El Cheapo Aerospace "X-Wing" Rotary Rocket, Orbital Test Variant. Difficult to Fly! Try if u dare :)

[Goddess Bhavani]

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This is a continuation of my previous "X-Wing" rotary rocket design, with a higher fuel fraction and cargo bay, attains 80km LKO with no payload. The craft is not intended to carry any payload currently, just test the feasibility of a SSTO rotary rocket with VTOL capabilities from a jet powered rotor system (yes, it's a Triebflugel, for those familiar with "Luftwaffe 1946" themed designs)

Download the craft file at :

http://kerbalx.com/crafts/1410

Please note ; and ' keys control rotor pitch via Infernal Robotics Parts. Check the linked KerbalX page for mod list and other technical details.

Caution: Requires complex manual controls at different stages of the orbital mission profile. Partial or total loss of control may be expected during transition to/from fixed wing flight. Re-entry must be done pointing "forwards" only.

Don't be afraid to crash a few times. She's a handful to fly! The real life Rotary Rocket was rated a very difficult and dangerous aircraft to handle, according to test pilots.

The Roton ATV project did not progress far enough to test the rotor system at high altitudes and speeds, so everything about this type of craft is unknown.

See KerbalX page for more information.

[Gaalidas]

I haven't even attempted to launch the first version of this thing. It's down right scary. I wonder what kind of madness would go into trying to create a set of auto-transition modes for the different stages of a launch so that a launch autopilot could be attempted. I suppose you'd need to write a plugin to out those presets into the staging list so that mechjeb could auto-stage them. hmm...

[Goddess Bhavani]

Hahaha +1 for actually attempting to look at the whirling madness of the triebflugel. Launching is quite simple (though as the designer of the contraption, that's to be taken with a grain of salt).Spin rotors to max RPM at "flat" pitch relative to the horizon. Once rotors are whirling like mad, gradually tap the correct pitch control key to add "collective". You should see the ship ascend slowly. Tap the key to increase lift and gradually transition to about 40m/s ascent rate. For the orbital test I ascend vertically to about 4000m and fire off the rocket engines. Keep pushing pitch as the ship accelerates and the rotors will act like a giant propeller and add a modest bit of efficiency. At some point around 100-120m/s, to prevent loss of control, feather the rotors fully to act like fixed wing mode. It'll be quite obvious when to transition to fixed wing mode because the pitch will be so coarse there will be no purpose spinning the center section.I didn't specify which key to increase or decrease pitch... if you notice the rotors can be made to spin either way but I usually prefer anticlockwise direction where ; decreases pitch and ' increases pitch.

[Columbia]

You could send that up in space and have it considered a space station! Looks very complex..

I'm probably going to kill kerbals attempting to fly that thing!

[Goddess Bhavani]

For something that has so many parts potentially moving at high speeds, this craft is quite reliable. If anything fails it could autorotate down to earth and land with parachutes with little control input The only downside is the poor fuel fraction degrading launch efficiency but hey.. helicopter rocket. No one ever dares to fly or build such a thing IRL