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INTRODUCTION After returning to KSP after a lengthy hiatus and watching a few videos on propeller-driven aircraft in KSP I've decided to start off with something ambitious. The Tu-95, or "Bear" (NATO callsign assigned to the Tu-95) is a long range strategic bomber designed by the USSR in the early 50s to provide the Soviet Air Force with a bomber capable of reaching targets overseas without refueling. They achieved this feat through the use of extremely efficient Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engines. Being the most powerful propeller-driven aircraft to ever take it to the skies the Tu-95 boasted a respectable bombload comparable with it's US counterpart - the B-52. The famous nose refueling probe first appeared on the K version of the aircraft which extended it's already impressive range even further from 10000km to over 14500km with support from aerial tankers. This immense operational range caused the Bear to become a feared weapon among the US airmen who were often sortied to intercept the bombers conducting operations in proximity of US airspace. FEATURES This KSP version comes with a range of functions to make flying this leviathan a unique experience. -Four stock propeller turboprop engines. I've decided to resort to propellers being there for mostly visual purposes. Turbines serve as the main source of thrust for the plane. Working on the bearings (Credits to Squiddy for the idea!) for a few hours was worth it in my view - watching the engines spin up individually is a magical experience. They operate incredibly smoothly. Instructions on operating the engines will be included further down. -Clean bomb bay capable of housing various ordnance up to 1.25m radius. -RDS-37 Thermonuclear bomb replica in the bomb bay -Functional, historically correct flaps. -Detailed engine nacelles - no aesthetic tradeoffs from using the propeller mechanism. -Correctly placed gear! As much as i loved winged's Bear i saw a while ago on the forums his landing gear placement, necessary due to Bear's long and heavy tail section was bugging me for a long time. He was a great inspiration in making this replica too. -Relatively rigid, wobble-proof construction -Near-historical specifications: Length: 40.3m (46.2m historically) Wingspan: 43.3m (50m historically) Height: 10m (11.1m historically) Weight: ~88t dry (90t historically) Top speed: ~215m/s (227m/s historically) Partcount: 488 HOW TO FLY ACTION GROUPS BRAKES (B) - Engages brakes ACTION GROUP 1 - Toggle turbines ACTION GROUP 2 - Toggle flaps ACTION GROUP 3 - Toggle landing lights ACTION GROUP 4 - Toggle bomb bay door GEAR (G) - Toggle main gear " [ " AND " ] " - Toggle between propeller controls and aircraft controls PRE-FLIGHT AND STARTUP -Decrease throttle to zero and preferably engage brakes to prevent plane from rolling down the runway -Engage stage 1 to spool up the turbines -Engage stage 2 to release bearings, SAS should be disengaged at this point -Begin the engine startup procedure. Switch to the first propeller by pressing " ] " twice -Hold Alt key and press down on Q or E key (preferably Q for left engines and E for right engines) -You will see the roll indicator in the bottom left corner of the screen slowly move to the side -Wait until the indicator hits the limit of the roll gauge, the propeller should start up. -Move onto the next engine by pressing " ] " twice. Repeat steps until all engines are started up. -You are now standing on the runway at idle thrust, engines running. Time to go flying. TAKEOFF AND FLIGHT -Switch back to the plane controls with " ] " key, release the brakes, thrust idle. -Engage the SAS preferably for an easier takeoff run, although the craft is mostly passively stable on the runway and in the air. -You can deploy flaps with " 2 " for extra immersion, although KSP physics limit their effectiveness. -Throttle up to max power, let engines spool up and start rolling. -Let the aircraft gain speed. For the Tu-95 V1 is at ~70m/s and preferable V2 is at ~90-95m/s -Apply elevator until positive rate, retract gear and flaps. -Wait for the plane to gain some speed for maneuvering, approx 120/s allows you to maneuver safely without risking a stall. FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS This craft handles as you would expect from a heavy strategic bomber, although it's maneuverability is by no means frustrating. SAS helps with stability so it is advised to utilize it for the duration of the flight. It has plenty of wing area and is designed to be naturally stable during flight so unless you try something stupid the plane should not cause you problems. Landing with flaps allows for higher AoA during approach, advisable landing speed is ~105m/s. SHUTDOWN -Engine shutdown is possible via two different ways after coming to a full stop at the runway 1. Switch to each engine control and engage SAS to stop the propeller 2. Use the Alt trim to revert trim back to it's neutral position, the propeller will come to a stop shortly afterwards. I really hope that you will have as much fun flying this thing as I had designing it. Enjoy! DOWNLOAD LINK https://kerbalx.com/EvenFlow/Tu-95K Updated on 22-07-2017, V1.1 CHANGELOG 1.0 - initial release 1.1 - changes to some minor details, e.g. positioning of the anti-shock bodies on the horizontal stabilizers, added a replica of the RDS-37 thermonuclear bomb into the bomb bay, revamped the page of the craft as a part of a major overhaul.