[1.0.4] Take the VTOL pilot skill challenge and earn a badge!

[MunGazer]

Here is a Division 2 entry. We might as well as consider it for a speed run even though I am sure I could do much better swapping the engines out.

Very cool set up. Props to you for being able to control that thing from those free cam views, that speaks to the stability and effectiveness of the design. Listing in a sec.

edit: What's your craft's name?

Edited October 6, 2015 by MunGazer

[The_Rocketeer]

I've been refining my Kestrel/Harrier design (not for the first time!). I went right thru a Kestrel Mk.II that was also completely stock, but with a slimmed down (clipped) fuselage and a stock weapons payload (6 rockets/missiles and 2 bombs). Unfortunately the extra weight meant I had to add 2 extra vertical jets, and that completely killed the speed - couldn't even get supersonic without a long dive. Still, that's in keeping with the RL Harrier I suppose!

But at this stage I decided it was time to use a nifty little jet I'd seen before in the KAX package, the VTOL jet. The KAX version doesn't rotate, so it's really just a radial jet (like the Thud rocket), but by combining it with some parts from Infernal Robotics, I now had just what I needed to build the Kestrel Mk.III.

With the new engines, speed still stayed just under sonic, but I suddenly had a whole ton of extra lifting power. So I added 2 extra missiles (total 8) as well as a slightly more Harrier-esque landing gear and control surface arrangement. On the other hand, these jets aren't as kind as the Wheesleys - they spin up and down much faster, but usually about 5 seconds after u asked them to, which makes fan speed control.... tricky.

Here's a gatecrash video of my last run. I completed the trip, but I had a surface collision during my 2nd barnstorm and well... see for yourselves

[MunGazer]

I've been refining my Kestrel/Harrier design (not for the first time!). I went right thru a Kestrel Mk.II that was also completely stock, but with a slimmed down (clipped) fuselage and a stock weapons payload (6 rockets/missiles and 2 bombs). Unfortunately the extra weight meant I had to add 2 extra vertical jets, and that completely killed the speed - couldn't even get supersonic without a long dive. Still, that's in keeping with the RL Harrier I suppose!

But at this stage I decided it was time to use a nifty little jet I'd seen before in the KAX package, the VTOL jet. The KAX version doesn't rotate, so it's really just a radial jet (like the Thud rocket), but by combining it with some parts from Infernal Robotics, I now had just what I needed to build the Kestrel Mk.III.

With the new engines, speed still stayed just under sonic, but I suddenly had a whole ton of extra lifting power. So I added 2 extra missiles (total 8) as well as a slightly more Harrier-esque landing gear and control surface arrangement. On the other hand, these jets aren't as kind as the Wheesleys - they spin up and down much faster, but usually about 5 seconds after u asked them to, which makes fan speed control.... tricky.

Here's a gatecrash video of my last run. I completed the trip, but I had a surface collision during my 2nd barnstorm and well... see for yourselves

Yeah that thing does look a lot like a Harrier jet. I added a link to a tutorial video by Scott Manley on VTOLs to the original post at the bottom. Also, the best advice I can give is to learn to fly your craft in Camera LOCKED mode rather than free or chase camera view. For me, just being in that camera mode makes everything easy - flying through hangars and landing on a small helipad with surgical precision. You guys doing this in free cam mode are crazy! lol

[Monsterlunch]

Here we go!

Not a speed run, as she is an old Lady barely capable of takeoff with a TWR of 1.00 It's a class I entry. Stock Physics, only stock parts used (textures changed due to Ven's Stock Revamp).

See the full album by clicking the pciture below! This has been a fun challenge! +Rep for you!

I accidentally hit the time warp button after the landing on the Administration Building, but I didn't go for high speed anyways.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Monsterlunch

[SasquatchM]

Very cool set up. Props to you for being able to control that thing from those free cam views, that speaks to the stability and effectiveness of the design. Listing in a sec.

edit: What's your craft's name?

Uh.. name?

How about the Ferret. No idea why.. just cuz.

[MunGazer]

Here we go!

Not a speed run, as she is an old Lady barely capable of takeoff with a TWR of 1.00 It's a class I entry. Stock Physics, only stock parts used (textures changed due to Ven's Stock Revamp).

See the full album by clicking the pciture below! This has been a fun challenge! +Rep for you!

http://i.imgur.com/UHLQlKV.png

I accidentally hit the time warp button after the landing on the Administration Building, but I didn't go for high speed anyways.

