Hotel26

Yes, great tutorial, thoroughly well-researched and written! I use helos for my Accident Investigation crews. Including Air-Sea rescues. I have a rule that nothing can be recovered from the surface of Kerbin (except at BKB or KSC), unless a manned flight within []-switch distance is in attendance. For VIPs living in very remote eyries, helos are also essential. For example, I run a regular Kingfisher service into Kamp David, 300 klicks to the north of KSC... craft courtesy @FleshJeb screenshot without permission [too beautiful to withhold any longer]

Quonset Zephyr Craftyard Description: 1:engines 2:HORZ 3:VERT 4:ladders 0:gimbals A stock rocket called Quonset Zephyr. Built with 90 of the finest parts, its root part is dockingPortLarge. What can I say? It’s a space oddity. Great for exploration of the munar surface. Easily relocatable. Can also provide large-scale habitation as an adjunct to a space station. Powered by twin NERVa. A Zephyr launcher is included, but you can easily remount it on your preferred equipment. Built in the VAB in KSP version 1.6.0.

Here's one: ensure, assure, insure. Used interchangeably. ensure: make an outcome as certain as possible assure: make people believe there will be no bad outcome insure: enter a contract to be paid compensation in the event of a bad outcome Good grammar is just like good manners; practising them just gets you upset with all the people who don't...

Truman Kerman makes the following important announcements: the following (antiquated/obsolete) items have been deleted from the catalog: DSRN RA-100 (replaced by Long March) Harp Gryphon & Gryphon II (superceded by Gryphon III) Manta (upgraded to Manta++) Boom Vang (replaced by Bullseye) Chrysalis (Gryphon III is favored) Krux Methuselah (Pole Star is snazzier) Gizmo (cobwebs) Crab (obese) Aquila VII (breaks my heart to let this one go but it is 1.2 tech) Phantom IV (go, Nike) the original Nerfjet (replaced by Nerfjet 2019) Aquila Cruise (victim of Bullseye) Minotaur Super Tanker (top of my best seller list for 101 weeks running: a 60's muscle car, replaced by Titan with almost twice the delivery capacity) I have my sights also on the Pegasus and Poseidon series... the Truman Craftyard is moving from Koney Island Airport to some location in Konnektikut, across the sound, to provide a vast showroom lot. I'll be parking everything (SPH) over there shortly and will publish a quick tour video brochure, most probably. There may be some broken links on the front page for a couple of days until I clean them up. The 'vacant' pages in the catalog will be reused to add items that are already in KerbalX, but are not new releases and, thus, need no fanfare. We're pretty sad this day has finally come (just after we broke the 100 items mark) but Truman Kerman remains committed to keeping a tidy, coherent catalog.

iSpy Craftyard Description 1:Whiplash 2:NERV A top-secret spy plane called iSpy. Built with 24 of the finest parts, its root part is Mark2Cockpit. iSpy is the KSF successor to Skunk. It is piloted and, whereas Skunk had an operational endurance of just 6m at cruise, iSpy can sustain operational altitude/speed for 112m. iSpy is capable of going to orbit and, sometimes it may even be necessary to do so to cool the machine sufficiently for return to land. It’s intended mission profile, however, is to cruise high and fast over rogue territories to compile photographic evidentiary record of hostile activity for submission to the United Kerbal Federation for action. Bla bla bla… whatever. Flight instructions (you WILL need Atmosphere Autopilot): climb to 10km and make a speed run to 1,200m/s resume climb at 20d with NERVs engaged and raise Ap to 36.6km or more 0d attitude after reaching >31km and until exactly 2,187 m/s (set it on the speed bug) set altitude bug for 31km and let the autopilot make altitude, Pe and Ap converge enjoy the ride iSpy can be brought down after a spy run, but very gradually, if you dare. On our first test flight, we took the precaution of going to orbit to cool off for a couple of revs. Your call. Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.6.1.

