New Sky Jump Runway

[Nuranon]

Okay, I don't know if there is a mod for this but I couldn't find one so here is the idea:

A second runway at the Space Center - with a sky jump at the end, basically a ramp launching your craft (picture) into the sky, I know this isn't super important or anything but I think its a nice idea to have something to make a take-off with unwilling aircrafts easier (without having to pray that they get their nose up before hitting water). I know that proper aircraft design should make something like that (with such a long runway available) unnecessary but I think it could allow more diverse crafts which otherwise wouldn't be able to take-off because they wouldn't get their nose up.

The angle of the Sky Jump wouldn't have to be big, possibly just 5-10°, the new runway could lie parallel to the normal runway or - more interesting - in an angle (45° or so) to it, starting between the kerbonaut center and the start of the normal runway, crossing it and ending left too it, I guess it should ba a lot shorter too: half to 2/3 the length  of the fully upgraded runway and not as wide.

[Thorbard]

A second runway would be an interesting addition, particularly if it had a unique feature like the ramp. Maybe it could be part of an upgrade from tier 3 to tier 4?

I would also like to see a second launchpad but better orientated for polar and retrograde orbits.

[swjr-swis]

Yes please, to a few more runways and launchpads at the stock KSC. If only for variation sake, although I am totally for the diversity being functional too.

What prime space center has only a single launchpad? What major airport has only a single runway? With KSC being the ONLY space center (and arguably airport) in service on the entire planet, surely there should be more pads and runways.

The mod Kerbal Konstructs does provide a way. I'm not sure if it's entirely operational since the 1.0.5 upgrade though, and it doesn't actually add extra pads or runways to KSC proper by default - just provides a way for you to do it yourself.

Btw, I like the sky jump idea.

 

Edited December 3, 2015 by swjr-swis

[*Aqua*]

And while we are at it, make the new runway(s) wider and longer!

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has a hard time hitting the airstrip and stopping in time.

[Wjolcz]

Would be nice. Also a helipad for VTOLS, because why the hell not? And as always: more places to launch vessels from with varying types of pads and runways, just so they are not all the same.

[Nuranon]

yeah such a helipad would be great.

I wouldn't make the new runway larger one than the old one, as I wrote I would make it shorter and not as wide, our current one is on Tier 3 2.5km long and 70m wide, I would imagine the new one with the sky jumb in the area of 1.5km length with 50m width.

But nothing speaks against introducing a Tier 4 for the original runway: the real Shuttle runway at KSC is 5182 meters long, I think thats a bit extreme for KSP (since everything is smaller anyway and in reality every normal plane can land at sea level on a runway with the length of about 3km) but increasing the runway length to perhaps 3.5km seems sensible, I don't know about the width though, the current one is 70m wide which isn't much less than the aboth metioned one at KSC which is 90 meters wide...I wouldn't increase that over 80m - perhaps there should be some lights on the shores before the airfield, making lining up a bit easier.

In an emergency you still can land on the flat gras surrounding KSP although I think that it shouldn't be so flat if we had another runway (with sky jump) and a larger original one, possibly plus a VTOL/helicopter pad (large circular conrete area)...if we had all this the totaly flat area should perhaps be limited to everything directly around the Space center and the rest should be a bit more uneven - like the TIER 1 airfield, making its usage as landing site not impossible but definetly worse than the runway

Edited December 4, 2015 by Nuranon
expansion on thoughts

[LordKael]

While we're adding things to the KSC:

A seaplane/boat launch site to allow for craft launched directly from the water. This would be more of a convenience than an actual game improvement, because designing planes to be land and sea landing capable is a pain. And yes, I know that real seaplanes have this capability, but KSP is not real life.

A submarine bay, in the slope to the east of KSC, about 50 meters below the surface. I would hazard a guess that with the new buoyancy/underwater dynamics would merit having additional science and easter egg-related missions underwater. 

A curved runway, forming a shallow arc. This would make landing fast planes easier, increasing the maximum possible landing speed. I'm not suggesting a dramatic curve, but enough to noticeably slow the plane after the halfway point, and allow for the incoming aircraft to need less flare to make contact.

 

Just my two cents, what do you guys think?

[KerBlammo]

15 hours ago, *Aqua* said:

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has a hard time hitting the airstrip and stopping in time.

I consider the flat area immediately adjacent to KSC to be an extension of the runway for landing purposes

The jump idea is an excellent one.  I was thinking about building one to help a heavily laden space lane lift off the other day.  In the end I of course just strapped MOAR BOOSTERS to it and ran it off the end of the runway...

[Nuranon]

Well so far boats and submarines are not a "official" part of KSP...I mean you can build them but they aren't really intended to be a legit part of the game and I doubt Squad will change that soon, the game is still very much about flying stuff - possibly driving although that too is not the main gameplay.

I don't know the issues involved but I guess making some sort of port or dock would be a real hustle - I guess new crafts could be somehow dropped into the water but I imagine placing it in it might result in physic problems, if they did such a (dry)dock, than it would also work fine for submarines, consider that underwater submarine bay aren't really a thing and that we have so far no means to move Kerbals underwater (and i guess an air bubble underwater is just an inpossible thing without redoing the complete water model). 

Edited December 4, 2015 by Nuranon