Thanks for the entry . You had a minor infraction for your point of performance 3 photo (over 5 m/s surface speed) and the mission time is over the 20 minute limit. However, since you stated that you accidentally time warped on the admin pad, it isn't a speed run entry, and I don't like forcing people to re-do things, I'll be lenient here. Also, the highest speed achieved indicates that your craft design had more than enough speed to complete the challenge in under 20 minutes. Therefore, I'll accept the entry - but before I list it, what is the name of your craft?

Your craft is very sleek looking. The oval side profile and the vertical stabilizers remind me of an old Buck Rogers space ship. The TWR of exactly 1.00 is peculiar... and I have a question about this for anyone who might know. Is the TWR provided by KER simply adding the thrust of all engines regardless of their orientation and comparing it to the mass?

[borbalf]

here's my entry

Javascript is disabled. View full album

craft name: ESE VTOL Talon II

vertical engines: 4x J-33 Wheesley

horizontal engines: 2x J-X4 Whiplash

crew: 1 pilot, up to 6 passengers in the cargo area

liquid fuel: 1960

oxidizer: 44

generator: small fuel cell

mods: stock (i used KER for TWR)

aero: stock

category: Division 1 - Basic Certification

description: I use this craft to recover stranded kerbals around the KSC continent, up to 6 in normal operations and up to 7 in emergency (flying using the probe core). fully fueled, its max speed is about 185 m/s, with a TWR using vertical engines of about 1.2, quite manouvrable and it can go up to 4x physic warp without problems.

a couple of notes:

- I did this in career mode, but I forgot I had not upgraged the administration building, I still had level 1, without helipad... as you can see in the last shots I tried to gently land on the square building but the craft destroyed it

- I deleted the screenshot with F3

if you want I can retry the challenge in sandbox trying not to delete the F3 screenshot

[MunGazer]

here's my entry

http://imgur.com/a/tewsY

craft name: ESE VTOL Talon II

vertical engines: 4x J-33 Wheesley

horizontal engines: 2x J-X4 Whiplash

crew: 1 pilot, up to 6 passengers in the cargo area

liquid fuel: 1960

oxidizer: 44

generator: small fuel cell

mods: stock (i used KER for TWR)

aero: stock

category: Division 1 - Basic Certification

description: I use this craft to recover stranded kerbals around the KSC continent, up to 6 in normal operations and up to 7 in emergency (flying using the probe core). fully fueled, its max speed is about 185 m/s, with a TWR using vertical engines of about 1.2, quite manouvrable and it can go up to 4x physic warp without problems.

a couple of notes:

- I did this in career mode, but I forgot I had not upgraged the administration building, I still had level 1, without helipad... as you can see in the last shots I tried to gently land on the square building but the craft destroyed it

- I deleted the screenshot with F3

if you want I can retry the challenge in sandbox trying not to delete the F3 screenshot

No worries, I went ahead and listed you and gave leniency because you had the discipline to read the rules quite thoroughly. I am able to read between the lines enough with most entries and identify legit crafts/attempts.

It's really cool that you're using that VTOL in career mode for actual career Kerbal rescue missions, and it's a great design. Thanks for the entry.

[Darren9]

I have an entry with the SkyKar, uses B9 turbofans, B9 P-Wing, Procedural-Parts, Baha landing gears and a BD targeting camera. There was some setup loading the pilot into his chair which set the clock running so I started at 2:00 mins and finished at 10:30 for 8 min 30 secs if it qualifies. I removed the level flight over the sea as it only goes around 330m/s. I'm sure a more skilled pilot could get a lot more out of it, it's perfectly balanced and you can spin the lift engines without losing stability.

[goldenpeach]

Quick question about the hangar part of the certification test: if accidentally touch the ground during the pass and, after that, I just turn around and make a perfect pass on the same hangar.

Do the certification test is failed or is it complete as long as we passed all the step at least once in the same flight?

[Vegetal]

Speedrun!

This is a full stock craft, with a time of 4:52. Look ma, no wheels!

https://youtu.be/7FhdIA55n6c

[MunGazer]

Quick question about the hangar part of the certification test: if accidentally touch the ground during the pass and, after that, I just turn around and make a perfect pass on the same hangar.

Do the certification test is failed or is it complete as long as we passed all the step at least once in the same flight?

In those circumstances, it would be complete and I'd accept the entry. The rules are there as a guideline, but exceptions can be made on a case by case basis. I don't like forcing people to waste their personal time by having to make another entry over an infraction that is minor and doesn't defeat the overall purpose of the challenge.

Regarding the most recent entries, I'll be home soon to look at those.

edit: I added an addendum to the rules to let people know it's ok to re-try hangar pass throughs as long as there isn't damage happening.

