Madrias

That's how I've always done it, too, though. Build so the engines are connected at launch and just extend the ropes while in flight. As for piloting strategy... I still control from the back. I've found it to be more stable that way, though it takes getting used to. I still suck at making podracers, though. The constant re-launching until you get everything just right is a bit fiddly.

I may not be able to make an official podracer, but I have a few designs that can at least play to the spirit of podracing. My one-engine design won't be the pod of choice (fun though it is, I think it pushes the limits too much on whether it's a podracer or not) but I have a couple twin engine designs that do fair enough. Alternatively, if it's just general repulsorcraft, I'm good with speeders.

True, Gaalidas. And it's better to have glowing Kerbals than ones who ate solid booster propellant and farted themselves into orbit, again. I'll have to try the new Dev updates later, I've been up for quite a while.

It's not the RTG's I worry about. It's the Sepratrons. Small enough to be mistaken as a snack container.

Made it through the loop with SRB's, found out they kill the Kerbal on landing... Thankfully Jeb left the keys to his trucks around KSC when he went to the Mun, and the Interns have been having too much fun with a pile of Rocket-Assist Takeoff Boosters they found in a corner of the SPH. As in "How did you destroy three trucks already? And what happened to the landing light? Where's Enbas Kerman at, the Director wants to see him in the office?" kind of fun.

I want to do the loopy-loop, but I don't have anything fast enough... Lo-fi, how fast can your Repulsor Converting wheels go without exploding? Um, just for reference. Not like I was thinking of strapping a jet to a jeep and trying. That'd be just crazy, right?

Most of the advice I could give is already mentioned, but a few other things. Fall a few meters away from your other craft before igniting your main engine. An ignition kick at full throttle may, depending on engine location and angle, cause the vehicle to violently pitch up. This is especially true if your drop-craft has an engine mounted lower than the Center of Mass. Make sure your carrier plane can fly on its own without control inputs for a reasonable duration. Angle your main wings upward a little (adding dihedral) in order to apply some native anti-roll to your aircraft. Also make sure any low-hanging parts won't get in the way of your launch (another good reason to fall a few meters away). If you're worried about killing Kerbals, build your carrier with a probe, or a cockpit with no Kerbals onboard. I recommend the probe if you intend on saving the plane. Always bring an emergency set of parachutes in case everything goes wrong. Better to have an emergency plan and never use it than to find yourself wishing you had one. Make sure your landing gear can reach the ground on the carrier with room to spare. Don't damage your drop craft because of a landing gear issue. And lastly, wish for some good luck. Planes dropped from planes isn't easy to do.

General repulsorcraft could be a lot of fun. I know a few good designs that might work. My current bit of fun is a single-engine podracer. I forgot to install Quantum Struts so I made do with what I had. Takes 5 minutes before you're ready for launch, but it's a bit of fun.

Here's the thing: What explicitly defines a podracer? There'll always be someone like me who tries to find the loophole.

Electric Charge is no problem here. Hiding away a probe sized nuclear reactor, there's the hard part. KSP Interstellar. Or I go out of my way and make a Super RTG again...

The last time I tried to build a pod racer, I smashed Jeb into the side of the VAB. They're difficult for me to build, but I could give it a try. Where'd I put my KAS install again...

I'm looking forward to trying to break the next release. It's just how I am. I look forward to trying any new parts and making interesting new crafts.

Water Repulsors are a lot of fun. Repulsor-Conversion Wheels combined with a jet are fun ways to get across water, or to avoid death-by-bump.

KSP Interstellar, B9, Procedural Wings, and Firespitter. Also MechJeb, for those times I don't want to fly the same flight to Orbit for the millionth time.

I've intentionally destroyed the VAB in a career save, I've blown the launchpad, dropped a stage on the Tracking Center, and lithobraked down my runway a few times in jets. Yeah, it's expensive in Career mode to repair the Very Expensive Buildings, but I don't use the VAB unless I have to. As for the runway... I've had a few major incidents (Repulsors cracking the runway, bad jet landings, 200 ton aircraft, and launching a space shuttle) but nothing usually ruins it completely. I'm more prone to hurtling into the SPH or busting a runway speedbump - I mean landing light - but I'm known for my oddball craft. And the one rocket I launched, I flamed out the launchpad with 19 Mainsails at full thrust on my initial stage.

I'd say, simplest thing to do would be to get the pod hovering stable on its own. Then add to it the engines. Then you know the pod is stable, and you can work on stabilizing the engines and the pod together.

I'm thinking, either like segments that fit within each other, like a telescopic piston, or perhaps multi-fold wings. Either would be cool.

You have sufficient power to hold the pod up? Also, center of balance on the pod is critical. Repulsors simply push up on a vehicle, they don't take into account the position they're in.

It is a cool idea, the steering part. Hmm... Any chance of a part that can fold semi-flat back over itself? Like two IR hinges stuck together, but with set points at 0, 90, and 180 degrees? Would make my pocket gliders easier to deploy on worlds like Eve if all I had to do was push a button to unfold my 6 segment wings... and not have them flapping in the breeze. Alternately, a set of retracting wings that slide shut and contain their own control surfaces would work... Actually, I think I want the retracting wings more, come to think of it. I know what size they ought to be, though: designed to match the 0.625m cockpit. I know, another of Mad's crazy ideas... I know the retracting wouldn't affect the lift rating in KSP standard, but I'd love to have wings that can fit in a 2m round cargo bay (like Firespitter's epic little bomb bay) without sticking out of the sides. Add to that a high vis. cockpit and I'd be able to fly nearly anywhere. What I'm up to now? Flying a DSR2 hull to the North Pole of Kerbin. Using KSP Interstellar Thermal Turbojets.

I shall await the tank tracks, and also, if I read it correctly before, some steering tracks, so that I may avoid using my Infernal Robotics parts for steering. I'm loving this parts pack.

Wow! That looks epic! Lo-Fi, I'm not worried about lost settings in my tracks. Many run on defaults. Even still, the things changed is usually Torque and Ride height.

Smoke trails for sliding might be cool, too. Just an idea. That, and I'm not sure if it's just the fact that I use a highly reduced volume amount, or whether something's just not right, but the sounds you're using are near impossible to hear. Either that, or they're so quiet that I don't hear them because I have the volume turned way down because otherwise jets are bloody loud. And I'm glad to see that you're considering automotive-steering on tracks. It's kinda fun once you get used to it.

Decided to try something different. Infernal Robotics powers the front steering by two hinges, set with a fixed angle. Rear steering is standard Kerbal Foundries Differential Braking. KSO provided the rover body, and Jeb enjoys ripping around the Space Center at 18 m/s, often sliding the rear set of tracks.

I've gone 60m/s down hills with the tracks, Gaalidas. Piling on the brakes at that point does lead to blinding all kerbals onboard the vehicle, usually, when it flips over and explodes violently. The DSR Hulls seem to be made of some sturdy stuff, and not the explodium the Kerbals bought at a discount.

I don't tend to use Asparagus staging. It's clunky and awkward for me to set up, I end up exploding half my rocket trying to set it up, and so I stick with Onion staging plus an atmo-lander (basically the capsule/cockpit is designed to be able to glide on return-to-Kerbin) for most super-heavy rockets. What I tend to do is make spaceplanes, and in some respect, I do an Asparagus Equivalent with drop tanks.