Space plane certification and prooving grounds

[Exclipse]

SPACE PLANE CERTIFICATION

AND

PROVING GROUNDS

Ever wanted a page where you could look up the best aircraft for eradicting rocks from the Duna surface. Ever felt like taking a Bomber up and just letting stuff go above KSC? Well here at the Spaceplane Certification and Prooving Grounds (SCPG) we aim to put together a listing of all the best aircraft, and not so great ones, test them out and give them ratings so you can find the craft that you want!

So here is how this works, below is a listing of three aircraft types, each aircraft has certain grading points. Grades are out of a 10 point scale, and the leader of that grading point will set the bar for what a 10 is.

So if Bill Kerman has a plane that can carry 100 Tons of bombs and KerbaClause gifts in his Snowsleigh craft and currently had a score of 10/10 and then Jeb comes and releases his Grinchhat bomber that carries 200 Tons of bombs and coal, then Bill's score will be reset to 5/10 and Jeb will lead with a score of 10/10. Easy enough right?

Well there is a little more to it. Obviously there are several grading points so your ships overal score is made up out of all the points together. The top 5 of each class will get highlighted in this main post, and the top of each grading point will be highlighted next to the grading point.

-RULES-

1. Only stock submissions!

2. Modifying stock parts is not allowed!

3. When submiting your craft you need to submit with: 1 or 2 sexy photos of it, 1 craft file, video optional.

4. Each craft will be heavily tested by myself and others, so if you cheated we will know

5. You can submit your craft for as many classes as you like, but being a jack of all trades does not get you extra points

6. Crafts can be submited for certificatioins on other planets shortly

7. Rules are subject to change.

-Top 5 Bombers-

unclaimed

-Top 5 Interceptors-

unclaimed

-Top 5 Fighters-

Narvi (55/60) - Exclipse

Bomber:

-Thust/Lift efficieny-

Unclaimed (no score)

-Payload-

Unclaimed (no score)

-Range-

Unclaimed (no score)

-Cool factor-

Unclaimed (no score)

Strike:

-Time on Target-

Unclaimed (no score)

-Weight-

Unclaimed (no score)

-Payload-

Unclaimed (no score)

-Cool Factor-

Unclaimed (no score)

Fighter:

-Manuverability-

Narvi (Very High)

-Payload-

Narvi (2x2 Rockets (2.5T))

-Time to combative-

Narvi (14 seconds)

-Weight-

Narvi (10T)

-Accuracy-

Narvi (Moderate 7/10)

-Cool Factor-

Narvi (8/10)

-Definitions of grading points-

-Thust/Lift efficieny- How efficient is your aircraft? Does it rely on it's wings to burn little fuel while traveling?

-Payload- How much ordinance can your aircraft carry? Ordinance is detacheable bombs/rockets/missiles. Fuel tanks that are not full do not count, so if you have bombs built from fuel tanks, but your plane also burns the fuel from them they are disqualified, these are drop tanks. Post total weight as well as number of bombs/rockets/missiles.

-Range- How far can your travel from your start point and still return?

-Cool factor- Is your plane badass? Or does it look like Jeb was let lose in the hangar?

-Time on Target- How quickly can your aircraft reach the target (currently Island east of KSC at an altitude of 1000M)

-Weight- People like to be able to put these things into space and take them on vaction, keep the weight down so we don't spend a krillion on fuel going to Laythe!

-Manuverability- Is your aircraft a wascally wabbit? Or more of an air walrus?

-Time to combative- How quickly can your aircraft get into the air from a full stop on the runway and be fully manuverable at 500m or higher?

-Accuracy- Do those rockets stapled to your aircraft hit you in the tail pipe or can you hit Jebs eye from orbit?

-In Testing-

Polar Express - Markus Reese

Vindicator - Markus Reese

vampire mk 3 - toxictalon74

Edited September 29, 2012 by Exclipse

[Exclipse]

Planetary Certifications!

