Pike VTOL SSTO.

[Rune]

Hey guys! Something new for the VAB... a SSTO! But this time fully VTOL. I've been using a B9 version for some time, but I always wanted to try it in stock, and with more efficient engines. The result is cute, in an utilitarian short of way. And yes, those are a lot of intakes. Without further due, let me present you the Pike SSTO:

And looks aside, performance is quite amazing. It is a true airhogger, milk those engines without worries since the center one will flameout first, at about 1,700m/s and 30kms up or so. When you can't keep it lit anymore, you can continue on nukes alone to orbit for maximum efficiency, but if you need a bit more oomph to land on, say, Duna, the boost radial engines will take your T/W to something close to one on kerbin. Everything action-grouped as usual, so take a look at them before flying, and chutes to ensure a soft landing where there's some atmosphere to help... and that you land with the landing gear pointed the right way.

DOWNLOAD:

http://www./download/8s78zvq00kj8u2o/Pike.craft

IMGUR ALBUM:

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Rune. Now did I get the imgur thingy right?

[iDan122]

It is cool but nothing can beat the StaboJet!

[Giggleplex777]

The VTOL designation is a bit misleading. I think you should call it the VTVL.

[spaceBrezel]

add big solars so it looks like a plane

nice work though, looks compact

[Rune]

It is cool but nothing can beat the StaboJet!

That beauty by Mitch is indeed cool, but I think it's a different beast. Much lighter, with about half the rocket fuel. His fancy anti-flameout system looks impressive, but you waste a good chunk of the turbojet's thrust (to be precise, 1-cos(the angle they are at)) while the single centered engine works just as well as a warning if it flames out first. I'd say between that and the inefficient intakes he uses, I get the higher delta-v. His does use slightly less clipping, and his is easier to tow and such, being much lighter (half the nukes, half the fuel). But he has no emergency boost system, so T/W must be horrible; and I would be surprised it can land on, say, Duna, without issues, while mine should be able to take off from there. So in my case one size is meant to fit everything (minus Tylo and Eve, of course). As I said, there are differences, so go ahead and pick your favorite.

The VTOL designation is a bit misleading. I think you should call it the VTVL.

VTOL stands for Vertical Take Off and Landing, and VTVL is not used in the aeronautical industry. V/STOL is, though, which may be the source of your confusion.

add big solars so it looks like a plane

nice work though, looks compact

Actually the more I play the less I like those, just personal preference. And you don't really need the electrical production. But make the change for yourself, by all means. Glad you like it!

Rune. Nice to be compared with the best, though

[Giggleplex777]

Isn't a rocket, not a plane?

[zombiphylax]

Looks nice, I don't do intake spamming usually, but you blended it into the design well.

[Rune]

Isn't a rocket, not a plane?

Hum. Now that you say that, there is some nonsense in the wiki about VTVL being about rockets. Don't take me wrong, I am the first to make differences between rockets and planes, and why they shouldn't be confused. But using two different acronyms to say the same thing... it's definitely not how I learned the stuff, but I learned it in Spanish anyway. So, let's do one thing: call it whatever you want, and I'll do the same, since we both understand each other

Looks nice, I don't do intake spamming usually, but you blended it into the design well.

Thanks! There is some shimmering going on there that you could get rid off by reducing the number of intakes to something reasonable like 12, four per engine (3 on each strut pile, so they don't overlap, instead of... 6? 8? Some stupidly high number that was a bitch to select for the action groups). But then you would definitely need the boost engines lit to make the climb out of atmo, Delta-v would suffer greatly, and all that. The way I see it, since you have all the drag and weight, the problem is having poorly implemented intakes, really. What we would really need is to spend the weight in fancy precoolers, like skylon. If you translate the takeover speed to mach numbers at sea level, 1,700m/s is mach 5, which is about skylon's takeover speed (regular jets start melting at about mach 3, which translates to ~1,000m/s at sea level).

Rune. The perils of applying real world aerodynamic reasonings to KSP.

[spaceman1999]

I like the design and I've delved into VTVL or VTOL or whatevers a bit and I think Its easier than a VTOL plane (in terms of building)