The Ultimate Speed Challenge

[X9Squared]

Hey guys, X9 here.

Mostly been lurking in the forums, playing around with test planes and whatnot. But, today I decided to submit a challenge -

THE ULTIMATE SPEED CHALLENGE!

Simple! Just build a plane, and try to get it to the highest top speed possible. Okay, okay. Not that simple. Here's the rules:

GENERAL RULES:

• Your plane must have a part count of under 250.
  
• Dives are allowed, but everything must be under a height ceiling of 30,000 meters.
  
• Your plane must not have more than 4 engines.
  
• RCS is allowed, but a strict limit of 5 RCS thruster blocks per plane, and 1 tank per plane (any size)
  
• Only stock parts are allowed.
  
• Please no cheating/HyperEdit/config file editing. Unless its for laughs (in which your entry is void).
  
• The engines must all be "spaceplane" parts, that is to say nothing that does not use IntakeAir.
  
• There is a limit of 7 intakes per plane.
  
• Your plane must be able to land/take off from the KSC or in the immediate vicinity (the plains around the area) after your record is set.
  
• For the submission, the reference is the surface speed, not orbital, target, etc.
  
• No refueling is allowed - use only the fuel you have brought.
  
• Part clipping is allowed, but only for cosmetic reasons (e.g. no fuel tank clipping for more fuel, etc.)
  
• Please, oh please use your own ships, and don't copy someone else's hypersonic ship or something.
  

(Hopefully I didn't miss anything, if I did please tell me! )

SUBMISSION RULES:

• Take a screenshot of the plane you have created in the SPH.
  
• Take a screenshot of the plane on the runway and/or during takeoff.
  
• Take a screenshot of the highest surface speed you were able to obtain.
  
• Take a screenshot of the landing operations (preferably 2-3).
  
• Preferably put how you flew/controlled the plane.
  

LEADERBOARD:

1. Nefrums - 1751.7 m/s

2. xebx2 - 1728 m/s

3. MARINEav8r - 1714 m/s

4. GraviTykillz - 1713 m/s

5. xebx - 1701 m/s

6. Starhawk - 1565 m/s

7. Kateruga12 - 1026.2

1. Starhawk

2. GraviTykillz

3. Kateruga12

4. xebx

5. Nefrums

6. MARINEav8r

Hope you guys like my first challenge submission, if you do, please gimme a few reputation points!

-X9:D

- - - Updated - - -

By the way, I'll be back every afternoon (or so) to check on entries! So if you post an entry and I don't get back to you within five minutes, please be patient. Return tomorrow, and I bet you it'll be up on the leaderboard.

Edited September 5, 2015 by X9Squared

[X9Squared]

If someone could post an entry, that would be nice! XD Please though, ;-;.

Bump.

[Kelderek]

Perhaps you should provide your own entry, that is customary for these challenges.

[cubinator]

This sounds fun, I might give it a shot when I finish my quasi-grand tour mission.

[Gaarst]

I'll give it a try in the next few days...

[Mr. McClendon]

I've got a great one for this if I can just keep it from exploding. Small problem really.

[Starhawk]

I've been developing a small spaceplane to take three kerbals to LKO.

I flew it up to orbit and back the other day. If you'll accept this, I'll submit the 'Blade Tri-Flyer 2' as your first entry.

I achieved 1565 m/s surface velocity before before allowing it drop a bit as I climbed to 28.5 km for the mode switch. If the fact that I went to orbit invalidates the entry, I understand.

Happy landings!

[Reddeyfish]

I assume we can't use RCS?

[Kateruga12]

I was scrolling through the forums and i found this thread, i realized that my Ernest 1 was probably gonna be good at this. So here is my entry:

Name: Ernest 1 (Named after Ernest Mach)

Max Speed: 1026.2 m/s (slightly over mach 3)

Engines: 4 Turbo ramjet engines

Craft file:https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B97Mpy0UdyRCdHg0eV9Bb3Vwelk (I'm new to uploading craft files so if i did something wrong i am very sorry)

Video of me reaching said max speed and landing back on runway.

https://youtu.be/ZXf8Y5FHDu8

When taking off you can see i used time warp, this is due to me begin impatient. The plane can lift up at about 80 m/s. If you do wish to fly this craft i don't recommend waiting until more than 120 m/s to take off, otherwise the plane might flip out, fold gear in about now. Once in the air i like to use SAS however that is up to you entirely (but i still recommend it). After you are in the air just go straight forward at full throttle once you reach about 990 m/s throttle all the way down, this will allow the engines to keep going for another second or so until you break 1000 m/s. If you go anywhere above 1060ms the front 2 wings will burn off the causing the craft to flip back really quickly and the speed will rip your wings off as seen here.

