[Release Thread] Greatest Helicopter that Never Was: Mi-12 Homer. "1967" analog controls, 20+ keys!

[Goddess Bhavani]

Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant

Mi-12 "Homer"

Replica of the largest helicopter ever built in real life!

Download Cinematic .craft file at KerbalX,

This uses Infernal Robotics Rework, AviationLights, KIS, KAS, HullCamVDS and TweakScale (needed by IR Rework)

or the Basic version requiring just Infernal Robotics Rework & TweakScale

Background:

First flown in 1967, the Mi-12 broke various payload to altitude records in 1969, lifting up to 25 tons. This KSP re-imagining of the transverse rotor heavy lift helicopter has similar lift performance, although the size and speed of the rotor disks are very close to what I term "The Edge of Practicality".

Still, thanks to 2 KSP community veterans on IRC, I managed to figure out how to implement independent rotor control and with that, went on to break my personal best records for rotary winged sling load operations, ferrying two Volkswagen bus replicas on one flight, and an entire two storey house with another!

Production Notes:

Many control-related changes were implemented during the week long craft development process, involving differential collective (IKOL keys) and differential cyclic (roll control, fully integrated to standard keys). More than 12 hours real time was spent learning and recording the vertical lift footage shown in the video, with 6 hours on the "house moving" scenes due to malfunction between keyboard and chair - wanting to do things fast doesn't work on a copter of OMG scale - need to think ahead and move methodically!

Flight Controls:

1: Toggle Main Rotor Drive & Fuel Cells

2: Center Roll (Cyclic) Trim

3: Center Pitch (Cyclic) Trim

5: Lock Rotor (Cyclic) Trim

6: Reduce Collective Pitch (Use for parking only)

7: Increase Collective Pitch (Use for transitioning to takeoff trim only. Use manual collective override for flight)

I/K, O/L: Increase and Decrease Collective for Left and Right Rotors respectively (Primary roll control!)

W/S/A/D/Q/E: Actuates Rotor Trim. Required for maintaining correct flight attitude. Lock/Disable with Action Group 5 (to use SAS or aerodynamic control). Excessive roll input will activate differential cyclic for stability. Action Group 2 to reset cyclic roll trim.

Important! Warranty void if exceeding 20m/s airspeed.

Cargo Handling:

8: Toggle Winch Magnets (if present)

9: Toggle Lift Arm Electromagnets & Lights

0: Toggle Cargo Bay Doors

Y/H: Raise / Lower Lift Arm

N/J: Rotate Lift Arm Magnetic Graspers

Why so many keys? This is 1967!

Don't worry Komrade, if you get anything wrong, you will be rewarded with glorious explosions and the most epic of crashes! It is only Kerbal

Special Credits:

The nuances of fine helicopter control that make this craft release possible are solely thanks to real world knowledge provided by Red Iron Crown and space_is_hard, with whom I discussed the Mi-12 and other multi rotor helicopters on the KSP IRC channel 2 days ago.

The Wings Over Russia style narrative was provided courtesy of forumer GarrisonChisholm, who commissioned some of my recent craft projects like the TXR-3 strike/reconnaisance bomber.

Edited September 11, 2015 by pandoras kitten

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

That's awesome. I'm not going to test it, cuz mods, but it's still awesome!

[Columbia]

Wow, pandoras kitten. That's huuuuge!

I feel compelled to ask, how do you have such good graphics too?

[Azimech]

Both building and flying helicopters is a fine art, and you've done very well!

[pheeph]

Wow... never expected to see something like this really work... I once had a replica of a Russian helicopter/airplane hybrid. It was the Ka-22 Vintokryl.... that's not easy to fly...

[Goddess Bhavani]

Both building and flying helicopters is a fine art, and you've done very well!

I like your design more! Very simple, practical and looks like a da Vinci drawing!

Mine are all sorts of massive and industrial and run into the limits of what KSP could possibly support. Rotor disk loading is a huge problem especially when translating to forward flight.

Wow... never expected to see something like this really work... I once had a replica of a Russian helicopter/airplane hybrid. It was the Ka-22 Vintokryl.... that's not easy to fly...

I'm curious to see a pic of that!

[Columbia]

I have a question, is the rendering of those images in-game high-buffed graphics or is it edited? It looks amazing.

Thanks!

[Goddess Bhavani]

The screenshots are stock; no photoshop required.

I have Ambient Light Adjustment and increasing the gamma slightly makes white parts look cleaner and brighter. Alt + mousewheel also allows you to decrease the camera FOV for nicer perspectives that make the subject stand out. Scatterer is installed but not running any extreme postprocessing effects, so it's mainly FOV and Ambient Light mod.

[pheeph]

I'm curious to see a pic of that!

This thread is it...

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/71344-Kamov-Ka-22-Vintokryl?highlight=vintokryl