What did you do in KSP1 today?

[QF9E]

You can reach orbit in an SSTO with just a single swivel and maximum tech level 4:

You must re-enter this craft upside down and with the nose some 40 degrees above the horizon: that way the landing gear is shielded from the re-entry heat by the rest of the craft.

[space_otter]

Made an F-14 with full swing wings (Thanks to infernal robotics) Autostrutting everything bar the hinges makes the thing almost perfectly stable (even 12g turns)

Also worked on an airliner, has plenty of seats (didn't count) and has a stunning range of 0ver 2700km (calculated at 3000-3500) Round Range-KSC direct now a simple flight!

[Krazy1]

On 7/2/2023 at 11:19 PM, Hotel26 said:

Some nameless people just say "plus five" and done and they are almost always right

FYI I have Vizor 200 front wing at +7 and rear at +5 deg. I didn't experiment much - it seems pretty good to me. It's cruises 21-22 km and takes off and lands nearly level... normal nose high attitude would stall. 
If you want more food for thought, check out the Kerbin Circumnavigation Challenge, link in my sig. I got 8 laps and others got more. But they all used Rapiers... 3 laps with a Wesley is impressive. 

[Hotel26]

1 hour ago, Krazy1 said:

at +7 and rear at +5 deg

The attraction of +5 (as well as being 'about right' most of the time), as I understand it, is that it is one rotational 'snap' in the hangar, so you can do it in stock very easily.

(It's possible to turn snap off, grab the rotation gizmo, drag your cursor away from it before dragging out the rotation.  This gives a bit more control, but it's still Mk1 eyeball what the actual rotation is.)

Yours is good advice, especially for people who want to take part in challenges.

For me, just a single (atmospheric) lap of Kerbin at any speed is a marathon and I dunno -- do double- and triple-marathons exist in the sporting world?  I sincerely hope not.  (People could get hurt.)

Extra range is still useful because time between refuel is extended, which makes short hops more economical.  Note that those short hops are going to be far less economical than the economy of challenge-duration flights.  It still counts, though.

In my case, I've been running my mainline world for over five years now.  I've got a pretty good network of fuel dumps, so that 1800 km (other side of the world) is the maximum useful range required.

1 hour ago, Krazy1 said:

3 laps with a Wesley is impressive

I posted a Wheezy engine test-bed earlier today: Weasel.  Estimated range is 24,700 km.  6.56 laps. 

I put 3x Wheezies on it to push the engine to its limit.  It clocks M1.98 which is just about the end according to the chart.

There is nothing as pleasant as 'overkill' but this is all for 'research', mark my words. 

It does actually make a pretty nice exec jet.  (I should test it to see if it can get itself back out of an aquatic resort location!)

Edited July 4, 2023 by Hotel26

[kurgut]

Today, I managed to pull of a full IVA LEM manual landing in RSS/RO, starting from the powered decent.Definitely a fun experience !
Took some tries, but you have vert vel on the ARRT instrument, navball and FDAI to show the surf retrograde vector, with different scale precision, and lastly, the X-POINTER (the white panel with a cross), shows the lat and fwd velocities, again in different scales. All this + the surface speed/alt radar readouts, and it's very much doable, and at the end, even very precise.
On the last tries, for the final decent I could maintain a decent speed of ~1 m/s, while bleeding the last horizontal vel, with a slow continuous pitch up while cutting down the throttle accordingly, and finally had a smooth touch down at 0.2 m/s).
Remember in RO (and real life), you can't cut out the engines indefinitely, altough the LEMdecent engine has throttling and can restart, the whole landing from orbit is done in one continuous burn.

