The High Flyer Challenge

[CaelumEtAstra]

We've all been through the upper atmosphere on Kerbin, whether it be passing through on a rocket, or using it to gain some speed on spaceplanes. But no one has bothered to stay there. This is why I present to you...

The High Flyer Challenge

The Challenge:

Build and fly an aircraft that can sustain high altitude flight in Kerbin’s atmosphere.

Requirements:

Your game MUST…

1. Be version 1.0.4.
   
2. Not contain any mods except the one listed here.
   

Your craft MUST...

1. Launch from the spaceplane hangar.
   
2. Have wings.
   
3. Use airbreathing engines only.
   
4. Maintain an altitude of 20km or more.
   
5. Fly for at least 1 minute of ingame time and return to the runway.
   

-HARD MODE: Reach the peninsula opposite the space center and return to the runway.

-SUPER MODE: Do all of the above and then some. Impress me!

Your post MUST...

1. Include the name of the aircraft.
   
2. Include screenshots, an album, or a video containing the takeoff, the climb, the maximum altitude and speed achieved, and the aircraft landed on the runway.
   
3. Be clear and concise, with proper grammar and punctuation.
   

NO DIRTY CHEATIN ALPACAS! (i.e., Alt/Mod-F12, Modifing Physics.cfg, HyperEdit, etc.)

Scoring:

Your score will be based on your maximum altitude, speed, and which mode you did.

Leaderboard

Normal Mode

1

2

3

4

5

6

Hard Mode

1

2

3

4

5

6

Super Mode

1

2

3

4

5

6

Edited September 11, 2015 by Mrsupersonic8
vbulletin's formating is atrocious.

[mythic_fci]

Sorry, but if you want to make this a REAL challenge, I'd recommend setting a higher altitude limit. If you take a look at the Kerbin Circumnavigation thread, there are DOZENS of entries flying at anywhere from 18km-25km, with some entries edging close to 30km.

Just to prove my point, here's my entry to the Kerbin Circumnavigator challenge. It can't qualify due to usage of Pilot Assistant (it's an autopilot mod - really helps for circumnavigations like this one), but it shows how easy it is to get up to 20+km and stay there for extended periods of time.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

I may consider making an entry with Pilot Assistant disabled/not used, if the rules aren't changed.

P/S: Just to make it clearer for entrants, I recommend adding the allowed mods list to the main post. I almost entered this one under the Super Mode category before I realized that Pilot Assistant wasn't allowed.

Edited September 12, 2015 by FCISuperGuy
Added a few notes