Low Flyer Elite

[GeneralMDBK]

Congrats to Kelderek and Darren9 for completing the Low Flyer Elite, Kelderek since neither of your mods effect your craft or game physics I put you down for stock. Darren9 congrats on taking the title for the fastest time.

[Mr. Speed]

Ah I like these kind of challenges, short and suspenseful!

I managed to hit the 0 mark on my first try, but that cost me an engine... Luckily Randall is a badass and landed the plane(this plane can land after it is cut in half, a nice feature discovered in flight "tests") , but the limit of 150 was exceeded after losing one of the engines..

the second try Randall was a bit more careful, and managed to get to 2m without damage and a time of 2:55.

2 is a nice number but 1 is a nicer number.

So at the third try with sweaty palms 1m was achieved with a time of 3 minutes exact.

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[GeneralMDBK]

Congrats to Mr. Speed on completing the Low Flyer Elite.

[Starhawk]

Here's my entry. I call this the Humungous. It's 85.3t and 6.2m x 40.8m x 19.6m, 143 parts. 100% stock.

Thanks for the challenge!

Happy landings!

Edited February 21, 2015 by Starhawk
detail

[GeneralMDBK]

Congrats Starhawk for completing Low Flyer Elite, now the record holder for the heaviest craft.

[Captain Vlad]

Decided to try something a little different, knowing it wouldn't win any marks for speed. Reached into the toolbox and got my ion glider.

Mass: 0.9 tons.

Parts: 60.

Maximum speed achieved: 75 mps (and that was in a dive).

Maximum altitude achieved: 139 meters.

Minimum altitude achieved: 1 meter.

Flight time: 9 minutes, 10 seconds.

Flew her unmanned for the challenge; she's got a command seat, but its use is optional, mostly because once I got the weight balance right, I was afraid to take off the probe core I used to testing as I feared it'd screw up the weight balance.

Hit one meter...found out in a test flight that she can survive 0 meters if I pull up immediately, but if I do that she loses her horizontal tail and gets difficult to control.

She used up most of her fuel on the flight as I didn't really have much gliding room and used constant power. Enough to get there and back at full thrust the whole way, though. Normally I just use the ion engine for a boost up to a few thousand meters and sail around with the engine off.

Landing proved to be just as difficult in the jet, though, because despite the much lower speed, this thing WANTS to stay in the air and has a surprising initial climb rate (slows down quick, though).

And the flight log.

[PSOliver]

I made a plane that might be able to do this but i don't know how to take screenshots. also the plane can land on 45 degree incline going straight at the mountain on the island and i didn't break a single piece. but it uses SAS to keep stable because it's super maneuverable but it's also a little unstable without SAS

[panzer1b]

I managed to fly my best SSTO, the "Tri-Fighter III" below 150m to the island.

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Apparently it truly is a one ship does every bloody thing id ever want it to do, flies fairly fast (with low fuel loadout), goes vertical if needed, dogfights like a pro, flips 180 in an instant (at low speeds with intakes shut), SSTO, mun, minmus, duna, ike, gilly, laythe roundtrip tested. So because it can do so, why bother recovering it, might as well send it into space as its technically space worthy. And since i like to shoot stuff, why not go up against some random pirates. One of them bought the farm rather quickly to anti-everything kinetic-kill drone, and the rest were spared as i ran out of drones.

Too bad i dont get bonus points for flying it to the mun and then to laythe (although i ran outta fuel for return trip).

Edited February 22, 2015 by panzer1b

[GeneralMDBK]

Congrats on the lightest craft title improvement Captain Vlad, and congrats on the amazing completion of the Low Flyer Elite panzer1b.

[ah_mini]

After seemingly countless attempts, here's my effort. All stock apart from mods that make things prettier (and add extra planets). My aircraft seemed to suffer from rather odd SAS vibrations at high speed that made the physics trip out a bit at some points. That's my excuse for the amount of attempts I needed to land!

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[GoSlash27]

Captain Vlad gave me the "ion glider" itch, so here's my entry:

http://s52.photobucket.com/user/GoSlash27/slideshow/KSP/2low

Mass 0.6 tonnes? <-- map view says 0.46 tonnes, VAB counts massless parts and says 0.6

Flawless completion

ET 9:01

Min altitude 0M

Best,

-Slashy

Edited February 23, 2015 by GoSlash27

[mdkendall]

Thank you for a very enjoyable challenge that turned out the be harder than I thought it was going to be.

