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Stable Glider Challenge: Make a glider that flies really efficiently, all by itself.

Snark

By Snark
in KSP1 Challenges & Mission ideas

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Snark

Snark

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10 hours ago, Scarecrow said:

Maybe I should do a video to show that mine isn't porpoising or anything like that, just gliding serenely along and then the stabilizing message pops up.

9 hours ago, reachmac said:

I cant get the stabilization percentage down. Even thought my plane appears to be flying very stabably.

The tolerance on the stabilization is pretty tight:  just 1% variation between highest/lowest speed over 10 seconds.  So, for example, if you're gliding along at about 40 m/s, it would mean that your top speed in the last 10 seconds can't be any more than 0.4 m/s above your lowest speed in the same interval.  It only takes the tiniest of up/down oscillations-- practically invisible on the navball-- to cause that kind of speed variation.

One thing I've found that can be handy in damping out that last smidgeon of phugoid, if you have a glider that's inherently stable, is to give it some carefully-timed manual "nudges" to damp them out, then go hands-off again.  For example, say your glider is slowly oscillating between 38 and 39 m/s.  Figure its natural speed when "stable" will probably roughly split the difference, i.e. 38.5ish.  So, when you see your speed edging above 38.5, nose up just a tiny bit (the briefest tap on the "pitch up" key, perhaps with "fine adjustment" turned on).  When you see your speed edging below 38.5, nose down just a tiny bit.

If your glider is generating the oscillations, then they'll just start up again-- but if the glider is basically stable and just taking a really long time to settle down, that can help speed it on its way.

I've also found it educational, once my glider is settled pretty close to stable, to turn on SAS for a little while and then watch what happens.

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AeroGav

AeroGav

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Posted

@Snark,  is there a way to configure the plugin to show the average over a longer time period?  It took mine 20 minutes to get down from 2km to the sea, so if it took its average over a 1 minute period, for example,  then that would make getting a consistent number a bit easier.   And would that also remove main difficulty folks seem to be having, getting it to show a value at all because it keeps "stabilizing"? 

In my experience most Phugoid cycles seem to complete 30-40 seconds, so a 1 minute average would account for those?These little glider phugoids are nothing really.   On a space plane, they can throw you out of Kerbin SOI completely..

Spoiler



 

 

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Snark

Snark

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10 minutes ago, AeroGav said:

@Snark,  is there a way to configure the plugin to show the average over a longer time period?

IKR?  If only the forum post for the mod had some kind of a "Configuration options" section with detailed instructions on what all the configuration options are and how to set them...

(hint)

(hint hint)

:P

...Though bear in mind that making the window longer may not do what you think it will.  It's not showing an average, it's showing the worst value for that interval.  So although yes, you can in fact make it 1 minute instead of 10 seconds, that just means it'll show you "lowest glide ratio in 1 minute", and "highest rate of descent in 1 minute", and "total speed variation over 1 minute", instead of 10 seconds.

 

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Snark

Snark

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58 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

OK, I know this doesn't qualify, but I did make a "sort-of" glider about a year ago...

Awww, that thing's cute.  Still got the .craft file around?  Would be interesting to see what the glide ratio is, at least.  :)

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Just Jim

Just Jim

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19 minutes ago, Snark said:

Awww, that thing's cute.  Still got the .craft file around?  Would be interesting to see what the glide ratio is, at least.  :)

I could set it up for you in a dropbox... I'll send you a pm...

But like I said, it's only sort of a glider... I used a couple sepratrons to get it into the air, then let it glide back down. It's based on the really early planes... that usually didn't work... lol...

Spoiler

 

 

Edited by Just Jim
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Just Jim

Just Jim

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Just now, adsii1970 said:

Wait... what? You don't have a backup of it? And you back up EVERYTHING!

I know.... that's what's so frustrating... I'm sure I've got it, but the problem is, I have over 400 backup folders to search through! And the ones I thought it was in doesn't have it.

 

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Snark

Snark

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Thanks to @adsii1970 and @qzgy for their entries!  Leaderboard updated.

(qzgy, I used your stats from after your glider was stabilized-- the other ones are still stabilizing and over 8%, which means the numbers aren't settled yet)

Neat idea for using a fairing as an aircraft body... that hadn't occurred to me.  :)  (I'm picturing what happens if Val accidentally presses the wrong button...)

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qzgy

qzgy

Posted
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7 hours ago, Snark said:

Thanks to @adsii1970 and @qzgy for their entries!  Leaderboard updated.

(qzgy, I used your stats from after your glider was stabilized-- the other ones are still stabilizing and over 8%, which means the numbers aren't settled yet)

Neat idea for using a fairing as an aircraft body... that hadn't occurred to me.  :)  (I'm picturing what happens if Val accidentally presses the wrong button...)

Ok that sounds good.

And about those fairings, they have their staging disabled. In theory, Val shouldn't be able to destroy the plane....

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Snark

Snark

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17 hours ago, qzgy said:

And about those fairings, they have their staging disabled. In theory, Val shouldn't be able to destroy the plane....

Yeah, I know, I saw from your staging display that you'd already got that contingency covered.  I just found the idea of "craft that can completely disintegrate at the touch of a button" oddly appealing, in a Mission: Impossible sort of way.  Go on, put all the "deploy fairing" actions in the Abort action group, I dare ya.  :)

11 hours ago, LitaAlto said:

Is this an open-ended challenge? No deadline?

Yep, completely open-ended, no deadline.

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qzgy

qzgy

Posted
Posted (edited)
12 hours ago, Snark said:

Go on, put all the "deploy fairing" actions in the Abort action group, I dare ya.  :)

Nominal Flight

CQqQIRw.png

Quick, abort! Confetti the place!

D9Rfc9f.png

 

Edit: Bigger.

YMghkFc.png

Much Bigger.

gSmfjlW.png

Excessively big?

TkaAAv8.png

 

Actual glide stats

VLUX4DT.png

And body confetti.

Zbm11pR.png

Edited by qzgy
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Steel Starling

Steel Starling

Posted
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Well, I present to you the Starling Industries Glider MK2 or, as the Kerbals like to call it: "Big Flappy"

Image of Plane

Basically, it's just a massive Biplane. Seems to glide fairly well though, so that's a plus.

Imgur Link with More Details: Here

Ratio: 26.192

Decent Speed: 1.952

 

-SteelStarling, Starling Industries

 

 

P.S. Sorry, couldn't figure out how to get my images into the comment itself, inserting the URL into the insert media tab wasn't working properly.

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qzgy

qzgy

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Just now, Cadet_BNSF said:

Almost looks like you were trying to go for a PBY Catalina there.

Yeah, does kinda look like that. Not the intention though, just kinda happened by design.

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