Also seing the lunar surface through the window going by, some hundreds meters from you, as you still travel at some hundred m/s is pretty thrilling !  
(note : this is ROCapsule IVA, with ASET, slightly modified to add mandatory instruments for landing. I'm also sad that I didn't manage to change the Analog Gauges to display the actual fuel used in RO, instead of LF/Ox, making them useless as is.
EDIT : I managed to do it !! : D

Edited July 13, 2023 by kurgut

[AtomicTech]

Trying to figure out multiplayer so I can play KSP with my brother

[Krazy1]

Today in KSP I restated KSP after my landed plane did this:

15 hours ago, Hotel26 said:

For me, just a single (atmospheric) lap of Kerbin at any speed is a marathon and I dunno -- do double- and triple-marathons exist in the sporting world?  I sincerely hope not.  (People could get hurt.)

There is an ultra-marathon... 100 miles!  

[Hotel26]

41 minutes ago, Krazy1 said:

There is an ultra-marathon... 100 miles!

And we think Kerbals are krazy-dangerous...!! 

[RizzoTheRat]

Installed 1.12.5, both DLC's, and my usual mods.  It's been at least a year but I'm back!

One sub orbital and an orbital launch later I've spend the rest of the evening getting frustrated with GUI's in kOS   I can get a basic structure but can't figure out how to format it better.

 

[some_failure]

i built a really really bad ssto (it didnt work) and i went to the island airway and found out you can go in the watch out tower 

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

On 7/3/2023 at 2:11 PM, space_otter said:

Also worked on an airliner, has plenty of seats (didn't count) and has a stunning range of 0ver 2700km (calculated at 3000-3500)

That's pretty impressive, but is that all you got?

 

Last week, I made a replica of a C-141 Starlifter (American military transport plane that was retired in 2006). Given the amount of command seats I was able to squeeze in the cargo bay, it can easily function as an airliner on KSP1.

 

 

Here's a brief summary of its performance:

C-141 Starlifter (KSP Replica) Test Run Performance Stats
Crew Capacity		4 pilot + 60 passengers (Passengers in command seats)
Powerplant		4 x J-33 “Wheesley”
Cargo Capacity		52 (7 loaded + 45 empty)
Landing Gear Configuration		Tricycle
Tailfin		T-tail
Cruising Altitude		7.9 km
Cruising Velocity		260 m/s
Expected Range		3,250 km

 

For more details, check out its showcase post from my National Museum of the United States Air Force replica collection.

[space_otter]

13 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

That's pretty impressive, but is that all you got?

Ha! I have a personalised business jet! Has 2x goliath engines and space for up to 112 people. Range is quite good, easily done a circumnavigation (My first one :D)With 6800 units of fuel it could easily do 4,000+km. Here is full documentation of Space Otter Airways Flight 1 to KSC, from KSC.

 

Otter 001 requesting permission for takeoff, heading 090 turning to heading 270 at 6500m please.

At 6500m in altitude mach 0.90.

Sunset or sunrise?

Island Airfield clearly visible! What a waste of fuel to get here - I could buy a cheap flight for 60 funds!

KSC control, Otter 001 requesting landing at runway 09.

Cleared for touchdown - wait your back!!???

Note the extra tailwheel added for takeoff safety

Now, thats a neat jet!

Edited July 6, 2023 by space_otter

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

8 hours ago, space_otter said:

Now, thats a neat jet!

Yep, it sure is. Guess you beat me.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

Last night, I built a replica of the Link Trainer, also known as the Blue Box.

• Also known as the first flight simulator.

 

• Historic footage of a student pilot learning to fly in a Link Trainer with an instructor checking his progress (both student and instructor unknown). Picture taken six years before the Second Imperial Wars broke out.
  • This came in real handy when the war did happen, as Heinkel's enemies in the air were experienced "flying blind" - giving them an advantage.

 

Now imagine listening to this in the voice of the guy who narrates those old black-and-white PSAs:

Spoiler

When Kerbalkind first took flight, they had to rely on what they saw around them to navigate. Great if you have a keen eye, but not when it gets dark or if the weather gets too bad to see anything. This is where Link Kerman’s new invention, the Blue Box, comes in.