After you cut the throttle leave the plane to go forward until you reach about 300 m/s or less the start using the air brakes DO NOT use the air brakes at speeds over 300 m/s unless you want your wings ripped off. When you get to about 200 m/s throttle about a third of the way and head to wherever you are going.

The landing is quite easy, before touchdown pull up very gently so you land on the back wheels if the craft starts going up just leave it. After it goes back in the air slightly it should once again land on its back wheels then tip the nose forward and press the breaks. This plane can land at around 100 m/s without too much trouble, it is best if you land between 50 and 20 m/s, the air brakes help a lot when landing.

[X9Squared]

I assume we can't use RCS?

You can, but I'll put a limit up above of only 5 blocks per plane.

I've been developing a small spaceplane to take three kerbals to LKO.

I flew it up to orbit and back the other day. If you'll accept this, I'll submit the 'Blade Tri-Flyer 2' as your first entry.

I achieved 1565 m/s surface velocity before before allowing it drop a bit as I climbed to 28.5 km for the mode switch. If the fact that I went to orbit invalidates the entry, I understand.

[spoiler: Many Large Images]

Happy landings!

Thanks for the images. I'll put in your entry soon, right after I review everything. If there's something that breaks the rules, I'll be sure to get back to you!

- - - Updated - - -

Update - Starhawk I will accept 1522.4, as your record of 1600 was above 30,000 feet.

- - - Updated - - -

Perhaps you should provide your own entry, that is customary for these challenges.

I will, be sure to get a lookout on Friday or Saturday for my entry.

[GraviTykillz]

here you go

This plane

went 1713 m/s on this trip around..i have been up to 1740 ms before.

[xebx]

Here is my entry : two planes

First : 1707m/s horizontal at 21km

Second : 1750 m/s horizontal at 29km (diving engines off)

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Both planes tend to go up slowly with SAS neutral, they go down slowly with SAS prograde, it's easy to adjust at high speed

Edited October 2, 2015 by xebx

[X9Squared]

Woah! That is one cool plane Kateruga, I'm gonna add it to my test craft repository. I'll PM you the results of my testing (I love doing low-level acrobatics lol) but I will put your entry into the leaderboard and the catalog. Thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

Great Gravity, added to the main post!

- - - Updated - - -

I've been developing a small spaceplane to take three kerbals to LKO.

I flew it up to orbit and back the other day. If you'll accept this, I'll submit the 'Blade Tri-Flyer 2' as your first entry.

I achieved 1565 m/s surface velocity before before allowing it drop a bit as I climbed to 28.5 km for the mode switch. If the fact that I went to orbit invalidates the entry, I understand.

http://i.imgur.com/KPs3lCQ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/6f2qpZq.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/DLftenF.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/Fr0jBpa.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/F5BLBAl.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/5OLsvpK.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/BRch5uX.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ajE7M1L.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/5ifvFdu.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/1qdKxA9.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/yQlzJHU.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ArDx647.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/y33jCd2.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/6Ohf8O5.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/oWXivMN.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/s7eDxuH.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/S9Ox8Fc.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/nMIonZE.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/xjt7lpX.jpg

Happy landings!

Also, which mods did you use for the awesome world texture? All the ones I've found don't work well or are outdated.

[Starhawk]

Also, which mods did you use for the awesome world texture? All the ones I've found don't work well or are outdated.

That is Environmental Visual Enhancements. Should be the most recent default install.

Update - Starhawk I will accept 1522.4, as your record of 1600 was above 30,000 feet.

My top air-breathing speed was 1565 m/s during my ascent. I kept the air-breathing mode running even though the speed was dropping, until I reached 28.5 km altitude. Then I switched to rocket mode, so any speed after that doesn't count, but that 1565 is in air breathing mode before the Rapiers begin to lose thrust.

