[L/D max]

The formula can be derived from the data provided in the .cfg file. For a rocket engine, it's a lot simpler, as there is only one curve to plot (atmospheric density). The .cfg file provides three points from the line at predetermined densities that highlight the curve of thrust vs atmospheric density. 

Now, looking at the .cfg for the "Wheesley", you see the following:

     // Jet params
        atmChangeFlow = True
        useVelCurve = True
        useAtmCurve = True
        flameoutBar = 0.02
        flowCapMult = 1.0
        machLimit = 0.85
        machHeatMult = 25
        velCurve
        {
            key = 0 1 0 0
            key = 0.53 0.834 0 0
            key = 1.3 0.96 0 0
            key = 1.674 0.843 -0.876726 -0.876726
            key = 2 0.1 0 0
        }
        atmCurve
        {
            key = 0 0 0 1.186726
            key = 0.072 0.092 1.339822 1.339822
            key = 0.337 0.4 0.8976688 0.8976688
            key = 1 1 0.9127604 0
        }

 

Now, this may look like a whole mess of numbers (it is), but the important bits are the parts following "atmCurve" and "velCurve". Here, the atmCurve is exactly what I described for the rockets; as the engine gets into less dense atmostphere, the thrust changes. For a jet, it lowers.

Looking at the velCurve, you can see the same format as for atmospheric density, but with a different pattern. Here, it goes up and then down, as opposed to just going down. The "key" gets looked at by another part of code, and determines the thrust output for the engine.

1 hour ago, Nich said:

 Also I do believe my prior assumption is a generalization assuming jet engines have static thrust which is not the case in KSP does anyone else know any formulas for max rate of climb?

So, to answer your question:

In order to find the formula for max rate of climb, one would have to plot the two curves on a graph and then draw a best fit line through the intersections. This would show how, as an aircraft climbs into thinner air, the airspeed will have to change to keep the aircraft in the proper speed and AoA. 

 

If a somebody who actually understands how math works, and wants to do this, I would really appreciate seeing how it looks!

[What's Next?]

I'm hoping for in-game behind the scenes automation. Leave instructions for your Kerbals or the flight computer, and have it happen during the "on rails" time while I'm doing something else. Something like the Planetary Logistics from USI

[Colonizing Laythe... with an air force]

Just now, Jhawk1099 said:

How do you pronounce Kael? is it like the weird rip off of spinach kale?

Everybody seems to have so much trouble with that part of my name... Kah-el. Two syllables, sounds like a name from Krypton. 

[Colonizing Laythe... with an air force]

34 minutes ago, Jhawk1099 said:

21 hours ago, LordKael said:

If you're planning a jet powered AKAF(Anti-Kraken Air Force) then I would choose a spot near the shore, so that you can land on the water and coast in. Definitely the most reliable landing on Laythe.

Do you have AKAF trademarked? Because that's great.

Go ahead and use it. Just name something after me

[Colonizing Laythe... with an air force]

I would recommend carefully considering how you set up your ISRU for maximum efficiency. I tend to favor using a body with no atmosphere for my "gas station" outposts, as landing/take off tends to be cheaper for vehicles without wings. If you're planning a jet powered AKAF(Anti-Kraken Air Force) then I would choose a spot near the shore, so that you can land on the water and coast in. Definitely the most reliable landing on Laythe.

[Most Science in a single Launch -Updated Rules-]

Within Kerbin's SOI, there's several thousand science points. A well made ship with ISRU should be able to get all of them, without every needing to leave. Grand tour seems rather unneeded.

[What was your most epic disaster averted moment?]

I had a RCS enhanced Minmus rover with 2 crew and a couple hour's LS left on one of the ice plains on Minmus. Unfortunately, my lander's solar panels had broken on descent, to the point where I had zero EC left. So, I found a nice little hill with the right inclination relative to the orbiting return stage, and quicksaved so that I could have multiple attempts. In a James Bond worthy jump, my little RCS boosted rover made a 4min suborbital hop within 300m of my orbiting craft, which was able to dock and retrieve the crew. Only took half a dozen or so tries to make the jump at the right time, too. 

[Shielded docking port vs shock intakes]

37 minutes ago, NathanKell said:

@FullMetalMachinist au contraire, I did write attached/detached shockwaves into the thermo model.

(The forward most part creates a cone, with angle equal to the shockwave angle--and it will be attached or detached based on the taper of the part, and the temperature behind the shockwave will vary. If a part is not inside that cone, it creates its own cone, and so forth.)

This sounds suspiciously like witchcraft... I love it!

[Who's flying your spaceships?]

I follow self imposed rules about what crew is on board any given mission, and what can be done manned vs. unmanned. For example, any and all manned ship for which WASD or throttle/RCS controls are used, a pilot or a probe core has to be on board, with an uplink to allow Mission Control to direct the probe. If a scientist or engineer is the only crew, then MJ has to be able to fly the entire mission by itself using its various autopilots, OR, it has to have been launched from a ship with a pilot, who set the RT flight computer to execute the flight path. 

[Fav KSP Pairings!]

