Breaking Ground DLC aircraft challenge

[Klapaucius]

18 minutes ago, Brikoleur said:

Okay I'll give it a shot later today. I, erm, haven't ever used HyperEdit or the mission builder, so I'll have to figure those out first though...

The Mission Builder is a stellar hyperedit tool--that's what I mostly use it for. You can easily put one of your copters on Laythe, Eve or Duna and see how they work in alien environments.  Also, it is brilliant for testing boats and subs, because you don't have to add wheels or make the tedious trek down the runway every time you change something.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Klapaucius said:

The Mission Builder is a stellar hyperedit tool--that's what I mostly use it for. You can easily put one of your copters on Laythe, Eve or Duna and see how they work in alien environments.  Also, it is brilliant for testing boats and subs, because you don't have to add wheels or make the tedious trek down the runway every time you change something.

No doubt. I've avoided HyperEdit partly because I enjoy the thrill/challenge of developing things the hard way and seeing if they work in their intended environment. I've conquered Eve in a spaceplane this way (after several disasters at the end of the trip!) and the cycle of careful development followed by frustration and ultimately capped by success is a big part of why I'm so hooked on KSP.

I have been thinking of letting that go however as there are things that are just too tedious to tune that way -- helos and subs take a lot of iteration and while I think I could make something that works on Duna or Eve in a couple of rounds, making something that works well would be too much effort if I actually had to fly it there every time. 

[Guest]

Argh, the mission builder doesn't seem to like the Kalypso. I get an "Unable to start mission" when attempting to launch with it (I just dragged it into the Ships folder). I can't even launch it from the VAB as a self-built ship. Am I missing something? Are there boxes I need to tick for it to allow the BG parts or something?

-- Challenges like this would be rad btw if they came with a preconfigured mission.

Edited June 11, 2019 by Guest

[Klapaucius]

31 minutes ago, Brikoleur said:

Argh, the mission builder doesn't seem to like the Kalypso. I get an "Unable to start mission" when attempting to launch with it (I just dragged it into the Ships folder). I can't even launch it from the VAB as a self-built ship. Am I missing something? Are there boxes I need to tick for it to allow the BG parts or something?

-- Challenges like this would be rad btw if they came with a preconfigured mission.

I'll download the file and have a play. Will get back to you.

[Klapaucius]

@Brikoleur, I think you need to file a bug report. I cannot get it to work either. I also then tried loading one of your other copters and had the same issue. I even tried renaming it in the SPH and resaving it to no avail.  All of my craft work fine, so something in the Mission Builder does not like whatever physics is going on with copters.  

This is probably not selling you on it, but honest, its really good most of the time...

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, Klapaucius said:

This is probably not selling you on it, but honest, its really good most of the time...

Hey man, I'm a software developer in my day job, it'll take more than a bug or two to discourage me. I'll file a bug report.

Edit: Filed - https://bugs.kerbalspaceprogram.com/issues/22848

Edited June 11, 2019 by Guest

[Guest]

Presenting the BAK-9001D Super Kosmokopter. She'll fly you to Duna from the KSC, land you on the surface, fly around, then get back to Dunatian orbit, all without refueling. 

https://kerbalx.com/Brikoleur/BAK-9001D-Super-Kosmokopter

That fancy rotor isn't just for show, it's the key to the whole exercise's success.

 

Edited June 12, 2019 by Guest

[Guest]

All right, as of 1.7.2 the mission builder no longer hates BAK copters. I'll try the lake dive mission later today. (I spun it up but the Kalypso was too big for the field launch pad, fell off it and lost some bits so I'm going to have to do something about that first.)

[Klapaucius]

2 hours ago, Brikoleur said:

All right, as of 1.7.2 the mission builder no longer hates BAK copters. I'll try the lake dive mission later today. (I spun it up but the Kalypso was too big for the field launch pad, fell off it and lost some bits so I'm going to have to do something about that first.)

You don't need a launch pad. Just spawn the craft landed.

[Guest]

Just now, Klapaucius said:

You don't need a launch pad. Just spawn the craft landed.

I thought that's what I did, and it spawned on a cute little launch pad. Might've done something different though. Anyway I'm sure I can figure it out now the mission starts properly. Quite looking forward to this!

[Guest]

Annnnd.... success! Mission report with pictures in the challenge thread.

[Pds314]

I guess this belongs here. I have finally built a functioning cyclic pitch swashplate helicopter.

It has 19 moving robotics parts, but only the control pistons and main rotor are actually motorized.

 

It's extremely agile (after all it can throw its center of rotor list around by like 5 meters in any direction but relatively unstable in flight. Two ASAS units are equipped and set to SAS only to improve low speed stability.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Pds314

[Guest]

That is an awesome piece of engineering @Pds314.

I've built a fully recoverable -- in theory anyway -- Eve launch system, capable of delivering one kerbal to orbit, being refueled, reloaded, and doing it again. Behold, the BAK-9900 Seraph.

https://kerbalx.com/Brikoleur/BAK-9900-Seraph

It consists of a lifter stage, powered by three heavy rotors and a Vector, and an orbiter stage, powered by three Sparks. The lifter climbs as high up in the Evian atmosphere as it can, to a minimum of 26 km. Then it lights its Vector, disengages its rotor, rotates the blades to 90 degrees, and locks the rotor brake, then gets itself into a ballistic arc with an Ap over 60 km. It then releases the orbiter, which flies to orbit.

