Kerbal Space Center Annual Float-Fly Regatta!

[ralanboyle]

Kerbal Space Center hosts an annual Seaplane race to raise funds for science!

This year, the money will go toward fixing the ice-cream machine in the break room.

 

Your Seaplane will launch from the Boat Launch, fly under the R&D bridge, around the VAB, around the Training Center, then under the Crane to a water landing.

See below for image and example video. 

 

There are two categories: 

 

Traditional- 

Your plane will be powered only by jet engines. 

It must take off and land horizontally. Using wings for lift.  

It must not discard any parts. 

It must be fully reusable after landing. 

 

Unlimited-

There are no limits on engine type. 

VTOLs are acceptable. 

Your craft can discard stages but must land in a controlled way without breaking. 

 

Scoring: 

The Mission Timer is used and your time stops when your aircraft is in the water moving less than 5m/s. 

 

@Goddchen - I am specifically calling you out! Can you beat my time?!

 

Edited April 27 by ralanboyle
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[Goddchen]

Cool challenge! I do accept the challenge! And I'm proud to be part of this cool annual event.

My current best time: 2:06.

 

[ralanboyle]

Alright here is a 92 second run. I realized that a canard style stabilator was another way to get the nose high enough to give the wings lift. 

 

[Goddchen]

@ralanboyle Amazing, congratulations!

I got some questions:

1) Canard style? What? That works amazingly well. How do you do it? Is it a stabilizer at the front? How do you control it? A quick action group?

2) What happened to your video during the finish? I first thought my PC was crashing 

3) If you have a look at my video, my plane's SAS is constantly trying to correct its previous over-correction and the plane is wobbling back and forth. I had that with some planes that I designed in the past. Do you have an idea what is causing this and how to fix it?

Maybe with answers to those questions, I can do another attempt

[ralanboyle]

9 hours ago, Goddchen said:

1) Canard style? What? That works amazingly well. How do you do it? Is it a stabilizer at the front? How do you control it? A quick action group?

2) What happened to your video during the finish? I first thought my PC was crashing 

3) If you have a look at my video, my plane's SAS is constantly trying to correct its previous over-correction and the plane is wobbling back and forth. I had that with some planes that I designed in the past. Do you have an idea what is causing this and how to fix it?

Ohhh buddy, I have some answers! 

First, I will preface with the fact that I am a massive aero nerd that is currently drunk in a hotel room (which is where I live most of my life and where I play most of my Kerbal.) So I ask that you overlook any errors I make in this explanation. 

1.  A "Canard" wing is a small forward wing. In front of the main wing. Think of the Write Brother's airplane, or the modern RAF Typhoon or even the Concord. That little wing at the front is a Canard style stabilizer with a control surface. Now, a "Stabilator" is a a combination of a control surface and it's stabilizer. So normally, you have a part that does not move in front of the part that does move. So when the control surface moves, it's trailing edge goes up or down and changes the cord line relative to the leading edge of the stabilizing, non-moving part. However, a stabilator combines these parts, so the whole thing moves. So you get much more affect from any movement. Some examples IRL are all modern American Fighters and a few American General Aviation airplanes like the Piper Cherokee and it's offspring. In KSP2  you can find them under "Control Surfaces." I used the MCPS 500. These are all examples of a stabilator in the back (empennage) of the plane. To my knowledge there has never been a production airplane with a canard stabilator, because it would be horrifyingly sensitive! Hold, let me google... okay wikipedia has something about a XP-55 which never made it out of the testing stage in the 1940s... 

2. I slowed my video down to 0.1 speed in order to show the finish time. Sorry, I should have put a graphic onscreen. 

3. Yes, it takes much less control authority to fly in the air than it does to get out of the water. So our planes have huge control surfaces in order to get up an away, but that causes the SAS to freak out and over correct in flight. I solved this by disabling SAS almost immediately after take off. You're probably just gonna have to fly her yourself instead of letting the SAS do it. If your airplanes do this in KSP2, just make their control surfaces smaller. Aircraft design is a balance between controllability and aero forces. The faster you go, the less control is required to make directional change. So slow planes need big control surfaces and fast planes need little ones. Also computers (like SAS) are helpful but they will always get schooled by a good pilot! Leave me alone and I'll control a smoother landing than a computer landing system on a windy day, every time! 

EDIT: Also yes, you should be able to just turn your canard off with an action group. I tried but it does not seem to work. 

Edited April 29 by ralanboyle
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[ImNotJebediah]

nice

[leos101]

28.04.2024 в 01:34, Годдхен сказал:

Крутой вызов! Я принимаю вызов! И я горжусь тем, что являюсь частью этого крутого ежегодного мероприятия.

Мое текущее лучшее время: 2:06.

 

Aww man! This challenge is gonna be very fun!!!!

[ralanboyle]

I wanted to push into the sub 1 minute time and I got there with this new little flier. I'm consistently surprised to find that simplicity is almost always the key to speed! 

I did two runs, both in the video and they each ended up at 58 seconds. 

 

[Goddchen]

2 hours ago, ralanboyle said:

I wanted to push into the sub 1 minute time and I got there with this new little flier. I'm consistently surprised to find that simplicity is almost always the key to speed! 

I did two runs, both in the video and they each ended up at 58 seconds. 

 

Wow, absolutely amazing!

[hunjo]

Sounds like a thrilling event! Excited to see all the innovative seaplane designs and support a good cause. Can't wait for the race!