Happy landings!

[X9Squared]

That is Environmental Visual Enhancements. Should be the most recent default install.

My top air-breathing speed was 1565 m/s during my ascent. I kept the air-breathing mode running even though the speed was dropping, until I reached 28.5 km altitude. Then I switched to rocket mode, so any speed after that doesn't count, but that 1565 is in air breathing mode before the Rapiers begin to lose thrust.

Happy landings!

Got it, will update the leaderboard.

[Nefrums]

I guess you are only alowed to use engins in air breathing mode?

Should be fairly easy to reach raipier flameout speed ~ 1750 m/s but I don't think speeds mush above that is possible. I will make an entry to demonstrate.

[X9Squared]

Here is my entry : two planes

First : 1707m/s horizontal at 21km

Second : 1750 m/s horizontal at 29km (diving engines off)

http://imgur.com/a/XfpvE

Both planes tends to go up slowly with SAS neutral, they go down slowly with SAS prograde, it makes easy to adjust at high speed

I will accept your entry of 1701 m/s because all dives must start at 30,000 feet (I'm at school, so if I got this wrong I can't check imgur at the moment.. will get back to you once I get home.)

- - - Updated - - -

I guess you are only alowed to use engins in air breathing mode?

Should be fairly easy to reach raipier flameout speed ~ 1750 m/s but I don't think speeds mush above that is possible. I will make an entry to demonstrate.

I thought that was self-explanatory, but yes. If you would like to make a rapier flameout speed entry, that would be okay, but do not use the closedCycle mode.

[xebx]

.

It's 1707 m/s as shown in the F3 screenshot, but it doesn't make a big difference, and GraviTykillz has better speed with his blue arrow.

My second record started above 30000m, so yes it's outside the rules.

It was fun trying this challenge, i fly rockets more often than planes.

[X9Squared]

It's 1707 m/s as shown in the F3 screenshot, but it doesn't make a big difference, and GraviTykillz has better speed with his blue arrow.

My second record started above 30000m, so yes it's outside the rules.

It was fun trying this challenge, i fly rockets more often than planes.

Cool! Thanks for the rep by the way.

[X9Squared]

OKAY BIG CHANGES HERE:

I'm gonna open up another leaderboard for modded installs. Please no HyperEdit, MechJeb is okay, along with the following part packs:

QuizTech Aerospace

Kerbal Aircraft Expansion

OPT

Mark IV Spaceplane System

Modular Rocket Systems.

Have fun!

[MARINEav8r]

Whew! It was hard to prevent the atmosphere from ripping my bird apart, but I got it to 1714 before cutting the engine. Craft and pictures on Kerbal X: http://kerbalx.com/USMCAv8r/Speed-challenge-entry-EQS-000-Taz

[Nefrums]

1751,7 m/s.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[The_Rocketeer]

I made 1732.9m/s with a single engine and intake+precooler and no control surfaces (using trim and thrust vector steering only). I actually designed this plane for the circumnavigator challenge (was going for the top speed run, but this design was found slightly wanting).

I hit 1734m/s but like a goon I forgot to get the F3 screen before I returned to KSC no screens didn't happen

I'm pretty sure I cud go faster, but I'm too tired for vector trim-only controls at the mo!

I tried to fly fairly flat because without elevators it's hard to pull out of a dive and if I dropped down below 17000m at 1700m/s the intake is liable to explode. In the event it was more like a series of gentle swoops getting faster each time. I pulled a u-turn about 1/3 the way round Kerbin and flew home slightly slower, and then fudged landing on the runway 3 times and went around till I cud get down safe.

Many screens below - speed evidence is no. 13.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited September 6, 2015 by The_Rocketeer

[xebx]

1728 m/s !

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Funny plane, it really wants to blow itself by going too fast but it's easy to control.

[ExaltedDuck]

I did a little bit of testing and am disappointed to report that it seems there is a hard speed limit at 1751.7 m/s. I think if you're really lucky, you might be able to screencap a *very* brief glint of 1751.8 but I might have been seeing flashed to 1751.6. Can't be certain. Anyway, With that said, and the speed already hit by another competitor, I'm not going to go through the trouble of all the formalism of an entry just for a tie. I will say I have been there, however, and am thoroughly convinced nobody will exceed it.