X-3 "Gerbil" Advanced Concepts Experimental Thingy

[Zephram Kerman]

Ladies & gentlemen!

~ Kerbal Inc. ~

manufacturers of oddly stable & curiously shaped

bicycles, aeroplanes, and outer-space traveling craft

~ present: ~

the Kerbal X-378 'Gerbil'

Advanced Concepts Experimental Thingy

With advances in modern science come improvements in practical applications. We at Kerbal Inc. are proud to present our latest design, chock-full of technological marvels and wonders of modern science. We hope you\'ll buy one, because we got in debt up to our eye stalks finding a design that doesn\'t crash too frequently.

The X-378 'Gerbil' Advanced Concepts Experimental Thingy features a number of innovations, which we believe will revolutionize the industry:

• the raised tailcone and stabilizers effectively trim the craft for short take-offs and landings, and relaxed, almost stately, approaches;

• double-offset centered elevators deliver excellent control authority in the pitch axis;

• newfangled 'delta' wing shape supplies sufficient lift for sustained 2G turns and 4G maneuvers... also it looks really cool;

• 'piggyback' engine mount further improves vertical trim and handling at all operating velocities;

• in emergencies, the flight capsule can detach and return to the surface using two standard parachutes;

• easily cruises at 1/2 power, even fully loaded;

• crew access ladder sold seperately.

edit: re-upload to fix the internal vessel name

[Zephram Kerman]

Heh! So, er, marketing jazz aside, the Kerbal Gerbil actually does fly beautifully.

This design is so maneuverable, and has such a low stall speed, that it becomes 'easy' to land, on the runway, without exploded parts, every time. It is so stable, ASAS is there as a convenience. It is so nimble, it can land, stop, and take off again with runway to spare.

Here are the 'advanced concepts' mentioned in the ad:

• Based on

...vertical stabilizers should actually be pushing down, not up. Use the rotation feature in the SPH to pitch your elevators down a notch or two before placing. The wings alone will make the plane pitch down, while the stabilizers keep the nose up. Planes are stable when those forces even out.

I attached the entire tailcone/stabilizer assembly at an upward angle. This gives the plane good vertical trim, so that the elevators have more authority to pitch up during takeoff rotation and landing flare. It also gets the tail away from the ground so that you can rotate safely.

• Unlike real-world aircraft, putting the engine up on the luggage rack also helps improve trim. When at full power (takeoff, climbout, and high-speed cruise) the engine thrust pushes the nose down, balancing out the nose-up effect of the angled tail. When idling (descent, landing flare) the drag helps by pulling the nose up, even at slow speeds.

• KSP seems to map the control surfaces using the same logic as RCS thrusters. This has the unfortunate effect of causing control surfaces to move somewhat inappropriately. (For example, if you push the stick right to roll into a right turn, the ailerons do their thing, but the elevators split, and the rudder moves left.) It makes for some sloppy flying and difficulty getting back to the runway. To avoid this issue, there are no ailerons or rudders; roll and yaw are controlled solely by the reaction wheels in the crew capsule. There are two elevators, each attached to a horizontal stabilizer, and offset left and right so that they overlap in the center. Once the elevators are exactly centered, they are no longer confused by roll commands. Yay!

• The 'H' tail is just to get the vertical stabilizer away from the engine exhaust.

• The nose landing gear and parachutes are carefully placed so that the escape pod assembly lands nose-first, sacrificing the ASAS and nose cone to protect the crew area. Add that access ladder at your own risk.

Happy landings (on the runway, this time!)

[Whaliin]

Looks creepy and awesome at the same time, downloading