Stock VTOL

[nerdboy64]

The challenge is simple: Make a spaceplane capable of taking off and landing vertically, and holding a hover.

Rules:

1. Your plane must be entirely stock parts, and may not use config changes.

2. Your plane may use any stock parts except for decouplers and parachutes.

3. Your plane must be built and flown in KSP 0.16.

Challenges:

These affect your placement on the leaderboards. Challenges that say "Required for qualification" must be satisfied before points may be scored.

- Take off vertically: Required for qualification

- Hover in midair for at least 10s: Required for qualification, ± 3 m/s margin of error allowed.

- Land with all Kerbals alive and no plane parts destroyed/torn off: Required for qualification.

- Make your plane re-usable (no disconnected or damaged parts, no single use parts such as parachutes or SRBs): Required for qualification.

- Land your plane on the KSP launch pad (not the runway): 100pts.

- Make a water landing without losing any parts or crew: 100pts.

- Fly to the second KSC: 250pts.

- Land on the second KSC's launch pad: 250pts.

- Hold a hover for at least 10s with all crew on EVA (to prevent input from the user): 500pts.

- Reach a height of 500m with your plane facing horizontally: 500pts.

- Make a totally vertical landing: 500pts., ± 3 horizontal m/s margin of error allowed.

Special Awards:

These don't affect your score, but will be awarded for beating the current holder of the award. You will not get any awards unless you complete all of the challenges marked "Required for qualification."

- Keep Kerbin Green: Create the plane with the smallest fuel consumption at max thrust.

- Overachiever: Achieve the longest over-land distance before landing.

- Less is More: Create the smallest plane, by mass.

- More is Actually More: Create the largest plane, by mass.

- The Hare: Create the plane with the highest horizontal top speed.

- The Tortoise: Create the plane with the longest horizontal range.

- I Think I'll just Stay Here for a While: Create the plane which can hold a hover for the longest period of time (without becoming unstable or running out of fuel), ± 3 m/s margin of error allowed.

Leaderboard:

Pilot - Aircraft - Score - Awards (Where applicable)

1. Tie: Foursh - "Jackal", Alias - "Trident" - 1950pts.

2. n/a

3. n/a

4. n/a

5. n/a

6. n/a

7. n/a

8. n/a

9. n/a

10. n/a

Honorable metion:

People who didn't make the to ten but still completed all challenges successfully.

n/a

How to Enter:

In order to prove you actually completed the challenges, you must provide screenshots proving each one was completed. For example, in the hover challenge, you must provide a first screenshot showing that your plane is moving at lest than 3 m/s, and a second one with MET at least ten seconds later showing that you are still moving at less than 3 m/s and that you haven't moved farther than 3m times the number of seconds since the first screenshot. Most challenges are hard to support without a video, so make your screenshots as conclusive as possible. If I'm suspicious of cheating, I will ask you to re-submit. In addition to the screenshots, you must also include a craft file for weight judging, etc.

Each user may only enter one craft, however you may update your craft or reenter with a new one.

Finally, note that I do have a life and your submission may not be judged immediately.

Edited August 19, 2012 by nerdboy64

[Tremzack]

Wow This Is Going To Be Fun I Will Get Started Building Now.

[hebdomad]

I've been working on my VTOL for ages... balancing the fuel and keeping it flyable is a real pain. ><

[Foursh]

Here's my entry, the Jackal:

I wasn't able to land on the pad, but I think it's do-able. I might try later.

19 seconds later, still fairly stable (it flipped over after eight more seconds). Not quite a hover, but pretty close.

I'm not sure if this is what you meant, it seems too easy.

I don't know how to prove that it's capable of landing vertically other than what's shown in these screenshots (when landing

on water, even a small amount of forward motion destroys the plane).

Total Mass: 25.72 tons

Fuel consumption, all engines running: 1.7 L/s

Edited August 14, 2012 by Foursh

[nerdboy64]

Very nice, Foursh. Since you're the first one to enter, you get to be the first on the leaderboards with 1450 points. I couldn't tell if you managed to land totally vertical, but as the rules state you may post again having completed that challenge.

I think I'll hold off on the special awards until a few more people submit their craft.