First of all, I advise that I have downloaded KSP 1.7.1 and purchased Breaking Ground. Long live Squad! As kind of an apology for interrupting the excitement about BG with a mundane 1.6.1 stock item. A successor to my Skunk recon UAV is in the works: code-named iSpy: Skunk had an operational duration of just 6m at 31km and 2,187 m/s before the oxidizer ran out. iSpy by contrast is piloted and can maintain 2,187 cruise at 31km for nearly 2 hours, which is nearly 4 circuits of Kerbin. iSpy operates just under its thermal limit, so it seems that the procedure to land is to first go to orbit and spend a while "cooling off". I'm actually still conducting the test flight, so I can't confirm yet that it re-enters safely... On a note of interest, I originally discovered the magic numbers: 2,187 m/s at 31km with Pe:31km and Ap:36.6km by accident. You can see that the NERVs are running on a trickle feed (0.17 kal/sec) to overcome drag. It's a real balancing act to get in that groove and a shot of adrenalin when it's accomplished.

I gave it a try -- a few things went wrong... (I thought I had set those brakes in flight before landing.) And, next time, stick right back at the end of the landing roll. (I've nick-named this one, Nimble.)

I *heart* my autopilot. First step is to walk around the VAB and get the lon/lat on each side to 6 decimal places to feed into the Waypoint Selection... So, OK, I've realized the best way to do this (other than fly my full precision approach) is simply to come down the cause way and kill the speed and jam the nose at the VAB like an aircraft carrier... that don't need no fancy GPS; just a very brave Kerbal on the roof with a couple of batons, and a helmet...

Prowling KerbalX: I found a little beauty; just 13 little parts it had, so rev-eng'ed that little plane, I did; and took it for a little spin; arresting on a little strip, very very glad! I didn't get the video of this attempt above, but here's an out-take from an earlier "blooper"... Just to reiterate: this isn't my airplane. The original designer is Draconiator and the plane is named Midget. But if it were my plane, I would have named it Topgun, as it is a superb little jet trainer. As soon as I tested the stall speed, and knowing it has reverse thrust, I knew I had to make a play for the VAB. Et voila: my first non-VTOL, non-chute landing on the VAB.

Bravo all of the above and well done. (A point of interest is that the 3-tower layout emanates from the tendency of a single tower to topple over after an unlucky landing! It does also make the docking-claw-with-clearance concept more palatable. I'm definitely going to adopt your hexagonal arrangement!)

I found a really good payload for this Spunk, reusable launcher, which I built some time ago, basing it on an original (modded) work by @Pthigrivi: and have, as a result, been doing a long series of multiple launches, which has had me practising the return to KSC. Finally, got one back for a runway landing! (Corks popping!) Spunk can land downrange under chutes for an apoaptic launch. Or a geared landing if it maneuvers close enough to my downrange recovery center (with flat landing sites) on the next promontory east of KSC. But after a payload launch with full circularization (e.g. my new DSRN V), an attempt to land on the KSC runway is mandatory! This one was exciting. I lowered apoapsis on the opposite side of Kerbin to only 55km instead of my usual 50. Then burned a hard retro just past the tip of India [forgot the real name] aiming a splashdown just a but further east than Koney Island (the one with the Island airfield). Forgot that on such a steep approach the trajectory would not change hardly at all, so got a good, fast overshoot. Just under 4km altitude, had it slowed enough to gingerly maneuver into an upward loop, converting excess energy into altitude and putting it onto a very high approach to KSC R27. And a minute or two's fuel on low power setting still in the tanks to operate the twin Vector gimbals. Spunk likes a very healthy 140 m/s on approach, just under max gear speed... One more benefit of operating a reusable launcher is that, when you miss and land out, my rules require a separate craft carrying kerbals to land in the vicinity to effect the recovery. (Vicinity equals, "must be able to [] switch to the wreck asset...) This gives me a lot of incentive to fly a VTOL to the crash site. Last trip was up in the foothills on the other side of the mountains west of KSC. Lots of practice with the transition in and out of hover! VTOLs have no trouble with air-sea rescue, too. Fun.

