Fuel efficiency challenge

[ARS]

The challenge is simple: fly as far as you can while using the least amount of fuel as possible

To make this interesting, here's the rule:

-stock only, no mods (FAR, technical readout and graphic mods are okay), no cheating

-you can freely design your craft, but your craft must be powered by "engine assembly", which consisted of: Intake (allowed intake: circular, adjustable ramp and shock cone intake) - mk1 fuel tank - jet engine (allowed engines: panther, wheesley, whiplash, rapier (jet mode only)). You can attach at maximum of 3 engine assembly (1200 units of fuel), but you are not allowed to attach other engines, or intakes outside of that assembly

-if using fuel-carrying part, such as big-s wings or large airplane wing, the content must be emptied. The only fuel source must be from mk1 fuel tank in engine assembly

-do not leave atmosphere, do not use solid rocket, lf/ox, ion, monopropellant engines, or any other glitching shenanigans for propulsion. no staging or destroying part, no dropping parts/engine assembly, the plane must land/ splashed down intact

How the scoring works:

(Distance travelled) / (amount of fuel used) 

note: if using FAR, your final score will be increased by 10%

mk1 fuel tank have 400 units of fuel, so for example, if I traveled for 360km, and used 40 units of fuel, then the score will be: 360 / 40 = 9, if I make it farther, say 390km with 40 units of fuel, then the score will be 390 / 40 = 9.75. This challenge is focused towards flight skills about gliding the plane to make it as far as possible with the least amount of fuel as possible. Your flight is considered ended when your plane has landed/ splashing down. The scoring will be divided according to the number of engine assemblies used

Leaderboards:

-1 assembly:

 

-2 assemblies:

 

-3 assemblies:

 

Good luck, and may the sky has silver lining from your flight (or trail of debris, if you're unlucky)

Edited February 28, 2018 by ARS

[MarvinKitFox]

deja vu?

[Guest]

On 2/28/2018 at 9:49 AM, MarvinKitFox said:

deja vu?

Mine went dead... hopefully this one doesn't. 

Also, @ARS, FAR needs its own leaderboard. FAR crafts actually fly further on less fuel, due to less "soupy" atmospheres.

[Van Disaster]

FAR will definitely need a leaderboard. There was a recent one of these where the first plane I threw together using FAR went about 4x the distance as when I stuck it in stock aero.

[zolotiyeruki]

I would like to make a suggestion: Given that the F3 menu is wildly inaccurate and that you will likely have folks circumnavigation on that much fuel, I think it would be wise to require players to fly an equatorial route and use longitude to calculate distance flown.

[zolotiyeruki]

Here's my entry, or rather a pair of entries.  This simple craft went around Kerbin 7 times, or 7 times plus a little, depending on whether the craft needs to survive intact, on 400 units of fuel. RAPIERS at high altitude and speed are incredibly efficient--the air is thin, and when you're only 400 m/s away from full orbital velocity, gravity's pull is a lot less effective, so induced drag is a lot lower.

Album: https://imgur.com/a/g1vIH

My score is thus:
If intact landing is required: (26,376km/400 fuel) = 65.94 km/l
If intact landing not required: (27412km/400 fuel) = 68.53 km/l

For the sake of full disclosure, there is a shock cone intake mounted backwards on the engine, and offset into the body.  However, it was closed for the duration of the flight (and wouldn't make a difference even if it were open).

Edited March 31, 2018 by zolotiyeruki