In here, a student pilot will be enclosed in total darkness, simulating what it is like to fly without visual references to guide him. He will have to rely on his cockpit instruments alone if he is to get to his destination safely. Opposite of him, his instructor will give him orders and check his progress at a desk connected to the Blue Box. On that desk is a device which draws the student’s flight path on a map, a duplicate of the student’s instruments, and a machine to simulate wind direction and speed on the pilot. After all, top-tier pilots do not let mild inconveniences such as wind stop them from carrying out their duties.

When this pilot is done, he will go on to deliver mail around the world.

 

• The Link Trainer and the instructor’s desk on display in the SPH.
• It was difficult deciding what motors to use and in what order, and I had to look at my old swept-wing jet to figure out how to set up the action groups. In the end, I managed to set up the motors to obey the main steering control inputs.
• Since the pilot would be flying in complete darkness, I disconnected the cockpit lights from the main light button. The two small lights on the fuel tank in the opposite corner are just for decoration, which means they’re also disabled. In summary, the only working light is the overhead instructor desk lamp.
• I used two grip strip to mimic a conduit connecting the trainer itself to the instructor’s desk, since two smaller I-beams would have been too long.
• I put a motor under the instructor's chair to mimic a swivel chair.
  • The J and L buttons spin it.

 

Although I don’t expect much use out of this apart from decoration (and bragging rights for me, since nobody else has made a KSP replica of the Link Trainer), this craft has 2,650 charge units.

 

• A picture of the real thing and the instructor’s desk in the WWII Gallery (Hangar One) of the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH.
• Photograph taken by me 10/9/2022.

 

• Jeb Kerman stepping out of the Link Trainer in utter disappointment, talking to his friend, Bill Kerman.
  • When Jeb heard that the first flight simulator - or at least an operational model of it that survived - was coming to the Space Center, he was first in line to try it out. Of course, until then, he didn’t know what it looked like. Although Bill did know what the Link Trainer was, he lined up along with Jeb because he wanted to see it in action up-close and personal.
• The daughter of the engineer sent to demonstrate how this worked started filming their conversation. Granted, she was filming anyway for her upcoming video "Modern Kerbalnauts Hop On Ancient Flight Simulator." She ended up keeping that part because it was funny.
  • JEB: Why didn’t you warn me that this simulator would suck?
  • BILL: What do you mean?
  • JEB: For starters, it has no computer screen or heads-up display - not even with 4-bit graphics. It also has no sound effects, nav system, or onboard radar. Oh, and I can’t find the music settings.
  • BILL: Obviously none of those things were available when the Link Trainer was made. By the way, why were you looking for the music?
  • JEB: Because the simulators in Basic had those.
  • BILL: They did? Val never said anything about music.
  • JEB: I also can’t find the cockpit light switch. The only source of light I have is from the crummy glow-in-the-dark instrument panel.
  • BILL: It doesn’t have a light switch; the whole point was to get you used to flying in total darkness. By the way, the instrument panel was brighter back in those days, but the original material had to be replaced recently because it was radioactive.
  • JEB: You fly it then if you know so much about it.
• That was when Bill immediately acted as the "instructor" for the next pilot in line, an unnamed rookie from Nye Island. Surprisingly, he flew it very well on his first try. 
  • When asked how he did it, he replied (with a heavy accent) "The arceed I went to as a lad had a Link Traina. I yesed ta (used to) play on it all the time when the lines to the cool games were too long."
    • And indeed. At the time the pilot in question was a child, Nye Island's local arcade had an operational link trainer used as a game - and it still does.

 

I thought I'd build this replica since nobody else has, so it was a fun challenge. It's still in my museum replica hangar, since I put in a bit of time and effort to make a functional replica - along with the instructor desk. When I was done posting it on the USAF Museum Replica Showcase Thread, it was time for me to go to bed - and put off posting it on this thread until the next day.

• Less than 24 hours after that, it got a few downloads on KerbalX - and it was put in @T116's Kerbal amuSement Park. I thought it was fitting since the real-life Link Trainer was used as an amusement park ride during the Great Depression as well as an IFR training tool.

 

WHERE ARE THE LINK TRAINERS NOW?

[stephensmat]

Found something interesting on the Mun.