Yes, I definitely will support Squad! Thanks for your kind comment, RealKerbal3x. Recently, I posted Pole Star, which contained my first use of a DLC/MH part: the Kerbodyne S4-512. Until now, with only a couple of exceptions, I've constrained myself to a lowest common denominator, not using mods and even staying on older versions of KSP. But with DLC/BG coming out, and DLC being Squad material and the general desire to support Squad, I think I should get on board with parts in the DLCs and make greater usage of them. (And about mods in general, I do have to admit that e.g. Airplane Plus is super appealing. On the other hand, there are many, many people much more skilled at making replicas and I do relish making the (stock) oddball device that surprises. ) Also, if you are not yet familiar with Brikoleur's inspirational work, watch his space because I know he is super-excited about using DCL/BG. On a slightly different topic, submarines and hydrofoils are two areas I have only dabbled in and with very little success. It's hard to dock a sub to a submarine base but I have had an idea about using a Mk3 cargo bay as a capture device and docking guide. There is something very attractive about building a large submarine base at the deepest point in the Kerbin oceans!

I won't say how I chose my username (because I documented that in one of the many other equivalents of this thread), but I can tell you where my "Location: 0 5 12S 74 39 39W" is. In the center of the pool at KSC. With Val & Gia Kerman...

Chairman Truman Kerman had this to say at a recent board meeting of Truman Kerman Craftyard, Inc.: "Endeavoring to keep up with technology and, indeed, zeitgeist, we have always strived to regularly update our catalog. On this momentous occasion -- posting our 100th Machine -- we now enter a short period of contraction in which we must spring-clean that catalog. Our goal for the next financial quarter must be to reduce our inventory overhead down to 75 items -- whilst still maintaining our policy of one new release per week! Therefore, we must announce a FIRE SALE. Then purge the dead wood. Then go Full Speed Ahead, All Engines". Translated from Kerbalese, heart-breaking to do, but I we will be going through the Hotel26 Truman Kerman catalog and ruthlessly eliminating anything of sentimental value only. Truman Corp has been continuously evolving toward a coherent vision of space exploration and now has come the time for a shake-down. Bottom line: "get them while they are Hot -- before they are Not..."

Manta++ Craftyard Description Abt:release 1:Whiplash 2:ramp 3:ladder 4:bay 5:drop rover Vr:40 Vs:30 A stock fuel transporter called Manta++. Built with 111 of the finest parts, its root part is mk3Cockpit.Shuttle. Manta++ is an update of Manta, an earlier collaboration between myself and FleshJeb. Manta++ features a double-length cargo bay, holding a Gryphon III fuel truck, and allowing easy reloading of same, as shown in the video below. As a bonus, an Invader rover is tucked into the tail cargo ramp. (Gryphon III may be jettisoned aloft or while parked on the ground. Highly recommend that the Invader is deployed on the ground and that command is switched directly to it (e.g. via Haystack) or a save is done, as KSP has trouble with switching from afar to a vehicle located on a ramp.) Manta++ is intended to be a mobile fuel dump! With Manta gear retracted, Gryphon connects to it with one claw, making the other end claws available for refueling rovers (HORZ) or planes( VERT). Alternatively, Manta++ may be used simply to refuel bases. Rotate at 40m/s; stall at 30. Manta++ requires a speed run at 6km. Then climb to 19km to cruise at 1,215 m/s for a draw of 1.68 kals. A large debt of gratitude to FleshJeb for his infallible advice, assistance and expertise on this project. Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.6.1.

