Is there a way to disable or lock control surfaces?

[katateochi]

When you take a space plane (or anything with flaps) into space it looks really daft to see the craft trying to use its little wings to turn, and even worse if you turn ASAS on and it sits there flapping and twitching all its flaps.

So does anyone know if there is a way to lock the flaps like you can lock the gimble of an engine? I know (or at least am pretty sure) there is not an 'intended' way to do this, but is there a way to mod the part to have a lock action by tampering with the .cfg? What I'd like is to be able to bind this to an action group so once in space I can easily lock all the flaps on my craft.

Any ideas guys? Cheers.

[DuckZero]

As far as I know, there's no way to do this other than maybe write your own plugin.

[Warscribe]

you could remove the control surfaces, though.

edit: "Locking" would acutally be SAS turned off and not touching the controls.

[tom1499]

There is a plugin that does this,it adds many little fixes like this. Can't remember the name.

[SalmonellaDingDong]

FAR.

Ferram aerospace research.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/20451-0-19-Ferram-Aerospace-Research-v0-9-1-Aerodynamics-Fixes-For-Planes-Rockets

[sporkafife]

There isn't yet, but I think it would help greatly to be able to disable some or all of the control surfaces, by right-click or action groups. It would help with the problem of planes shuddering themselves apart to disable a couple of the control surfaces, and I personally think it would look much better in space if the control surfaces weren't flapping around pointlessly.

Having them on really doesn't hurt the craft too much, so it's probably not a top priority like disabling engines was.

[TheHengeProphet]

Ferram Aerospace research has that as a function, among other things. Good mod, but it changes the dynamics of atmospheric flight quite greatly. Perhaps you can isolate that bit of the mod if that is all you want from it.

[katateochi]

Thanks guys, I've been staying away from FAR as it sounded like I'd have to relearn a whole load of things in KSP and scrap a load of good craft, but I think maybe I need to take the plunge.

[SalmonellaDingDong]

It's a lot more fun with it installed, that's for sure.

[SciMan]

If you don't want to use FAR, you can install the Firespitter parts pack and plugin, all of the control surfaces in that pack have a part module in their part.cfg that gives you the ability to adjust their maximum deflection angle, or lock them in their neutral position. If you want the stock control surfaces to have the same abilities, all you need to do is copy the part module used by the mod's control surfaces and paste it into the part.cfg of whichever stock control surfaces you want to be able to lock.

I know that the way I described it might sound overly complex, but it's much simpler than it might sound, because it's just copying some text from one file and pasting it in another file.

Edited April 28, 2013 by SciMan

[Supernovy]

There is a plugin that does this,it adds many little fixes like this. Can't remember the name.

I think you might be thinking of MajiirKerbalLib, which does not work in the latest version. Majiir stopped working on it in 0.17 I believe.