design-Contest-II-Akademy-Awards?p=1501186&viewfull=1#post1501186 B9, PW, KW

Is there any way to set this to automatically create a note listing action group assignments? Or bind a note permanently to a craft file so that it is available every time you fly that ship? I find the assorted extended action group mods over-complicated, and I don't really need the ability to alter my action group assignments in flight. I just need something to remind me what they are. It seems like this sort of mod could be perfect for that, if only I didn't have to recreate the list by hand every time I fly.

SP+ equivalents: &

Lexx. Immensely cheesy, but a lot of fun. Doesn't take itself too seriously. Or if you're up for a classic, Blake's 7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hrE-h5ZUII

You're welcome. Even when working right, an autopilot will never match a good kerbal pilot, though. Use Smart A.S.S. to hold pitch and heading when you feel like it, but disengage it and fly manually if you want to do any manoeuvres more complicated than tweaking pitch a degree at a time. Even in cruise mode, keep an eye on it; if the plane starts wobbling about, disengage the autopilot and restabilise by hand before turning it back on. Are you adjusting your control surface tweakables? With mid-mounted wings, the control surfaces there should only be acting as ailerons (i.e. set to influence roll, but not pitch or yaw) or flaps. Pitch needs to be controlled with elevators at the tail and/or canards up front.

Yup. And even that only slows muscle and bone wastage, rather than preventing it. Long term exposure to microgravity is seriously debilitating in a wide variety of ways, some of which don't become apparent until you leave the micro-G environment. If we ever do send humans to Mars, the first thing that they're going to do when they get there is spend a week falling over and throwing up. Humans just aren't built to cope with space.

The current dev build of Mechjeb appears to have solved the roll issue, BTW. Lovely to have my cruise control back. http://jenkins.mumech.com/job/MechJeb2/

With all due respect, shove it.

A few points: * Mechjeb is currently useless for spaceplanes because it isn't accounting for gimballing roll. It normally isn't this bad; before they introduced roll gimballing in .24, it was quite easy to fly to orbit by doing nothing by tweaking the pitch settings on Smart A.S.S. Surface mode. * The Extended Trim mod helps a great deal; it allows you to "set trim to current inputs" with a single action group. * It will of course depend on your definition of "behemoth", but 20 minutes is very, very slow. Small sporty things can hit orbit in about three minutes; serious cargo planes can do it in five to ten. * With sufficient aerodynamic polishing, you can create aircraft stable enough to be flown hands-off at hypersonic speed. If you're really good, they can even do it at high levels of time acceleration. * However, lacking that: vectored thrust covers a multitude of sins. Stick a few Vernors around the nose, a few more around the tail, and keep them toggled off until the plane starts to become squirrely. Flick them on when needed and they will greatly assist in keeping things on track. Also useful for stall/spinout recovery and deliberate aerobatic sillyness.

If you really want to get annoyed at Trek, consider this: The Trek universe has FTL spaceships and astronomical sensors good enough to examine things in close detail from light years away. However, a standard plot setup is for the Enterprise to arrive at a scene moments after some disaster happened and to be puzzled as to what caused it. Why don't they just back up a couple of light minutes and look?

It's tightened up these days, but as every man and most of the women on both sides of my family have been motorcyclists back to at least WWII, I've heard a fair bit about ye olde motorcycle licensing. Back when my uncles did it, the motorcycle licence test consisted of this: * Ride to the local police station and present your application. * While the policeman went inside (and back then, it was a policeman) to do the paperwork, ride around the block. * If you aren't visibly bleeding when the policeman comes back out, congratulations: you have a licence.