Spoiler

 

[Robin Patenall]

I eventually launched my Laythe SSTO which should be able to cycle between Kerbin and Laythe without refuelling due to its inbuilt ISRU facility.

It has a large drill that can be deployed ventrally with the help of Breaking Ground hinge, and in a forward cargo bay it has a small Convert-o-tron and radiators. The power supply is twelve RTGs that are balanced to allow a single star engineer to maintain the ISRU process continually without running out of EC.  

It took some time to design the SSTO and I did have some issues keeping it stable and breaking the sound barrier, but now flys relatively steady and I've managed to correct the twichyness that it had dropping back down through the transonic region when landing.

It reached a 75kmx75km orbit with about 2300m/s dV remaining that will allow me to take it to Minmus for refuelling and then onto Laythe. For the return trip it will refuel on Laythe and then on Pol before returning back to Kerbin.

For the moment it has docked with Gateway station for a systems check while waiting for the window to Minmus in a few days

[Scarecrow71]

Today I pulled off my first Kerbal Orbital Construction.  I got a contract in my career game to send Bill up and attach a monopropellant tank to an aging satellite, and having never done orbital construction before I decided "What the heck" and did it.  The craft was ugly.  Like, U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi you ugly.  It's a new career save, and I'm only halfway through the tech tree, so it was a hitchhiker container with a probe core attached to it, with a claw and a whole lot of monopropellant.  So I sent him up, got the rendezvous, attached the claw to the backside of the satellite, and voila!  New tank attached!  First time I've done that.  I mean, I can rendezvous and dock, and I've rescued plenty of stranded Kerbals in LKO/KHO to this point.  But first time for the engineer construction thing.  Wish I would have taken some pictures, though.  Bummer.

The best thing about this is that by fulfilling the contract, I get a free satellite in HKO.  The game apparently decided to just hand this thing over to me, so it shows up now in the Tracking Station and I can go fly it and do whatever I want with it.  It's in a decent orbit, has antennae and solar panels and such, so I'm going to just leave it there and let it do its thing with helping create a network in space.  I think I'm going to just keep doing these contracts to get the free satellites!

[N_Danger]

It was time to send a relay sat to Nevin.

Spoiler

Second stage start

Fairing sep

And the transfer burn to Nevin. Arrival at Nevin was routine.(Including messing up the time warp badly and getting into a funky orbit. But it was a good enough orbit. And yes, this is defined as routine for me )

Then an hour later a lander was launched to Nevin. This was sent on a Hohmann transfer orbit arriving some 180 days later after the relay sat.

Separation of lander and transfer stage at the start of EDL.

 

Entry 

And the first probe to survive landing on Nevin.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

I made a replica of the (Bloody) Red Baron's triplane, the Fokker Dr.I.

• "Dr" is short for Dreidecker, which means "triplane" in German.

 

• Historic photograph from the First Imperial Wars. Here we see the Green Baron, whose real name was (Baron) Manfred von Kermthoven, returning to the recently-built Island Airfield after an air attack on Krakopolis.

 

And here is the story behind this photograph, which is also the story of how the Island Airfield came to be:

Spoiler

The Heinkelian Imperial Navy had captured an island almost 35 kilometers from Krakopolis. However, before they could send the ground troops to the mainland, they needed to establish air superiority over the area. Since their warplanes had such a short range, Emperor Kaiser von Kermhelm authorized the construction of a small airfield on that island for the planes in the upcoming attack. After the landing strip and makeshift hangars were (hastily) completed, Emperor Kermhelm ordered Heinkel’s most feared ace pilot, famously known as the Green Baron, to the new airfield. Emperor Kermhelm, along with several of his military advisors, believed the Green Baron to be the key to Heinkel’s victory in the skies before their victory on the ground.

