Perpetual flight

[Pandemic]

I've been tinkering with various aircraft capable of perpetual flight. I have a few that are working very well (20km ceiling at 200m/s) that I'd like to test over long periods. Is there a way to keep the aircraft flying on it's current heading and altitude without having to have it active on the screen? As an example, build a craft, set it's heading, go back to space station and send another one up on a different heading?

 

Anyone else into this type of thing? If so, let me know the longest flight time. I just hit 40 days on one craft. Computer was on for about 2 days though.

[Daripuff]

Unfortunately,  that cannot be done without mods,  as once a craft that is being affected by physics is 23km away from the focus craft,  it despawns. 

So long as you stay within 23km of the other craft,  you're able to do so,  but you wouldn't be able to fly in different directions for long. 

Edited February 15, 2017 by Daripuff

[Pandemic]

Yeah, ideally I want to let this thing fly to see if it can surpass a year in the air.

[A_name]

How do you even make a perpetual flying machine?

[MinimalMinmus]

25 minutes ago, A_name said:

How do you even make a perpetual flying machine?

My guess would be strock propellor + solar panel planes

[A_name]

1 hour ago, MinimalMinmus said:

My guess would be strock propellor + solar panel planes

How do you even make a stock propellor? (j/k)

[MinimalMinmus]

5 hours ago, A_name said:

How do you even make a stock propellor? (j/k)

Basically, you need to make a hinge (it's possible in the stock game, there is a trick with the spider engine for it), powerful reaction wheels on the "rotor" side, and of course 8 fins in a curved fashion to be the "blades".

If done correctly, such a contraption can give thrust with no fuel at all.

[Guest]

Infiniglide Mk2?

[Pandemic]

In this case I use the electric motor of KAX. That's the only non-stock part I use though.

[sal_vager]

I don't think this is possible in stock, sorry, as mentioned once out of physics range the craft will go on rails, and is no longer subject to physics.

Craft in low atmosphere will also be removed as debris or assumed crashed.

Moved to Gameplay Questions, though I think you need modded discussion, but even then to go as far as you may be suggesting would be beyond any current mod.

Maybe you can do this if the craft is trimmed to fly in a circle...

[Jas0n]

I know that BD armory lets you increase the size of the physics bubble, but I don't think making it load all of kerbin is a good idea.

[Pandemic]

Having a mod that allowed automatic drone launch, flight path, return and landing would be the coolest thing ever.

[SgtSnuggles]

On 2/16/2017 at 4:14 PM, Pandemic said:

Having a mod that allowed automatic drone launch, flight path, return and landing would be the coolest thing ever.

I actually thought Manouvore nodes were this very thing whereby you set them and then could call on drone cores to follow the paths....how wrong was I xD