Spaceplane Design Tips?

[kodemunkey]

I threw together a spaceplane this morning, and when i take off the thing always dips to the right and smears itself across the runway. I'm thinking it's due to the super duper ramscoop engines i have in it. Is this the case, and do any of you more experienced types have any useful tips for me?

[Audiopulse]

look up scott manley at youtube. He has some highly enjoyable videos about ksp - its almost as good as watching TV.

One of his vids is about making a spaceplane. You can see him test and try till, at the end, he gets a working space-plane that he manages to orbit around kerbin. He also explains some things so you can actually learn something.

[kodemunkey]

Thanks, i'll look into that, in the meantime, here's a picture of my plane.

[Warshawski]

Not an overall bad design, but I'd say take off the forward swept fin in the back, and remove the parachute. Extra weight is not your friend. I'd say ditch the ASAS, as well. Have you checked to see whether or not your landing gear are all actually even? Usually if it's veering off they're unevenly placed on the airframe.

[Vanamonde]

By the way, everybody's planes dive to the side while trying to take off. It's a bug they're aware of and are going to fix at some point. I myself spent 2.5 hours yesterday trying to get a spaceplane off the ground. The dive-to-the-side glitch meant I couldn't keep them on the runway, and the sticky-terrain glitch meant I couldn't keep the wheels on the plane. It was a massacre.

[erkha343]

I'm going to hijack this thread and ask why my surface controls are inverted

[EndlessWaves]

This is my first attempt at a space plane. I'm beginning to think the ramscoops are a bit too much for this plane, and perhaps it's a fuselage segment too long?

The engine bodies and intakes don't seem to do anything currently, just stick a turbo jet directly on the back of a fuel tank (any fuel tank, rockets and jet engines both use the same fuel at the moment). Likewise the Avionics and Advanced SAS do the same job with different tunings so it's a case of using one or the other.

You haven't said what problem you have with it. You've got a very heavy back end and not much lift though so I'd expect it to want to pitch up but with the large wagglers at the front you should be able to curb most of that for level flight (although turning may be unstable). Moving the wings back as far as possible would likely help with stability, or adding a second pair to the end of or behind the current pair.

I can't see the rear wheels so if they're close together you might get it weaving on the runway a bit. Putting them at the edge of the wings would help (wasd and qe to rotate), but you might have to add a couple of braces to stop that heavy fuselage sagging if you do that.

I don't know the details of the bug but I've found with wide wheel placement veering is a very minor issue, most of my planes will get to the end of the runway without the controls being touched. Any spectacular veering is usually the result of unstable wheels, wings or just a part I forgot to make symmetrical.

Edited August 21, 2012 by EndlessWaves

[_Aramchek_]

Accelerate slowly until you hit 60 m/s and the plane won't dive to the side, then give it as much throttle as you'd like.

[Shadownailshot]

I wanted to point out... your parachute is on the wrong side of the decoupler. Not gonna help much when you try and save your crew, jettison, and realize that your parachute is gone with the back half of the plane.

[Suzaku]

Can you show us a picture of your space plane on the runway?

[kodemunkey]

I saw a war video with a VTOL aircraft, where would i find those parts?

[Shadownailshot]

I saw a war video with a VTOL aircraft, where would i find those parts?

In your stock parts.

[KerbalConfetti]

I wanted to point out... your parachute is on the wrong side of the decoupler. Not gonna help much when you try and save your crew, jettison, and realize that your parachute is gone with the back half of the plane.

Just for argument sake jet engines and fuselage probably cost more than replacement kerbals...

[Shadownailshot]

Just for argument sake jet engines and fuselage probably cost more than replacement kerbals...

You make a valid point sir.

[kodemunkey]

The video mentioned a mod called Damned Aeropsace & Robitics, i searched for it on the forum, but i cant find it, is it really old? Also, how do i actually activate VTOL mode on the engines that have it?

Edited August 21, 2012 by kodemunkey

[sal_vager]

Here's the robotics pack.

And here's the aerospace pack

[kodemunkey]

Ah! thanks I presume there's also a handy mod installation guide? or is it idiot proof and i just shove the files in the correct folders?

[Shadownailshot]

Ah! thanks I presume there's also a handy mod installation guide? or is it idiot proof and i just shove the files in the correct folders?

Idiot proof my good sir.

[kodemunkey]

I must be a huge idiot then, because i cant get it to work, are there any other programs i need ?

[kodemunkey]

Go me, i forgot to put the parts in the parts folder, all sorted now

[sal_vager]

As long as you copy the folders in the Zip to the KSP_win directory, the parts and plugins should all go in their respective folders, parts into parts, .dll's into plugins.

Source can go anywhere, it's not needed

[kodemunkey]

Ok, next question, is there a vtol tutorial on the forum? i found one on youtube, but it mentioned the c7 / k7 aircraft parts mod, which i dont think has working links.

[softweir]

I don't think there is a tutorial. You'll have to play with using some of the damned robotics joints to swivel the engines, and do a LOT of playing around getting the engines close to the centre of mass so the vtol plane doesn't tip over as it lifts off!

Good luck!

[cardgame]

A few plane designs can avoid the left/right smearing problem with ASAS and very gentle rudder taps while under 40m/s.

[kodemunkey]

Ah, so the avionics do nothing and i do need asas then?