Air-breathing Altitude Challenge

[DaMachinator]

How high can you get using only airbreathing engines before they flame out?

RULES:

1. Only airbreathing-only engines. (This means no RAPIERS.)
2. Max of 1 engine for Mk1/1.25m craft, 2 engines for Mk2 craft, and 4 engines for Mk3 craft.
3. Craft must have at least one Kerbal aboard, and this Kerbal must survive.
4. Mods must be approved by me. (KER, Pilot Assistant, and TCA are allowed.)

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Altitude you are claiming, your surface velocity at this altitude, and an Imgur album or equivalent or a video as proof.

STOCK ENTRIES

1.0.5

1. Marshal Nedelin - 134 KM - Interesting design...

Edited June 19, 2016 by DaMachinator

[Firemetal]

This sounds interesting. I'll try it out tomorrow.

 

[Foxster]

Since air-hogging was no longer a thing in ver x.x (can't remember - 1.0?) isn't this pretty much 30km for all craft? Or is there some workaround involving storing some air?

[Alshain]

1 hour ago, Foxster said:

Since air-hogging was no longer a thing in ver x.x (can't remember - 1.0?) isn't this pretty much 30km for all craft? Or is there some workaround involving storing some air?

Depending on engines, yes.  Everyone's results should be pretty close to the same.  The engines have a fixed maximum altitude that will occur well before you run out of air if your craft is designed right.

[kcs123]

I have doing some experiments with 1.1.2. searching for something else. Appears that air breathing engines not only require air, but also require oxygen in air. Trough test flights it seems that oxygen altitude limit is 26.4 km or very close to that, I was not able to precisely measure this.

So, no metter how many engines or air intakes you spam on craft, they will all flame out near that altitude. I suggets that you limit only one engine or two on craft for this chalange.

That will bring more chalange, to balance out wing surface, engine thrust, air intakes and craft weight to be able to reach 26.4 km in level flight without engine flame outs.

[Firemetal]

2 hours ago, kcs123 said:

I have doing some experiments with 1.1.2. searching for something else. Appears that air breathing engines not only require air, but also require oxygen in air. Trough test flights it seems that oxygen altitude limit is 26.4 km or very close to that, I was not able to precisely measure this.

So, no metter how many engines or air intakes you spam on craft, they will all flame out near that altitude. I suggets that you limit only one engine or two on craft for this chalange.

That will bring more chalange, to balance out wing surface, engine thrust, air intakes and craft weight to be able to reach 26.4 km in level flight without engine flame outs.

Ah so basically this entry is irrelevant?

This proves ksc123's point. I put 10 air intakes for one jet engine and I peaked at 26km. And then I crash landed.

[DaMachinator]

Apparently I have to follow my own topic to get a notification when someone replies to it. So be it.

Removed limitation on engines not flaming out. Now, the challenge is more "how high can you get your apoapse with only airbreathing engines."

Edited June 19, 2016 by DaMachinator

[Marshal Nedelin]

does using 1.0.5 qualify? (I did about 115km IIRC.)

[DaMachinator]

Sure, but I need proof and I'll make a separate 1.0.5 category.

 

[Marshal Nedelin]

Let's open the festivities.

STOCK 1.0.5. Altitude: 134 km.

Jeb was not impressed at all, judging by his expression after landing.

[DaMachinator]

That's one way to go about it....