R.a.p.i.e.r how to use?

[CucumberMoose]

The R.A.P.I.E.R Engine, Worth using or not?

I have made various SSTO [space Plane(s)] with the Rapier engine that have successfully gotten to orbit many times, but they are all tiny and almost completely useless, I want to make a WORKING SSTO preferably using Mk 2 plane parts, with a cargo bay at least ( and of course with the R.A.P.I.E.R engine(s) ). I have tried 5-7 times now and my best was 70% complete orbit at 80 000, Can anyone Help me Please!

Edited November 12, 2015 by CucumberMoose

[eddiew]

I would strongly recommend perusing the SSTO showcase thread for some ideas of how people are deploying these engines:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/33312-Showcase-SSTOs%21-Post-your-pictures-here

(But pay attention to dates; spaceplanes built for versions older than 1.0.4 are generally not useful in 1.0.5.)

Overall, RAPIERs are magnificently useful, but you do have to get the design of your spaceplane right as well (e.g. keep it low drag, decent lift, well balanced)

[Hodo]

The R.A.P.I.E.R Engine, Worth using or not?

I have made various SSTO [space Plane(s)] with the Rapier engine that have successfully gotten to orbit many times, but they are all tiny and almost completely useless, I want to make a WORKING SSTO preferably using Mk 2 plane parts, with a cargo bay at least ( and of coarse with the R.A.P.I.E.R engine(s) ). I have tried 5-7 times now and my best was 70% complete orbit at 80 000, Can anyone Help me Please!

This is one of my combat SSTO fighters, it has an internal weapons bay, mk2 bay upside down.

It is able to take small objects into orbit, around 2m in length and 1.25m in width.

[Vanamonde]

Since this a how-to kind of a question, it has been moved to the how-to subforum.

[Van Disaster]

Have to say now I'm messing with the stock rapier again, the airbreathing side is rather underperforming; not surprised people have problems with it. Try not to get too high too slow, or it'll lose too much performance & you'll spend forever gaining speed.

[CucumberMoose]

Thank you all, It help me a lot, it really did! I go on Ksp first time after reading your comments and First try/design, It Worked!!! And like a charm may I add! Not only did I get it into a stable orbit, using the R.A.P.I.E.R engine, using Mk 2 Plane pieces, using a cargo bay (it has a 2m cargo bay, which is awesome!!) and Stable, It got into space with quite a bit of fuel to spare!! Heres what it looks like;

Its only a prototype in atm, just some wings, engine and fuel. But The way it performed, I highly believe it can handle any utilities, etc that I need to add. Thnx again everyone

(if the image didn't show here is a link; http://imgur.com/nojp89H )

Edited November 13, 2015 by CucumberMoose
Added link

[CucumberMoose]

Have to say now I'm messing with the stock rapier again, the airbreathing side is rather underperforming; not surprised people have problems with it. Try not to get too high too slow, or it'll lose too much performance & you'll spend forever gaining speed.

You are defiantly right about not getting too slow, but I have found that since they added the supersonic flight mechanics to the engines, The R.A.P.I.E.R engine works a bit like a scram jet engine, terrible a subsonic speeds, but once it gets fast enough it works excellently, thats why ppl are having so much trouble, its just getting past subsonic speeds thats difficult.

Edited November 15, 2015 by CucumberMoose

[Van Disaster]

Yeah, you just have to let it build speed fairly low & then adjust the climb rate so it doesn't lose too much thrust on the way up. Unfortunately from everything I've dug up so far about the engine it's based off it's not remotely a scramjet ( more like a constant pressure ramjet with a fixed thrust core ), but that's what we're given atm...