Here's my entry:

I was going for the lowest mass record. The display in the VAB says it is 0.6t. The information tab in the map view (which doesn't count "massless" parts), on the runway before takeoff, says it is 0.47t, so Slashy seems to have beaten me by 10kg. I'll have to see if I can find something to remove!

Flight was flawless (nothing broke). Craft file here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17769037/KSP/Elite.craft

Edited February 23, 2015 by mdkendall
Add craft file.

[mdkendall]

Here's a video of the flight (eight times regular speed for the most part).

[GoSlash27]

I was going for the lowest mass record. The display in the VAB says it is 0.6t. The information tab in the map view (which doesn't count "massless" parts), on the runway before takeoff, says it is 0.47t, so Slashy seems to have beaten me by 10kg. I'll have to see if I can find something to remove!

Hehe... I'd better get back to the lab. I'm pretty sure you can find an extra 20kg somewhere!

Best,

-Slashy

[Captain Vlad]

Captain Vlad gave me the "ion glider" itch, so here's my entry

I'd forgotten how much fun mine was; after I flew it to the island I took it out for another flight...never ceases to amaze me how long one of those things can stay in the air.

[GeneralMDBK]

Congrats to ah_mini, GoSlash27, and mdkendall for completion of the Low Flyer Elite. Further remarks for GoSlash27 for setting a new and believed impossible low altitude record and for his inheritance of the light craft title at .46 Tons.

[ah_mini]

Decided to try this again but strip down my previous design to go faster. I think this is now the fastest non-FAR entry... a record I don't expect to last long!

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EDIT: Oh, and these two images below comprise my lowest effort on a different run with a slightly different aircraft. Lost a few intakes but still made it to a landing!

Edited February 23, 2015 by ah_mini

[WhiteKnuckle]

I like the tactic of cutting across the KSC parking lot to shave some distance off the trip lol. I did something similar and turned as soon as I passed the hanger.

[Xannari Ferrows]

Using all stock, I managed something. It's not great, but it's something.

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[GeneralMDBK]

Congrats ah_mini for achieving the Lowest Altitude title at 0 m, I'm still laughing about people getting that. Congrats also to Xannari Ferrows for completion of the Low Flyer Elite, a simple and straight forward craft indeed.

[GoSlash27]

http://s52.photobucket.com/user/GoSlash27/slideshow/KSP/2low/Nano1

http://wikisend.com/download/510758/nano1.craft

Figured I'd pad my record a bit for lightest craft. Mdkendall was a little too close for comfort

New lightest aircraft is .14 tonnes.

Also fewest parts at 8.

[Deutherius]

...fly a plane of any kind...

Dear sir, would you have a minute to speak about our lord and saviour, the Kraken?

He would like his son to enter the competition.

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I believe Lil' Kraken should now hold the record for lowest part count (8) and lightest plane (120 kg). (If not, his father would like to have a word with you ) He can concievably lose 1 part and 20 kg, but I feel that would hinder his speed and wobbliness, which are half the fun.

Mods in this 0.90 install:

used: KER

unused: KAC, TransferWindowPlanner, NavBallDockingAlignmentIndicator, Kronal Vessel Viewer, Hyperedit, UbioZur Welding

Craft download (although probably unnecessary) is HERE

This was a fun challenge, simple in idea, yet hard in execution (with such a wobbly craft). Took me a few tries (mostly from blowing ceiling cap), but it was all worth it

EDIT: Dammit, Slashy! Keep the part count record, lowest mass is (for now) mine! Bwhahaha

Edited February 23, 2015 by Deutherius
3 minutes too late

[GoSlash27]

EDIT: Dammit, Slashy! Keep the part count record, lowest mass is (for now) mine! Bwhahaha

Stay tuned!

Best,

-Slashy

[GoSlash27]

Okay, this is the best I think I'm capable of.

Meet Lil' Kraken's little brother: Nano2

http://s52.photobucket.com/user/GoSlash27/slideshow/KSP/2low/Nano2

The last pic is just to show that it could take off again.

90kg and 5 parts.

http://wikisend.com/download/871984/nano2.craft

I could theoretically make this thing lighter, but I haven't been able to pull it off so far. It's also a bit of a pain in the butt to fly.

Best,

-Slashy

Edited February 23, 2015 by GoSlash27

[GeneralMDBK]

Wow, congrats Slashy, that is quite a light craft and I left it open to interpretation like that so that people could really get creative in going for titles. Congrats though to Deutherius for completion of the Low Flyer Elite and momentarily holding of the Smallest Craft title with GoSlash27 before he went even smaller. I'm not sure if you guys can go much smaller than that but I am interested to see if anyone will attempt for the largest or heaviest titles.