Basic Aircraft Design - Explained Simply, With Pictures

[keptin]

Has there been any update to the drag model? Are there any new updates? I'm just now getting back into KSP - I haven't played for maybe a year now.

Life has been pretty busy and I haven't made time to update, but yes, plenty of things have changed. I've got a list of edits to make to the tut once I get to it, and that's one of them. Most of the information is still relevant.

[thesmokindeist]

This is still pretty handy. Will you do any updating of this?

[Alshain]

This is still pretty handy. Will you do any updating of this?

Doesn't really need updating. Everything in it except the rip on stock aero is still correct.

[RocketSquid]

I would say it needs updating. Drag has changed completely.

[fireblade274]

This is one of the most helpful things ive ever read in ksp. Even after 2k hours into the game, I learned how your CoM and CoL bring changes to flight characteristics with regards to the Dihedral Effect

But does KSP really still calculate drag so that a part without a fairing being hauled into space has less drag then an occluded part in a fairing?

Edited December 9, 2015 by fireblade274

[kcs123]

11 hours ago, fireblade274 said:

But does KSP really still calculate drag so that a part without a fairing being hauled into space has less drag then an occluded part in a fairing?

No, that info is trough pictures and probably not so easy to edit/update like normal post and it is obsolete since KSP 1.0.x

However, if you seek for more realistic aerodynamic behaviour in other area besides fairing drag, you should look for FAR mod.

Btw, in some cases fairing will produce even more drag than rocket without fairing. But main purpose of fairing is not to reduce drag, it is protection of sensitive cargo(payload) from atmosphear forces. Depending on payload inside fairing, it is possible to have less drag with fairing than without it.

[Dwrlesky]

Wait, you can actually TRIM aircrafts? I haven't figured it out in over 340 hours. This will change everything 

[Threadsinger]

This is probably the most informative thing I have ever read on KSP. A+++ presentation, would read again.

[Mast]

Definitely a good read. Three minor points:

- It would be much appreciated if you could update the text now the atmospheric model in KSP has changed.

- Small explanation of Trim would me much appreciated, since this can combine the best of both worlds when designing aircraft.

- Now we're talking expansions, how about a section about where best to keep your payload in an aircraft? Keeping in mind construction strength, weight, centers, length:width ratio, drag, etc. it's a lot more complicated than with a rocket. Aircraft can be great tools for science gathering, both on Kerbin and on other atmospheric bodies. Once you know how to do it properly, that is.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Mast

[kcs123]

To understand engine thrust trim, I recommend RCS build aid mod. It not only help with RCS symmetry / alignment but also provide info about torque.

For payload placement, there is no really good straight answer for it. It depends a lot on payload size and weight and will you deattach it from cargo bay or not.
Whatever you need, least of trouble you will have if payload does not influence shifting of COM on craft. Meaning, when you attach or deattach payaload from cargo bay, COM stay on the same place. Also it helps if does not shift much as fuel tanks gets drained.

If you can't drain tanks evenly there is fuel tank balancer mod that can help you with this, but carefully designed craft does not need that.

[Guard13007]

Would you be okay with me using the image within a video explaining the concepts and giving demonstrations? I would chop it into pieces and use them as stills between demos and/or overlays.

[Kerbal101]

Just want to write down how awesome this post is! Kudos to the OP!!

[Dcseal]

Hey! Really nice tutorial. I like it a lot, very detailed. I'm having some problems, could you help me?

Here is my basic plane: The Koala. It's got the lift right behind the mass, and the thrust is in line. I've re-tested this and it won't lift off now. Before it was flip happy, got everything lined up and now it won't lift off. What's the problem?

Thanks!

-EDIT. I've realised I don't have any Eleveons on. I put 2 Elevon 1's on each wing.

And it flies almost perfectly. Thanks for the tutorial, had to read a bit more.

I also ended up adding some canards on the front to make it turn better.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Dcseal

[Mr-happyguy]

Really awesome tutorial, thanks a lot :-D after messing around with rockets for 135 hrs, this helped me getting me off the ground in a ksp plane :-P 

[Darth Jeb]

It's a marvellous peice of work and very helpful during the gameplay

Therefore may I have the permition to publish it on my website Kerbalkind So that it can reach an even wider audience ? 

Here is my website's thread.

[RattiRatto]

This pleseant guide made me understand more than 5+ videos about planes. Thank you very much!

The only think i miss was the ctrl-f for finding some words, but the nice visuals make it more than up for it!

 

[lude]

This is such a great guide, I hope many more people will read it.

[lhunt5]

This is amazing! Has the drag model changed any since this post was written? (specifically, are swept wings still only for cosmetic purposes?)

[Tricky14]

Thanks. Had to relearn how to fly after a bit of a plane hiatus. Suddenly couldn't get off the ground anymore. One read through this post and...

 

This is literally the sexiest thing I've ever seen.

(ok now I'm trying to find the KSC back in the dark.. umm)

Edited May 1, 2016 by Tricky14

[keptin]

I should update this at some point.  Thankfully the drag model has changed since it was created, but much of what you see there still applies.  There's more to touch on, like empennage design, but the original goal of the guide was to give players a starting point to create their own designs and learn beyond that from trial and error, which I think it still succeeds in.

Edited May 3, 2016 by keptin

[AgnenDragon]

omg i have a highschool assignment on aeronautics and planes and this just gave me an A

[Guest]

I made one of my own tutorials if anyone wants to check it out. It's not illustrated yet but I'm planning to use ingame screenshots.

Link to tutorial

Edit: Illustrated

Edited July 16, 2016 by Murican_Jeb

[Randox]

Love this. It's been a great crash course/refresher for me, and reminds me of all the tools I have at my disposal to make planes better. I also wasn't sure that things like dihedral wings would actually make much of a difference, but I think I need to give that a shot. I'm currently ignoring my space program to construct a nice little set of planes, and this has given me some great ideas for making better designs.

[kcs123]

Dihedral wings makes a lot of difference. Especialy if you use FAR. In stock physics they have some influence too, but might not be so noticable as with FAR.

[colfighter]

is the drag normal in 1.1.3?