Edited October 7, 2015 by MunGazer

[MunGazer]

I have an entry with the SkyKar, uses B9 turbofans, B9 P-Wing, Procedural-Parts, Baha landing gears and a BD targeting camera. There was some setup loading the pilot into his chair which set the clock running so I started at 2:00 mins and finished at 10:30 for 8 min 30 secs if it qualifies. I removed the level flight over the sea as it only goes around 330m/s. I'm sure a more skilled pilot could get a lot more out of it, it's perfectly balanced and you can spin the lift engines without losing stability.

http://youtu.be/6c2bpAVrWY8

Entry acknowledged and listed. I seriously thought you were going to eat dirt coming out of the last hangar . There were a few things I noticed that I wanted to give you props for. 1. Nice music. 2. Excellent craft with regard to both function and looks. 3. Really awesome how you used the lift engines to decelerate.

As far as a better pilot going faster, meh, your performance was pretty sharp. Faster times would likely just come with several more practice iterations for almost any person.

- - - Updated - - -

Speedrun!

This is a full stock craft, with a time of 4:52. Look ma, no wheels!

https://youtu.be/7FhdIA55n6c

Absolutely incredible performance. I almost on the first part it was like going up on a roller coaster. Not only was that lightning fast and well engineered, but I seriously doubt I could land the same craft as effortlessly as you did without a great deal of practice. I'll list you here in a sec.

edit: originally, I had a rule (way down in the huge additional rules/guidelines section) that you could accelerate time in your video editing for portions of the run outside of the points of performance, but not clip out sections of it. However, after seeing your video and realizing that it's not a big deal, I've updated the rules to allow the over-water portion of the flight to be clipped out.

Edited October 7, 2015 by MunGazer

[Monsterlunch]

Thanks for the entry . You had a minor infraction for your point of performance 3 photo (over 5 m/s surface speed) and the mission time is over the 20 minute limit. However, since you stated that you accidentally time warped on the admin pad, it isn't a speed run entry, and I don't like forcing people to re-do things, I'll be lenient here. Also, the highest speed achieved indicates that your craft design had more than enough speed to complete the challenge in under 20 minutes. Therefore, I'll accept the entry - but before I list it, what is the name of your craft?

Your craft is very sleek looking. The oval side profile and the vertical stabilizers remind me of an old Buck Rogers space ship. The TWR of exactly 1.00 is peculiar... and I have a question about this for anyone who might know. Is the TWR provided by KER simply adding the thrust of all engines regardless of their orientation and comparing it to the mass?

Thanks a lot! As the TWR is basically so low, it was quite a hassle to do all the acrobatic VTOL stuff, so I got kinda annoyed after trying to finish this challenge the fifth time. I am therefore glad to hear you accepted it despite some minor.... difficulties I would call it.

The crafts name is Zepto-300 and it is available for download via my signature. I like the design of this craft too, it was originally designated to be a Duna-RocketPlane/VTOL, but im still working on that version.

KER does simply apply calculations based on maximum/current thrust output and current total weight of a craft. Orientation however is not taken into account I think.

Cheers

[The_Rocketeer]

Speedrun!

This is a full stock craft, with a time of 4:52. Look ma, no wheels!

https://youtu.be/7FhdIA55n6c

Kudos on beating my time Now I don't feel like a VTOL freak!

I had another shot today, but my fail rate is still punishing.

Update:

I've been trying to come back at you Vegetal. Got a really fast plane, an evolution on my original design built just for the challenge, but I just can't stop crashing at the hangers. Over an hour again this evening... *sigh*.

I know I can get done in a little over 4 mins if I can just stop crashing into the floor/wall/roof/runway at the island hangers...!

Edited October 7, 2015 by The_Rocketeer

[Tellar]

The ship has actually changed a little bit from this, but for some reason my screenshot hotkey for Steam wasn't working. The big thing is that I added the turbo-ramjet, pretty much halving the travel time to and from the island.

[Vegetal]

Oh, I will be waiting

MunGazer, you say "effortlessly" because you didn't see my face sweating like a pig

That little aircraft is quite a handful to land, you can see in the video that's what takes the most time.....and where I can shave off precious seconds

The hangar part, I already developed a good trajectory, it is *kinda* guaranteed.

[MunGazer]

Oh, I will be waiting

MunGazer, you say "effortlessly" because you didn't see my face sweating like a pig

That little aircraft is quite a handful to land, you can see in the video that's what takes the most time.....and where I can shave off precious seconds

The hangar part, I already developed a good trajectory, it is *kinda* guaranteed.

