The MachingBird Challenge!

[Warboy]

Sorry, in the past, I've run into enough attempts of cheating that I don't want to deal with the possibility you hopped out and jetpacked your way up to that speed. Even if you did that speed legitimately, before jumping, which I believe you probably did, I cannot allow room for a "but he did it" moment.

Here, http://imgur.com/a/u1uwE

2,303m/s

[TheHengeProphet]

Ok, not sure if this qualifies. Technically I think it does, since you don't actually say you need to use jet engines, but just that you can't use anything other than them. Which means that a ship that uses no engines should qualify:

*snip*

The max speed comes out to 2746m/s, which means I should be the first member of the Mach 8 club.

I was waiting for someone to do this... Hoping it wouldn't happen, but waiting. Congratulations, you get your own category!

Alright, good news for the recent FAR entries, where the over 2000 m/s speeds were suspect! In older versions of FAR, the part files were modified as part of the mod, but in v0.9.4, he did not adjust any part files, resulting in no parts folder included with the plugin, meaning your speeds are once again feasible! I will be updating your results.

I'm making an exception for your lack of runway picture, knowing its a stock craft, MR4Y.

Edited June 14, 2013 by TheHengeProphet

[AgentPaper]

I was waiting for someone to do this... Hoping it wouldn't happen, but waiting. Congratulations, you get your own category!

Haha, yeah a separate category is frankly probably more than I deserve. I made this for another challenge and broke this one kinda on accident.

[Jod]

You people do realize that a bit faster and you will leave Kerbin SOI with this. First aero-hop to Duna/Eve and back, anyone?

*Ok, not a bit, about twice as fast.

[Pds314]

What if we combine jet propulsion with flapping control surfaces... Would we get even most speed...

[Tembaco]

It seems like this challenge has gotten more difficult since .17 or I'm just out of practice. Anyway I present you Nacho. 2328 m/s.

[MR4Y]

Ok, not sure if this qualifies. Technically I think it does, since you don't actually say you need to use jet engines, but just that you can't use anything other than them. Which means that a ship that uses no engines should qualify:

The max speed comes out to 2746m/s, which means I should be the first member of the Mach 8 club.

Could we perhaps have closer screenshots of it?

Also, what's the "MC" thing on the bottom of your screen?

[AgentPaper]

Could we perhaps have closer screenshots of it?

Also, what's the "MC" thing on the bottom of your screen?

Ah, yes sorry I can upload a SPH shot later today, once I get back from work.

MC is the mission control interface button. I have mods installed there, but none of them affect the flight performance and I didn't use any of the mod parts.

[TheHengeProphet]

Alright, Warboy, you're in. Sorry for making you do that again...

Welcome back, Tembaco! It seems around the same to me, personally.

[Cranium]

Here's my entry:

Full album here

Who needs silly things like landing gear, we can take off just fine like this:

With us today is our cowardly Bill kerman:

He's not looking so happy to see his only means of survival on fire:

Getting pretty high up:

Deploying parachute for safe landing:

Got it up to 2273 m/s:

[Nao]

@ Cranium actually you need landing gear

from OP: "2. Must take off horizontally from the runway (need not retain landing gear for the duration of the flight)"

The small gear bay does not have mass in flight so adding a pair should not pose too much problems.

It seems like this challenge has gotten more difficult since .17 or I'm just out of practice. Anyway I present you Nacho. 2328 m/s.

I have that feeling too, although there is nothing i can point fingers at.

Recently I've done a really good run with mk2cockpit, barely getting to 2330 (and 2335 with some shady tricks) and it felt that i flew better than before, oh well.

Edited June 15, 2013 by Nao

[AgentPaper]

Ok, here's the up-close pic as promised:

I actually made a very minor alteration here compared to what I set the record with, in that I only have 1 wheel instead of 2. That doesn't really affect the performance much.

[MR4Y]

I might say that my entry with the Hypersonic Demon was lucky, since I can't bring it to the same speed, xD

I might make an entry with a plane of my own as well.

[MR4Y]

And here my own entry, the Ugly Doomer Mk IV, manned and with FAR:

[occar]

It has to take off horizontally....

[TheHengeProphet]

Here's my entry:

*snip*

Sorry, it's gotta take off horizontally. VTO craft are only allowed if you can prove they can take off horizontally. One person in the old challenge had a rather quick craft that never even had landing gear, rather taking off by skidding along the runway (something I personally tested, which was terrifying). I hope you enter again!

MR4Y, would you like me to take that entry over your quicker run with the stock craft? I'm only keeping one entry per person per category, to avoid clutter.

[MR4Y]

Sorry, it's gotta take off horizontally. VTO craft are only allowed if you can prove they can take off horizontally. One person in the old challenge had a rather quick craft that never even had landing gear, rather taking off by skidding along the runway (something I personally tested, which was terrifying). I hope you enter again!