Once your craft has been proven on Kerbin you can request that it be certified for use on other planets. To do this you must submit it with a platform capable of taking it to said planets, return not required, only a bonus. Once your craft is proven on said planets it will recieve the badge for operation on said planets. Currently you can submit for Eve, Duna or Laythe.

[Markus Reese]

What about historical crafts? A while back in 1.5 did a ship that was able to land on both muns, then spaceplaned in and bombed the ksc 2. I have it on video if you want. At current my source isn't flash enabled so I cannot get at the link. But if you google ksp2 bombing run, it will come up.

Also, I have been working on a very special space plane for planetary travel. I think you would approve as a badass looking plane. Even the stage separations are designed to be stylish. I have some final test runs before I unveil it.

[Exclipse]

I look forward to your submissions, but without the screen shots and craft file I wo0n't be able to add it as a submission. Also it needs to be the current .17 game version. Perhaps you could update it to the current game if you do find it.

[Tim_Barrett]

*cracks knuckles*

[Tim_Barrett]

Just to clarify, how do you actually make proper missiles and bombs with just stock?

[Exclipse]

Just to clarify, how do you actually make proper missiles and bombs with just stock?

The new sepatron rockets are amazing for making unguided rockets

Bombs can be as simple as some fuel tanks with fins on the end and a cone on the front to keep it straight as it falls.

I will post my personal Fighter soon to hopefully inspire people!

It is pretty badass if I must say so myself

[Tim_Barrett]

The new sepatron rockets are amazing for making unguided rockets

Bombs can be as simple as some fuel tanks with fins on the end and a cone on the front to keep it straight as it falls.

I will post my personal Fighter soon to hopefully inspire people!

It is pretty badass if I must say so myself

That's exactly what I have been doing, but they don't fly straight since there aren't small enough fins to keep it stable. I got the weight down, but it's not really that appealing. Are you set on stock only? No missile/bomb mods?

[Nooblet68]

*cracks knuckles as well*

[Exclipse]

That's exactly what I have been doing, but they don't fly straight since there aren't small enough fins to keep it stable. I got the weight down, but it's not really that appealing. Are you set on stock only? No missile/bomb mods?

Perhaps you have not fully explored their potantial

And yes, quite set on stock only, unless enough of you are not up for the challenge.

If you watch this clip in HD you should get a pretty good idea of how to set them up.

Edited September 26, 2012 by Exclipse

[Tim_Barrett]

Ah, I've been going too conventional with turning the decouplers, but it looks like you accidentally ran into a workaround.

[iamaphazael]

edit: upon further inspection, I realize that my you're looking strictly for spaceplanes, and so my aircraft are not really exactly what you're looking for, so I've removed them and just posted them over at the spacecraft exchange

Edited September 27, 2012 by iamaphazael

[Exclipse]

Those aircraft would have been accepted, they just don't seem to be carrying any payload, and would not be able to receive badges for capabilities on Duna, Laythe or Eve.

[Markus Reese]

Second edit: I should learn to read more closely. The focus is on bombers and I haven't attached any bombs to mine.... sorry about that, but still are some cool planes.... Maybe if you have a favorite bomb design can have fun mounting or something XD.

Well, am back home, so first two vintage spaceplane recordings. I will need to hunt for the archived fitting so guess they are not submissions, but still cool for stock parts. Here is the story of my most epic one first off. The link to the Bioman campaign challenge. I have sort of retired from the extreme stuff and now focus on cool designs, but is by far my most epic story.

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/13638-Bio-Campaign-Missions?p=202962&viewfull=1#post202962

and the bombing run

The .craft files are in the thread, but would need retrofit to modern technology. Not submitted since I have other ksp projects on the go, but still was an awesome mission. It was version 0.15 so fuel efficiencies and tank quantities have changed, plus the 2m tanks.

Second historical one was made for a historical re-creation. I need to find the .craft, but the plane should work better with the new patches plus myself now having a flight stick. Fun to watch vid though.

Here is a submission. Originally made for 0.16, but the ship still works fine. Some fuel management to maintain centre of gravity is needed, but outside of that, is a single stage plane that can reach the poles using only airbreathers. Plus has a cool and unique style.