Haha, right on man.

- - - Updated - - -

The ship has actually changed a little bit from this, but for some reason my screenshot hotkey for Steam wasn't working. The big thing is that I added the turbo-ramjet, pretty much halving the travel time to and from the island.

http://imgur.com/a/SUwT0

Welcome to the forums . One of the hangar screens can't be accepted (too far outside of the hangar), your runway takeoff surface speed exceeds 5 m/s, and you're missing a screen shot of the craft sitting on the admin pad. Would you mind re-doing your submission? To help with the reliability of screen shots, I'd recommend using Kerbal Space Program's built in screen shot button, and you can find the screenshots folder in your kerbal space program game folders.

Edited October 8, 2015 by MunGazer

[Tellar]

Also, the craft was completely stock.

There was another shot of the last hangar, but given the camera angle, all you saw was the top of the hangar. I was flying with a joystick, and RCS was hat controlled, so I didn't have good camera control or screenshot control.

The flight status states "landed at the admin building", soooo if that's not good enough for the internet points, then I'm sorry

I love KSP, but my time in it is very limited, and thus focused. I really enjoyed your challenge, and spent 2+ of these sessions fiddling with my concepts, but I don't think I can afford any more.

[MunGazer]

Also, the craft was completely stock.

There was another shot of the last hangar, but given the camera angle, all you saw was the top of the hangar. I was flying with a joystick, and RCS was hat controlled, so I didn't have good camera control or screenshot control.

The flight status states "landed at the admin building", soooo if that's not good enough for the internet points, then I'm sorry

I love KSP, but my time in it is very limited, and thus focused. I really enjoyed your challenge, and spent 2+ of these sessions fiddling with my concepts, but I don't think I can afford any more.

Actually, very good point about it saying landed at the admin building. I didn't think of that, call it being derpy on my part. And I believe you about the hangar, so I'll accept it. Gosh, I almost want to say there are no rules. I feel like an evil tyrant!

Oh and, interesting things about your craft. It struck me that it uses the cargo bays for landing gear, that's unique. Seems to work just fine. And oh, but internet points can be redeemed for real money! j/k. Also, that VTOL is compact enough that it could probably fit nicely into a rocket payload bay so it could be useful in other scenarios as well.

Edited October 8, 2015 by MunGazer

[The_Rocketeer]

Actually, very good point about it saying landed at the admin building. I didn't think of that, call it being derpy on my part. And I believe you about the hangar, so I'll accept it. Gosh, I almost want to say there are no rules. I feel like an evil tyrant!

Well, technically the whole admin building tile counts as 'landed at the admin building'.

I think for a general 'can you VTOL?' challenge, it's fair enough to be a bit slack on the rules demand for evidence (the rules are basically the challenge) - a lot of tough challenges use an honour system, so its a matter of taking someone's word for it (and frankly if ur cheating at internet forums you really need to evaluate your sense of self-worth).

On the other hand, I'd expect the competitive speedrun entries to be backed up with a lot of evidence, cos people have invested their own time to do the best they can and set a bar for your to beat.

In short, get fraps and learn to youtube.

[MunGazer]

Well, technically the whole admin building tile counts as 'landed at the admin building'.

I think for a general 'can you VTOL?' challenge, it's fair enough to be a bit slack on the rules demand for evidence (the rules are basically the challenge) - a lot of tough challenges use an honour system, so its a matter of taking someone's word for it (and frankly if ur cheating at internet forums you really need to evaluate your sense of self-worth).

On the other hand, I'd expect the competitive speedrun entries to be backed up with a lot of evidence, cos people have invested their own time to do the best they can and set a bar for your to beat.

In short, get fraps and learn to youtube.

Very good point there, and I agree with you. This is the first challenge I've posted so I'm sort of feeling things out a bit. Speaking of video capture - I had been using fraps for quite some time + windows movie maker. Recently though, I discovered that Windows 10 users have a free built in video capture tool that works exceptionally well. It doesn't hit my framerate as hard as fraps does, if at all, and the video quality is pretty good for how much memory it uses. And, it's already in a windows movie maker friendly format as opposed to the avi from fraps.

Edited October 8, 2015 by MunGazer

[Vegetal]

I downloaded Open Broadcaster just for this challenge, and I'm keeping it. If I knew it was so easy to upload videos to youtube, maybe I would have done it more...

[borbalf]

I'm working on another craft for this challenge... are we allowed to enter twice in the same category?

[MunGazer]

I'm working on another craft for this challenge... are we allowed to enter twice in the same category?

Yes, you are. I might even make some of my own entries just to share for fun.