Sure enough, the Green Baron - along with six wingmen (three of which died) - crippled Krakopolis’ air defense in the first attack. This left room for Heinkelian bombers to take out Allied artillery and flush out infantry units, which were soon blown up and strafed. Allied Command soon realized that the rumors of the Green Baron were true, and they sent telegrams to all their air units to "Watch out for triplanes." As an extra precaution should the Baron make an entrance, they mandated that no less than five fighters at once may launch an attack on any triplane. Though the Baron wasn't the only pilot to use triplanes, his enemies didn't to take the chance that he was the one piloting whatever triplanes they saw.

When the First Imperial Wars ended in a truce, Heinkel was forced to give up all the territory it had gained during the course of the war, effectively shrinking its empire back to pre-war levels. This included the island that they had conquered - and, by extension, their hastily-built airstrip - near Krakopolis. Between the First and Second Imperial Wars, it was used for sightseeing tours. Then, during the course of the Second Imperial Wars, it acted as a naval flight school with at least one cruiser guarding it at all times. Eventually, after the Kerbal Space Center was built, the Island Airfield was abandoned and left to rot.

 

 

• The Fokker Dr.I, along with its engine and propeller settings, on display in the SPH.
• I included "Red Baron’s Triplane" in the craft name in case someone was looking for that plane and didn’t know the model plane he used.
  • Though I suspect it's extremely unlikely anybody who uses KerbalX would know that "Dr." stood for Dreidecker - or that it means "Triplane" in German.
• Making an open cockpit was tricky. In the end, I decided to borrow the design from ZobrAz’s White Baron - who borrowed the idea from Castille7’s Mrs. Chrissy Too. There’s also a fixed ladder for the pilot to climb in and out, but he would have to click on the command seat and board once he reaches the top.
• I had to use I-beams connected to the bottom wings to get the top set of wings on.
  • Which are the only ones with ailerons since that was the case for the real-life Fokker triplane.
• The last test run before this photo was taken had the "Motor Size and Output" setting at 20%. Though it was a success, I dropped it to 10% in hopes of reducing propeller-caused rolling.

 

I’m so used to making even-numbered-engine propeller planes with adjustable-angle R-25 blades, so it was extremely difficult to decide on how to set up a single-engine prop with fixed-angle Type B blades that will not only fly, but spin about its engine axis as little as possible.

• If the current configuration is giving you trouble, or if you know a way to improve its performance, please tell me.

 

• Image of the Fokker Dr.I replica on display (upside down) on the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH.
  • Underneath it is a Sopwith Camel, which is a great opportunity for those who remember Peanuts to take a picture.
• As previously stated, this plane is merely a replica. Although a total of 320 Fokker Dr.Is were built before production ended in May 1918, none of them have survived. 
• Photograph copied from museum website.

 

• (BACK IN PRESENT DAY) Jeb flying low over the KSC in a replica of the Fokker triplane.
  • Not that he had much of a choice. By modern standards, this plane’s performance was terrible.
    • Val assured him that "Back in the First Imperial Wars, any pilot would kill to have a plane with performance stats like that."
    • Bob replied with "And in many cases, they did," earning some laughs from his friends.
• He was hoping to fly the real thing, but the last real Fokker triplane was destroyed during the Second Imperial Wars.

 

• After nearly 12 minutes and 30 seconds of flight and constant course-corrections, Jeb managed to reach the Island Airfield. Just like the Green Baron in the First Imperial War so long ago, Jeb is getting ready to land.

 

The KSP replica's cruise performance stats were as follows:

• WARNING:
  • Has no autopilot
  • Requires constant attention during flight
  • Prone to axial spinning as propeller runs
• Altitude: 700 m (2,297 ft)
• Velocity: 47 m/s (105 mph)
• Recommended Throttle: 2/3 to Full Throttle
  • For the cruise, it's best to stay at 2/3
• Expected Range: 90 km
  • DO NOT fly over water when this happens

 

• A successful landing at the Island Airfield
• If you think flying this thing is hard, try landing it in one piece. I had to revert to a quicksave I set up over the island right after my wings snapped off the first time.