I have "teams" of Kerbals assigned. Each consists of 2 of each skill, which allows a pilot to accompany the scientist to the ground while another pilot stays with the main ship in orbit, or for a pilot to transport an engineer to the base in order to make repairs or oversee a fuel transfer. 

[My God, It's Full of Stars :O]

6 hours ago, Temeter said:

Which is worrying, considering we're looking at a north african launch site.^^

It's definitely right on the equator, on the southern end of the continent

 

[The Kalendar]

As wonderfully neat as all of your math and reasoning is, I feel like there would be something more akin to an astrological calendar, as opposed to a Munar based one. My reasoning behind this is that the nature of orbits of planets would allow for an essentially even division of a Kerbin year based on which "house" Kerbol was in, as viewed from Kerbin. 

[Poll: What is your favorite moon?]

I had to vote for Laythe, as it's the only moon that has held my interest beyond just science farming and testing (Mun). 

[Custom LES contrantraptions.... whats yours?]

1 hour ago, Geschosskopf said:

LES?  Hell, most ships I launch Kerbals in don't even have parachutes, let alone an LES.  If WW1 pilots could fly without parachutes, so can Kerbals

I used an LES once, and it gave Jeb & crew entirely too much fear of crashing/dying. As a result, they are simply trained better and taught to not let the rocket fail in the first place.

[Keeping a mun rover on the ground]

My Mun rover used a jet engine to offset the CoM to below the surface, which makes a literally unflippable rover. That, coupled with a suitably wide base and nerves of steel, allowed Jeb to achieve almost 55 m/s and still be completely stable.

[Reattachable Rover]

Also, building planes that have wings attached across the top of the craft with engines/wheels attached below both looks good and functions great. My early career plane uses this design, and can land pretty much wherever I have a contract for it to land.

[My First Mining base of 1.0.5]

6 hours ago, magnemoe said:

Yes, leave base alone during night and be sure to leave before power runs out and it will continue to drill.
Note that the untended function is a bit weird, first it will fill up your ore tank then it will make fuel and oxidizer even if your isru is faster than the drill as it usual is. My tips is to use huge fuel tanks. 

The reason behind this is due to how the code handles the 3 point conversion process. 

Drill => Ore => Fuel

Each one is calculated for the last 6 hour cycle (it might not be 6 hours for stock, but with USI it is). Basically, for the first cycle, all the drill work happens, but nothing happens with the second two points. On the second cycle, the Drills do there thing, and the ISRU does it's thing. For every cycle after that, it appears to function as one would expect, in that for every x cycles of time, x cycles of drilling and x cycles of converting occur. 

TLDR; Set it up, leave in the daylight before the power runs out, and then wait a week in game. Come back, and profit.

Also, make sure you have a big enough ore tank to store 6 hours' worth of drill production for max efficiency

[Reattachable Rover]

I use Mk2 planes almost exclusively, and my reattachable rover has a small docking port on the top. It drives under the ventral cargo bay, the plane retracts the wheels, and the ports attach.

[My First Mining base of 1.0.5]

Due to a bug in the way drills are done, if you leave physics range while the base has power, and return while it does, then the game assumes you had power during the interim. 

[View Cube]

8 minutes ago, Angorek said:

Hi ! 

I`ve got an idea ! Could you add a View Cube to the SPH/VAB ? I got this idea while working in Autodesk Inventor. It shouldn`t be hard to do, and it would make building vehicles, especially aligining wheels a lot easier ! 

Just one click, and your view is perfectly aligned ! 

While I recognize that what you're looking for is not currently in the stock game, something just as good is in the SPH, and a slightly weaker system is in the VAB. In the SPH, you can hold down shift and then use the arrow keys to move the camera around, in addition to the rotation functionality. 

[Challenge: Cheapest Kerbin orbiter for 2 tourists]

I'm not sure about the cost of that thing, because you didn't post it, and I'm not going to go do addition. But, I made a supremely cost effective tourist vehicle with:

1x Mk1 Cmd Pod

3x Mk1 Crew cabin

Fuel

Terrier Engine

2x Hammer SRBs

4x fins

 

This lets me train new recruits, as well as profit handsomely from tourist contracts.

[Most Ridiculous Transfers]

4 hours ago, Snark said:

On the plus side, when I was done, I could switch to map view and turn on debris display, and there was this perfect conga line of drop tanks stretched out at an angle across my wake. 

that's quite an optimistic outlook on what sounds like an hour or two's worth of tedium.

[Most Ridiculous Transfers]

On 1/28/2016 at 8:45 PM, Snark said:

Did Kerbin to Eve in 8 days once (that's eight Kerbin days, i.e. 48 hours) with a purely-stock ship.  Lots of xenon drop tanks.

If you had xenon as fuel, you were using the ions.... I feel like the burn would have taken almost 8 days...

[What do you do to get rid of kerbals?]

I had an Asteroid Prison Complex in my 1.0.4 save. Housed about 35 Kerbals that I had retired, or had been responsible for crimes against Kerbal-kind

[Forgot my lights!]

I just put together a "box of spares" for my Laythe Kolony. Turns out I forgot to include any way to replenish LS on my scout vehicles, so they're grounded for now.