Fairing drag

[CactusLynx]

I really like the new aerodynamics model, but the fairing drag is causing my rockets to flip out half the time. It seems a bit silly that with no fairing everything works fine. Is there any way to mitigate this?

[Melcom]

to counter the drag on the top you should add controlfins at the bottom. And of course you should build your fairings as streamline as possible.

[ArmchairGravy]

*cough don't use them as you don't need them and they make your ship harder to control cough*

[malkuth]

I really like the new aerodynamics model, but the fairing drag is causing my rockets to flip out half the time. It seems a bit silly that with no fairing everything works fine. Is there any way to mitigate this?

Not sure why you think they cause drag.. The only problem I see with them is that the mass is in the coupler and not the fairings. So when you pop the fairings you keep the same amount of mass.

Don't use fins. They are generally not a good idea. Start your Gravity turn before or around 100 M/s (speed) and keep your target recticle in the little yellow circle that is droping (called the prograde marker).

If it falls to fast (IE can't get space) you started the gravity turn to soon. If it falls to slow and you end up spinning out or entering orbit with a massive -400 PE.. Then you started it to late.

Practice.

[n.b.z.]

Use big fins - I recommend aircraft wing parts.

After a bit getting used to the new aero, my rockets fly fine now, and are much more fun than ever before. I just had a rocket ascend perfectly, until I accidentaly jettisoned the fairing - the drag of the payload was *much* bigger, and the rocket immediately flipped over violently.

Also, when approaching 300 m/s or so, throttle back for a while until you reach thinner air.

[archnem]

Weird, I find that fairings make rockets MUCH more controllable. The rule of thumb that I'm finding for 1.0 is there's no such thing as too much control authority. Fins are your friends. And craft in atmosphere have to be handled with a light touch.

[Renegrade]

Note that if you have an object with a concave profile (think like an X rather than an O), and you put a fairing around it, it may very well end up having MORE drag as the fairing will fill in the void parts (the bits between the legs of the X). So, while the overall coefficient of drag will go down (smoother shape), the cross-sectional area will get worse (bigger shape).

I say 'may' because it depends on how bad the uncovered craft is, how much void space is being turned into fairing, etc..

[mikegarrison]

Note that if you have an object with a concave profile (think like an X rather than an O), and you put a fairing around it, it may very well end up having MORE drag as the fairing will fill in the void parts (the bits between the legs of the X). So, while the overall coefficient of drag will go down (smoother shape), the cross-sectional area will get worse (bigger shape).

I say 'may' because it depends on how bad the uncovered craft is, how much void space is being turned into fairing, etc..

Are you saying that's how it works in KSP, or that's how it works in real life? (Because in real life it all depends on the actual shape of the draggy bits sticking out into the flow. Fairings often can be so much better in Cd that they help a lot.)