 

Man, that was quite a challenge. If I thought making an open cockpit was hard, I was in for a real doozy setting up the prop engine in a configuration that both works and keeps the aesthetic. I don't know how everybody else does it while getting rid of that incessant roll while the engine runs, and I'd like to learn the secret. For now, I think I'll stay away from odd-numbered-prop engines with fixed-angle blades (at least).

• Once I do learn the secret, I can make a Sopwith Camel and then Snoopy can pursue the Red Baron.

 

How do I stop that constant rolling? Please help. 

[Scarecrow71]

6 minutes ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

I don't know how everybody else does it while getting rid of that incessant roll while the engine runs, and I'd like to learn the secret.

My guess is to have another propeller thing on the back of the plane, facing away from the plane, with no propellers, spinning st the same time.  This would give counter rotation and potentially balance things (although with no actual propellers on it, it might not as you wouldn't have the torque generating).

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

1 hour ago, Scarecrow71 said:

My guess is to have another propeller thing on the back of the plane, facing away from the plane, with no propellers, spinning st the same time.

That'd be great, if I was making a Dornier Do 335 - or, if obvious part-clipping's not a problem, a Fisher P-75 Eagle. Otherwise, I'll just have to hide the second "counter" engine in such a way that it would not ruin the CoM placement to the point of testing failure.

 

Any other ideas?

Edited July 9, 2023 by Mars-Bound Hokie
Forgot to ask for other ideas to counteract the roll

[Hotel26]

2 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

Any other ideas?

Roll trim.  (R-Shift-Q/E (Linux, at least))  Maybe, that's Alt-Q/E for others.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Hotel26

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

45 minutes ago, Hotel26 said:

that's Alt-Q/E for others.

I checked the key binding list and confirmed it. However, I have to ask:

• Can I only do it mid-flight, or can I set it up in the SPH?
  • And, by extension, have that problem taken care of before I post it on KerbalX?
• (IF IT CAN ONLY BE DONE MID-FLIGHT) How will I know if I'm not overshooting it? Is there a trim limit?
• (IF IT CAN BE DONE IN THE SPH) Do I need to click on any specific parts before adjusting trim?

 

Any other ideas for stabilizing odd-numbered-prop engines with fixed-angle blades? Right now, my best idea (out of so many bad ones before asking you all on the forums) is to keep motor size at 10% and blade angle at 15°.

[Hotel26]

"Odd number of engines".  OK, this part I now understand.

Trim is usually done in flight because it's a dynamic part of flying.  The more torque, the more trim required.

It cannot be done in the SPH, afaik.  It can be done might be possible^[1] with craft-file-editing, but I don't recommend trying because there is no one trim setting that is going to work well for you in flight.

Although, in my experience with KSP prop planes, you are constantly making corrections on the way to a stable cruise.  Then you get it all trimmed out.  Then that works for as long as you are cruising at constant altitude, constant speed and constant direction.  Which I suppose could be worth while.  (It certainly does feel good when you take your hands off the controls and enjoy the scenery!!  A real achievement.)

If you want to go this route, let me know and I'll do the research for you...

[1] you will want to be able to set this in the craft file, not the .sfs file.  Don't know but doubt it's in the craft file.  On the other hand, if you look at the left-hand control indicators, you will be able to count notches for the amount of roll trim needed at cruise.  Simply set it on the ground when you first deploy the craft.  Or better, climb to cruise and then set it to what you already know works.  (Then simply publish those numbers with the craft on KerbalX as part of the flight instructions.  It is what a real pilot flying your craft would have to do, anyway.)  Oh, and one more thing.  Atmospheric Autopilot is generally not terribly happy about prop planes, but I always put the bit in its teeth with a new plane to see what it thinks.  It often works.  I, in any case, recommend AA.  (Not all your users will want to use it, acknowledged.)

 

Had been misinterpreting this to mean odd number of blades (which should make no difference):

4 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

making even-numbered-engine propeller planes

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by Hotel26

[Scarecrow71]

10 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

Otherwise, I'll just have to hide the second "counter" engine in such a way that it would not ruin the CoM placement to the point of testing failure.

That's...what I was suggesting.