Beautiful work! Can't wait until you upload this one to give it a try. I've been split for a long time about mining fuel or flying it in on a massive cargo tanker. I'm about to put Manta++ up today. It leaves the KSC with over 15,000 kallons of fuel and arrives with between 10-12,000. That can be pumped into a base. I've extended it so that the middle two cargo bays hold a Gryphon III fuel truck. It's really just 3 claws that effectively extend the Manta++ with a HORZ claw for rovers and a VERT claw for planes. In addition, an Invader patrol rover is tucked in the aft cargo ramp. That makes this craft one giant, portable fuel dump. But it can also be flown in periodically to recharge a base that doesn't have its own fuel production. This works on Kerbin only. So it hasn't really settled in my mind yet, which means I'm likely to play with both for a while. :) But you've got a very neat layout of the fuel processing components. This would be the hub airport component in my network and, as such, it is the component that should really supply fuel, as the regional flights would refuel here. The lander can would effectively serve as control tower, too. I've also been using Krew Manifest to transfer passengers. The only beef with KM is that it transfers one kerbal at a time. I'd rather move all or as many kerbals from a compartment to the destination with one click and wait no more than 1 or 2 seconds. I may make a code change to it...

I have this: it's code-named 'Silo'. It's a Mk3 cabin with fuel, drills, ore tank, ISRU, radiators, power. It was in the publication list but hasn't made it yet. Naturally, also a lunar version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QgOP47KAw9GE5rxwB6JdQnJFLzfhJns8 Although I typically use KerbalX Goblin for the latter. I've built 3 planes this morning. The latest is on-topic, called Swallow. It's a plane that comes apart in mid-flight to deposit a Hab + LanderCan. (The pilot has to bail out herself and land under a separate brolly.) Update: actually, the lander can has command control, so she simply has to transfer back there and then flip the Red Switch...

I love it. It's such a thrill to lob these things just where you want!! Well done, sir. ------------- In a seemingly complete non sequitur, I've realized that a Mk-3 cargo bay, either open or with a ramp attached, could act as a very nice submarine dock (I problem I had not yet solved). Just drive the sub in to trap it; propel forward to meet a claw; open the bay doors to release the sub...

This is DSRN V and it's a game-changer for me; I started a new "world" in v1.6.1 last January and, so far, I have ships en route to Moho but have otherwise not been out of the Kerbin SOI. Having too much fun at home on Kerbin; besides which I use a rule prohibiting fast forwarding more than about 30 minutes. (There's always something else you can do in that time.) The result is that transfer windows seem very real to me in terms of how it feels to launch a project and then wait years to see the culmination. It's actually made me ruminate about the feasibility of "time splicing" between worlds... that's another topic, though. I started testing DSRN V in my Lab world and decided, hang it!, let's go to every planet with it: warp speed! Can you believe that I have been playing KSP since Dec 2014 and there are STILL two planets I have never set eyes upon! That's about to change. On a related note, I've tested an Observatory Outpost intended to trail Kerbin in orbit. It's just an experiment in being able to plot interplanetary maneuvers in a kind of spreadsheet fashion to plot when to go and how.

Take a look then at Eclipse and see what ideas it stimulates...? Eclipse can go lunar, too. Additionally, I have a single building variant, called Bullseye. (Recall that my plan is to build aviation networks: cities, towns...) I actually mentioned Eclipse above, I think, but this will be the latest version. P.S. @Brikoleur I have been flying your Tern a lot lately. I have to say it is one of my favorite craft of all time. (I have to confess I've clipped 6 Junos into just 2 bays so that it can access landing sites at up to about 5,200m and this version (Tern-R) is retrac as well.) I've been flying it so much (debris investigation and clean-up missions) that I feel comfortable I've mastered the transitions between HORZ and VERT... Great machine!

First place to start is in the SPH with the CoM (Center of Mass) and CoL (Center of Lift) indicators switched on. Normally, the CoL should be set back from the CoM. When the CoL is too far back, you won't be able to hold the nose up. Inside that limit, distance from the CoM gives stability and proximity gives maneuverability. Too close or in front of the CoM and you approach uncontrollable instability. Then empty the tanks and see where CoM & CoL move in relation to each other. Moving fuel tanks, engines and wing surfaces in relation to each other all enable you to tune this equation. Some people use the Correct CoL mod to assist with this process in the SPH. (For very heavy cargo transporters, CoM/CoL on the runway at take-off can somewhat be sacrificed to just get airborne and en route, with maneuverability being more important nearing the destination with emptier tanks. Not very applicable to spaceplanes, perhaps.) As a not very attractive resort, pumping fuel in flight (watching trim) is an option but bear in mind it is not an option while you have Full Fuel or Bingo Fuel. If you're still curious about the effect of your flaps, I think if you extend/retract them in the SPH, you should be able to see how much difference they really make to your CoM/CoL relationship... Others will have good advice, but you may finally have to post some detailed screenshots of your craft to get more insight from the experts.