MR4Y, would you like me to take that entry over your quicker run with the stock craft? I'm only keeping one entry per person per category, to avoid clutter.

In that case, keep the Hypersonic Demon one.

[Cranium]

Alright, a quick and simple edit, and Tiny is ready for this challenge!

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited June 17, 2013 by Cranium

[Skyhawk]

The Hummingbird: Unmanned, stock, infini-glide.

So, I decided that I liked the flapping wing design, and decided that I would try something like that (I've tried jets before, and just couldn't do it). Be forewarned that I would not in any way feel bad if you decided to call it cheating, as I don't even know how this infini-glider got up to such a ridiculous speed. I am not using any mods, I am not using the debug console, and I am not editing any part values. All the numbers here I achieved (however briefly) in stock KSP. So here we go:

The Hummingbird was a craft I built for this challenge. It was an unmanned flapping wing design, with 1 wheel and a ton of small control surfaces bolted to the back wing. I just placed them on there with stock KSP, I didn't use clipping to do this.

Here's a screenshot of runway and early flight. I took off and then ejected the one wheel via a decoupler.

After attaining a small amount of altitude, I began to mash my 'w' and 's' keys quickly. So quickly, in fact, that the control surfaces would tear off, but not before some satisfying mach effects.

I took the previous screenshot after it had started to decelerate, which only lasted a few seconds. I didn't see too much of the speed as I flew, and was shocked by what I found in the flight log:

4,118 m/s

I went to a converter online, an it told me this was equivalent to mach 12.1.

I also included a picture of the debug console, to try and prove that I didn't use part clipping.

I don't know how you'll classify this, but if you decide to put it on a leaderboard, I do believe that it's the fastest atmospheric vehicle in this challenge, though not entirely following the laws of physics. I just put it out here to see, as I was absolutely shocked by the results.

Also, I apologize for the resourced tab being closed, but there really weren't any resourced to be seen, so I don't think it matters.

[Vaisman]

Skyhawk, cool! Fastest atmo vehicle without any propulsion.

You must try it on other planets!

Edited June 16, 2013 by Vaisman

[Pbhead]

wow. ok.

I do not think that much faster is possible without two fuel tanks, and transferring fuel between them while spinning, or getting out and pushing, or lots of stack separators or some other something to get free deltaV. For me though Command pod Torque is op enough as it is.

I have learned that you want to really go as slow as possible on your orbit, because the slower you go the more thrust you get, and then use gravity to turn that accumulated thrust into speed. If that makes any sense. You dont get your fastest speed at periapsis, instead before while still falling, then you lose speed the rest of the way, but still thrusting to raise apapsis (and keep peripsis low), so that next run you fall even faster.

I think I could do better if I actually had less air intakes, but I am done.

Take off of the Maximum Airhog MK5 (its ugly, i know already)

and we are flying! (surprisingly, perhaps)

Separation of fuel tank (our max speed above land at this point with this plane was already 2332)

And its gone! (and I really should have ejected it the other way... i seemed to have lost velocity...)

About to go in for final run, tied with first place... i can do this...

WHOLL SHYT 2340.1!!!!!!!!

BLAM!

woot.

[TheHengeProphet]

Pbhead, that is amazingly fast! I am wondering how much of a boost that decoupling in space netted you, though. Anyways, you're at the top!

Skyhawk... that thing is horrifying. Also, I thought the numbers were a little ridiculous, so I did the math, and found it's possible. Well, you made it into the exploitational category!

Cranium, I looked through your album, but didn't see a flight log. You happen to have that somewhere?

[Kerbal01]

I've gotten to 3.1 km/s in a SSTO (the Ravenspear Mk 5) it uses afterburning turbojets and PDE's (so would be invalid for this challenge)

link:http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/37072-The-Ravenspear-Mk5

Edited June 23, 2013 by DarthVader

[Nao]

Wo ho, Great work Pbhead! The decoupling probably didn't make a big difference i think, testing it earlier as a propulsion method it didn't get me anywhere.

You beat my manned attempt by 5 and unmanned by 1m/s (in earlier thread) now its my turn finally to get on the dawning board and get some ideas going.

[TheHengeProphet]

Wo ho, Great work Pbhead! The decoupling probably didn't make a big difference i think, testing it earlier as a propulsion method it didn't get me anywhere.

You beat my manned attempt by 5 and unmanned by 1m/s (in earlier thread) now its my turn finally to get on the dawning board and get some ideas going.

Agreed about that decoupler thing. It doesn't make too much a difference, though stack separators might do a bit better, as those things act pretty strangely.

I've been meaning to have another go at this, but I've been so busy/lazy/occupied with B9 Aerospace parts that I haven't gotten around to it!