The Southern Express

[gopa4]

I am attempting to build a Plane that has the capabilities of visiting the souther pole of Kerbin and then making a return trip back.

[gopa4]

I seem to have discovered, science! Or at least less failure and flopping about.

[gopa4]

Alright, now that I have a bit more time I can flesh this bad boy out.

Day 1:

With the previous Kerbinal Space Agency going defunct we have recieved the majority of the funding available here at the KARA or Kerbin Aerospace Reclamation Agency. However there was one stipulation, our first project is a long range jet with the ability to nearly circum-navigate the Kerglobe. I have my suspicions that my superiors just want a platform to launch assaults against our neighbors, and shudder at the thought of me and my groups work being utilized in such a way. But we have all agreed that the science that we could perform would out weigh their ambitions.

Day 15:

We have run into a huge brick wall, they tell us it is nearly impossible to perform such a feet with the technology we have at hand...however the boys and girls (we are after all an equal opportunity Kerbin employer) in the R&D department inform us they may have found a way. They plan on using the defunct design for the light bomber code named "Load Barron" and a feature essentially coppied verbatum from one of our neighbors. The "OneFJef" has come up with a wing design that allows for extreme long range and our Kerbals believe this is exactly the breakthrough we have needed.

Day 57: With the design coming to an end I can't help but wonder if this is at all possible, even with the breakthrough we recently came up with. I stifle my own doubts as to keep moral amongst the ranks high...

Day 72: Constuction has just now begun...but to what end? What if our platform is used to dominate the entirity of Kerbin...none the matter now we must press forward for science! (Self plug WARNING!!!) If you are interested check out my narrated play through in the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDM7W...&feature=g-upl

Day 127: With the conclussion of the test flights and the entirety of the Top Kerbrass watching and leaving disappointed, we have been delivered and ultimatum: make it fly or recieve no further funding. What a dismal failure...not even the Kerbins in the Happiness Department can't even come up with reasurances enough to make any of us hopeful.

Day 134: Eureka! After an all night banana fueled binge I have stumbled across the answer...it was so SIMPLE and we were so blind to this fact. Just move the glide wings...BACK AH HA! I demonstrate this to the Kerbals in the R&D department and their jaws drop. Our technicians are immediately put to work adjusting our existing fleet to the new design specs. We all have our fingers crossed.

Day 158: The Kerbrass finally agrees to come out once more and the expressions after seeing the beautiful flight and landing of The Southern Express Mk2 brings tears of joy to all of us

To be continued....Will we make it? Will funding be cut? Will the Happiness Department ever cheer up?!?!? Stay tuned!

[gopa4]

Day 200: With preperations complete the flight team of the Southern Express Mk2.1 Nicknamed "Freight-train" lifted off and performed some minor manuevors before adjusting course for the southpole. Around 55km out they jetisoned their booster jet engines and switched on their main turbo jet engine. At this point the auto pilot was activated and the Kerbins participated in a live feed. They just had one thing to say: "Next time install a toilet!" Before mumbling something about their g-suits not being fully capable. Their course aimed at the north eastern coast of the polar ice cap residing in the south of Kerbin.

Day 201: We have recieved word that they are on their last fuel tank with only 600 seconds remaining of viable fuel before they have to glide, however on the positive side they have direct visual contact with the south pole. It was at this point that mission control determined that powered flight should no longer be considered an option and to glide the remaining distance to their new "landing" site. Therefore ensuring some take-off capabilities or at the very least fuel for warmth generation once at their destination. When asked about their predicament and new temporary housing they replied "It is DAMN cold here, you better send a rescue flight ASAP" they did have one scientific observation, that their was a distinct lack of penguins inhabiting the south.

and the proof. Edited September 27, 2012 by gopa4

[gopa4]

Day 224:

The board of directors approached me today and asked that I present them with a visual catalogue of the progress of project "Southern Express" and must oblige them

Thusly, the Southern Express mk 1

This version of the model was plagued with huge instability in the areas of powered flight, take off, and even glidding. Only with a miraculous last minute change by the R&D department was any portion of this design savlaged.

This leads us to the much more highly successful Southern Express mk2

This varient is supier to the Mk1 version in every way. She exhibits beautiful take off, landing, turning ability, general stability, landing. Everything. However pay no attention to the serial markings of "1.4" this was an error on the Kerbin assigned to paint the markings, he has since be terminated.

And her variants to this date:

Day 230:

After submitting the visual record I have recieved orders from the very top of Kerbal Kammand. We are to scrap all polar test flights and to commence with attempts at circum navigating Kerbin. I fear that this test flight is in preperation for a first strike. However I must be confident that our capabilities will not be utilized for such horrendous actions. I inform the flight teams and we begin prepping to launch our first attempt at circumnavigation. Stay tuned for recordings of this attempt:

PARACHUTES!!!

Also I will be updating the final part of my Southern Express series. I have declared a "theoretical" victory

Edited September 29, 2012 by gopa4

[gopa4]

Day 300:

I just can't remove my face from the palms of my hands...such utter failure and atrocities committed today. So many lives and billions of dollars lost. Why! WHY? Why did the engineers not check to see if a slight shift would cause such harm. At least we have video recording of the events to study and prevent such loss again.

[Mun Man]

Please Add a .CRAFT file! This is awesome!

[gopa4]

Day 365:

Today marks the one year anniversity of our attempts at extreme long range flight. With that said we launch one final flight the crew suited off, was saluted and departed. Their journey stretch across a significant portion of Kerbin, witnessing sunset and sunrise. Unfortunately the blackbox recording software took slight damage upon initial flight, and therefore a large portion of the footage was lost. Upon the completion of this flight I have submitted my resignation and applied for the interplanetary program.

In the attachments you will find the very initial version of the Southern Express and finally the version I used to get my long range flights.

[Brendan2097]

Flying there and back again with stock parts is a true challenge... Not only that, but the craft tends to bee pretty ugly

I have just completed my first true atmospheric circumnavigation of Kerbin... One tank of gas, no stops, all the way around to land at KSP again. It took about an hour and the max speed was 2150 m/s or so (Mach 6+), which means as well as being VTOL, my craft was truly hypersonic. I used the B9 aerospace parts. They look much better than stock parts and build better airplanes

[duncan1297]