I've also been trying to get my own entry, just to put someone else on the board, but I discovered that the radial-mount liquid engines can't be toggles with right click. *sadface*

Edited August 14, 2012 by nerdboy64

[TOROWY]

that jackal is sweet

[Alias]

Taking off vertically

holding hover for 10 sec

landed at launch pad

water landing (also like foursh, this should be proof of completely vertical landing)

at KSC2. Tried landing at launch pad but crashed

Slow 9 min climb to 500m while in EVA the entire time!!! This should serve as proof of both EVA and 500 m challenge

Fuel Consumption at full throttle = 1 L/s

Total Mass = 18.15 tons

Edited August 18, 2012 by Alias

[randyrules711]

I'll make some modifications to the X-1 and have it a go.

[nerdboy64]

Added you to the board and updated Foursh since safe water landings have to be pretty much vertical. You both appear to have gotten the exact same score, so maybe I'll think of some more challenges in the hopes that there will be some variation.

[deskjetser]

I have had my own attempt at this. I would like to go into relative detail to how I came about creating what I did.

After observing the vehicles already entered, I decided not to formally enter myself, but instead just share my design and thoughts. My reason for not entering was that Alias and Foursh have already completed the 'design brief' and I wish not to continue development of my craft.

I present the YB-VTOL Mk1, the name says it all. ('YB' meaning experimental.)

The inspiration for this aircraft was the fact of the 'limitations' by Alias' and Foursh's designs. Those in my observable opinion being, they were too complex, too fuel thirsty and too heavy. Aside from that, they were excellent craft, and I mean no harm to the designers, as im just pointing out all designs have draw-backs and advantages.

With my design, I am proud to say, I have killed many birds with 1 stone. (No birds were actually harmed in the making.)

These are:

- Fuel consumption drastically reduced

- Simplicity slightly increased

- Weight drastically reduced

- Stability during flight extremely good

- Any and all balance issues that other designs face are fixed

However with every design there are problems that are created due to this arrangement.

These are:

- Complicated to land

- Shortened range (Estimated 400km range, untested as of yet)

- Must use ASAS system in order to land

Stable hovering on a full load of fuel uses 0.2-0.3L/sec of fuel. And using two 400L tanks this gives the YB-VTOL 44 estimated Minutes of hover time!

The time from hover to forward flight is tiny. The transition time is so small, you can be hovering, and just slam down the 'W' key until you hit 10 degrees and be flying. Personally I believe this is a major benefit of this layout, over other designs.

As this most likely would be a military aircraft, maneuverability is key for me.

Statistics:

Weight: 10.07 tons (Almost half of the lightest entry so far!)

Maximum take off weight: 15 tons (VTOL)

Range: 739.92km @ 10km, 709.92km @ 10km 'safe' range

Fuel consumption @ VTOL: 0.2-0.3L/sec = 44 minutes hover time

Fuel consumption @ Cruise speed: 0.2-0.3L/sec

Fuel consumption @ Full throttle: 0.4L/sec (Under half of the least thirsty entry so far!)

Top speed: 370m/s @ 10km

Please remember I have not formally entered the challenge, I just want to share a little my endeavor with VTOL.

Although I encourage any comments =].

Edited August 25, 2012 by deskjetser
Added range after calculation

[deskjetser]

I calculated the theoretical range of my craft.

There really isnt a standard system of doing things in KSP, so im just going to use the mathematical way of calculating range.

So, rather than spending hours and hours flying my craft to the limit of its range and taking the range KSP gives me...

I did this: (Id recommend everyone uses this method, it could become the 'standard' for measuring range of a craft.)

1) Flew my craft at 10km and took the speed reading, it was 370m/s.

2) Took the fuel capacity of my craft, 800L being two FLT-T400 tanks.

3) Opened the config file for the TurboJet Engine, and took the burn rate at full throttle, being 0.4.(L/sec.)

4) Did the math:

800L divided by 0.4L/sec = 2000 seconds of burn time at full throttle.

2000 divided by 60 to give burn time in minutes = [33.33 minutes of burn time at full throttle.]

370m/s divided by 10 to give speed per seconds in kilometers per seconds = 0.370km/sec

0.370km/sec divided by 60 to give km per minute traveled = [22.2km per minute]

Ok now we have the two key numbers we need to calculate range at 10km altitude. [33.33] minutes of full throttle time and [22.2]km per minute.

Now we times them together to get the total range of our craft: 33.33 x 22.2 = 739.92km total range at 10km

YB-VTOL range: 739.92km (This doesn't take into account climbing to 10km, so take 30km off just to be safe and you have: 709.92km 'safe' range)

Hope I made it clear enough, and im glad to share this, as its very nice to know the range of your craft before you fall short after many hours of flying.