You need to be quick about this to switch back to the lifter before it disappears into the atmosphere, because it will survive the return to the lower atmosphere. Set collective to about 2 degrees, disengage rotor brake, and allow the craft to float out of the sky on autorotation; disengage SAS as soon as it is stable to save battery power. Touch down either with powered rotors, finessing autorotation, or simply by deploying the parachutes; with the rotors set to about 0.2 degrees and the parachutes deployed, she will touch down at about 3 m/s, and her landing legs will take that bump.

 

The orbiter carries a parachute for return to Eve, from where it can be recovered and re-mounted on the lifter... given suitable equipment of course.

To actually operate this is a significant undertaking. It takes the better part of an hour to make orbit, and it really takes the hour because the craft is not physics warp friendly. Moreover, it will land a long way downrange of its launch location so you will need to find some way to fuel it there, as well as recovering the orbiter after it has returned, and lift it on the nose of the craft. At the same time you may want to re-pack the parachutes.

Anyway -- not quite an Eve sea-level SSTO, but perhaps the next-best thing, and while flying it is a significant undertaking, it can be done without MechJeb and in a mission that lasts an hour or two rather than days.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Guest

[Klapaucius]

2 hours ago, Brikoleur said:

That is an awesome piece of engineering @Pds314.

I've built a fully recoverable -- in theory anyway -- Eve launch system, capable of delivering one kerbal to orbit, being refueled, reloaded, and doing it again. Behold, the BAK-9900 Seraph.

https://kerbalx.com/Brikoleur/BAK-9900-Seraph

It consists of a lifter stage, powered by three heavy rotors and a Vector, and an orbiter stage, powered by three Sparks. The lifter climbs as high up in the Evian atmosphere as it can, to a minimum of 26 km. Then it lights its Vector, disengages its rotor, rotates the blades to 90 degrees, and locks the rotor brake, then gets itself into a ballistic arc with an Ap over 60 km. It then releases the orbiter, which flies to orbit.

You need to be quick about this to switch back to the lifter before it disappears into the atmosphere, because it will survive the return to the lower atmosphere. Set collective to about 2 degrees, disengage rotor brake, and allow the craft to float out of the sky on autorotation; disengage SAS as soon as it is stable to save battery power. Touch down either with powered rotors, finessing autorotation, or simply by deploying the parachutes; with the rotors set to about 0.2 degrees and the parachutes deployed, she will touch down at about 3 m/s, and her landing legs will take that bump.

 

The orbiter carries a parachute for return to Eve, from where it can be recovered and re-mounted on the lifter... given suitable equipment of course.

To actually operate this is a significant undertaking. It takes the better part of an hour to make orbit, and it really takes the hour because the craft is not physics warp friendly. Moreover, it will land a long way downrange of its launch location so you will need to find some way to fuel it there, as well as recovering the orbiter after it has returned, and lift it on the nose of the craft. At the same time you may want to re-pack the parachutes.

Anyway -- not quite an Eve sea-level SSTO, but perhaps the next-best thing, and while flying it is a significant undertaking, it can be done without MechJeb and in a mission that lasts an hour or two rather than days.

This warrants a video. Perhaps a new channel?  You have developed so much cool stuff recently.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Klapaucius said:

This warrants a video. Perhaps a new channel?  You have developed so much cool stuff recently.

I've never made gameplay videos. Figuring them out is on my TODO list but somehow I find tinkering with craft always gets in the way...

[Klapaucius]

In my neverending quest to push the limits of the pointless, I introduce to you Malvolio.  Now airlines wanting both short and stretched versions of aircraft do not need buy more than one type of plane. A true revolution!

It is on KerbalX.  https://kerbalx.com/Klapaucius/Malvolio-stretch-plane

 

 

[Cavscout74]

@Klapaucius  First class already seemed like it was totally removed from coach.  Now it really is!!

[Klapaucius]

2 minutes ago, Cavscout74 said:

@Klapaucius  First class already seemed like it was totally removed from coach.  Now it really is!!

Also, increased security for the cockpit.

Edited June 25, 2019 by Klapaucius

[swjr-swis]

10 hours ago, Klapaucius said:

I introduce to you Malvolio.

Travelers can no longer complain about lack of space between the seats...

[Phreakish]

I've been playing with an idea. I have a foldable rotor on my craft which I'm using in lieu of a parachute. With almost full tanks, I'm down to about 37 m/s on descent. It's tricky though, I have to spool up the rotor (which is on an unpowered servo as a bearing) by angling my control surfaces ~20 deg, once I reach near the rpm limits, I reduce the angle of the surfaces to ~2 deg. I don't lose much if any RPM and the craft decelerates well. If I don't spool up the rotor enough, it'll drop all revs as soon as I drop the degrees... So I'm sure it's mostly a bug thing, but I'm still having fun with it.  

The space-x style legs are just connected to hinges, locking is my friend here, otherwise they lack the ability to hold up the ship. The four control surfaces sticking out behind the capsule are foldable fins for control during descent. It's tricky to manage, and I've yet to really stick a landing. I'll try again later with the tanks more empty to see if I can slow it even further for a decent touchdown. 

[Pds314]

BDArmory fighters driven by Breaking Ground-based coaxial props. Souposphere is stock. The planes also use non-motorized telescoping pistons as a structural part because configurable-length lightweight strut part for the win.

 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Pds314