I present Polar Express

Edit. Might not actually reach poles now. I havent tried. I built this and flew it before fuel bug was discovered. I might have made it to poles on partial throttles. If tested now, probably wouldn't reach poles, but still is a neat plane.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Markus Reese

[Thobewill10]

The fuel bug didn't affect jet engines, so you're good.

[Markus Reese]

Cool to know. I am going to have to try and attach some sort of ordinance to my planes and make them more compatible. Have some ideas and hopefully they work.

[Markus Reese]

Woo hoo! Designs work. Behold my actual completed and new submissions

I present Vindicator

This is a high altitude heavy bomb payload rocket capable of a configurable deployment system as seen here with the largest Omega bomb. The omega bomb is an 18t "guided" air/fuel bomb. (mechjeb guidance system not included)

Many different bomb configurations are available according to customer demands. 9bomb-2.25t ea. Multi deployment bombs and clusterbomb packs are also available. All three options are available for your testing. Clusterbomb is currently set for single fire deployment, but is easy to change bomb configuration to your own triggering setup.

(Note... Due to time, I couldn't do any extensive testing of the planes, so I am looking forward to seeing what you guys can do with it)

Edited September 27, 2012 by Markus Reese

[Exclipse]

Thanks for your submissions! I will be giving these a work over when I get off work later today.

Here is my own submission for the fighter class!

[Markus Reese]

Quick question for you actually. I have been toying with the idea of mechjeb guided missiles or other forms of ai control (see the omega bomb). I however don't have nor have any intention of getting/installing mechjeb. So for the accuracy part, can it be considered accurate if there is control surfaces that an addon such as mechjeb or whatever allows uncrewed vessels to be controlled?

[Exclipse]

If your weapons hit stuff or come close is how accuracy is decided. If you use a plugin to guide the missiles I think I would accept that, so long as the ship itself is not effected by any mods or plugins.

Obviously guided missiles cannot be done without a plugin using stock materials. So that limits people to just dumb bombs, and I would like to see some guided systems if people can figure them out.

[bomberJV]

So does it have to be able to get on Duna, because my bomber might be to heavy for any rocket to handle, but it can get to space.

[razgriz86er]

i wanted to share "guidance" in the form of the lazor mod. Actual tracking missiles that can lock on from kilos away granted your lasers have LOS to target.

http://i.imgur.com/bVgKp.jpg http://i.imgur.com/2vOO8.jpg http://i.imgur.com/NSNtY.jpg http://i.imgur.com/D1kaV.png

just in case you are curious about romfarer's lazor modded planes, i included the craft file.

besides the tracking missiles (lazor mod) the "gravity 15 L" is stock.

please don't hate on me for posting a modded plane, as previously stated i just wanted to show the original poster an example of guidance.

[toxictalon74]

edit-it really takes off at 120-140M/s sorry!

i intruduce the vampire mk 3!

takes off at about 150-170 m/s just after flying off the end of the runway

[ATTACH=CONFIG]33882[/ATTACH]

the 6 fuel tanks are bombs to be dropped off it also when ever i use A or D it will spin around madly for no reason probably something due to its design

good luck with it and its a bomber not a fighter

Edited September 29, 2012 by toxictalon74

[Markus Reese]

Toxic, with that much lifting surface, your plane should have a much lower takeoff speed. The issue is your rear landing gear, you will want to move them closer to your center of gravity. That is why you cannot lift until runway end. Also with my sub there and the mega bomber. I was fiddling with an obvious idea. Put each bomb coupler in a different stage, drop them in singles. Really fun for the cluster bomb one. Provided your comp can run it. That many bombs makes mine lage out bad.

[toxictalon74]

i got a other plane which i could enter the behemoth and the vortex both are made of over 100 parts and cause lag when they take off but not when they are flying

the landing gear is that far back to prevent the back coming off when i take off (issues with the behemoth and vortex) and that often causes me to crash

thanks for the help though i try to make a new version to fix any problems

PS. i will try that bomb system you mentioned.

Edited September 29, 2012 by toxictalon74