Enthused about all of the above, I went back and revisited the unfortunately-named Boom Vang. I came up with Bullseye: Bullseye is sub-orbital only but can make it to the other side of Kerbin. It's quite docile in maneuvering to pin-point the landing and has long legs, gliding. It's more or less done, except that I am experimenting with ugly bolt-ons to give it a claw on the ground extended on a boom for airplane docking. It might be possible to put a rover contraption into a compartment behind the Mk3 cabin that would come down separately under chutes and then drive over and dock. (Or maybe this is a job for "robotics"?!) But, at this point, I like the handling of Bullseye so much that I refuse to mar it. Bullseye gives you a "town" anywhere you want on Kerbin, which then gives you a reason to fly all the beautiful planes that we Kerbals have at our disposal. What a wonderful world!

Congratulations on 1K posts!

This is Eclipse and I've shared a link to the craft file [v1.6.1+]: It can be operated in any of 3 mission profiles: suborbital to descend into the target zone and then glide/fly to the target go to orbit, refuel and then de-orbit [my original plan , but actually,much more complicated than simple sub-orbital] go to orbit, refuel and then proceed to another planet/moon. When approaching a target on the surface of an atmospheric body (e.g. Kerbin), dive-bombing the target from pretty much above gives the best accuracy. You can also make a low, high-speed pass and swoop up, possibly tumbling deliberately to wash off speed and then pop the trunk and the chutes. If going to vacuum for good, the wings can be jettisoned either on the pad or at about 8 km, after which they don't serve so much purpose. KP9 disables the 3 aft Vector gimbals, which I found was useful for circularization. The craft file above is set up to drain the aft tanks first, so that you can jettison the tail engines, empennage, tanks and dead weight. For sub-orbital or re-entry, the fuel priorities of all tanks should be set identically, because you'll be keeping the empennage . To play with this machine, I was firing it vertically off the pad but pretty quickly turning north. (I use Atmospheric Autopilot a lot, so no guarantees about stability in all phases of flight.) Land one 100+ km somewhere north and mark it with a name such as "Eclipse target" so that you can select that particular one as target for subsequent flights. Then simply start throwing darts at that first target and practice landing as close as you can. My last try was a flukey 36.2 meters albeit with a structural failure ensuing at touchdown due to a new tank that had not been strutted. And, don't be surprised: it's built upside down. The rudders hang downward... Have fun and let me know how you get on and what improvements you might suggest!

This is a scene on Gilligans Island, 135km NE of KSC. Bullseye in the foreground has just touched down under chutes 101m from the target Bullseye. It's launched sub-orbitally, but in testing, I have been able to land a Bullseye at the twin small inland lakes at 104E which are almost exactly on the opposite side of Kerbin from the KSC. Bullseye is intended to replace my earlier Boom Vang solution to providing affordable accommodation in remote, rural areas of Kerbin. All this terrestrial stuff is getting a bit run-of-the-mill and you might think that I've come down with a case of trioppititis; so I pushed myself to go back to space and built Long March: KAC hasn't been telling me the truth about transfer windows, methinks (my excuse, anyway), so my plan is to get a half dozen of these vehicles into a kerbolar orbit trailing Kerbin and then see what the transfer planner in the Map view has to say. Long March puts an MPL-LG-2 mobile lab (a nice big hab), an RA-100 relay antenna and an autonomous M-700 survey scanner into orbits around any selected destination. I'll spend the rest of the Sunday afternoon throwing darts at the Bullseyes on Gilligan Island. Have a nice day.