KSP Quick Guides: Plane/SSTO Tutorials! *SSTO Video Just Released*

[Cruzan]

Hey!

I've started making a series of tutorials on Youtube that will cover everything from basic plane design, to some of the more difficult stuff such as designing and flying an SSTO to a different planet. It will start off covering the basics, but should quickly ramp up to cooler and more challenging topics.

I plan to release videos on a weekly basis, usually on Wednesdays.

Table of Contents:

Click the links to skip directly to the part of the video that covers the topic!

Episode 1: Building a Plane

• Space Plane Hangar Controls and Hotkeys
  
• Basics of Building a Plane
  

Episode 2: Flying Lessons

• User Interface Basics
  
• Understanding and Using the Nav Ball
  
• Basic Flight Controls
  
• Taking off
  
• Using SAS and Precision Controls
  
• Flying without SAS and Trim Settings
  
• Basic Flight Maneuvers
  
• Landing
  

Episode 3: Troubleshooting Your Airplane

• Veering off the Runway
  
• Unable to Get Airborne
  

Episode 4: Useful Flight Maneuvers

• J-Turn/Herbst Maneuver
  
• Immelmann Turn
  
• Split-S/Reverse Immelmann Turn
  

Behind the Scenes: Building a VTOL

• Different VTOL Designs
  

Episode 5: How to Make a VTOL

• Basic VTOL Construction Techniques
  

Episode 6: Flying and Landing VTOLs

• Finding the Hover Point
  
• Using the Thrust Limiter!
  
• VTOL Flight Controls
  
• Flying a VTOL
  
• How to Land
  

Episode 7: High Altitude Design/Flying - Primer to SSTOs!

• Jet Engine Concepts
  
• Air Intakes
  
• Flameouts
  
• Control Surfaces
  
• Flying Tips
  

Episode 8: 2 VTOL Flying Tricks to Make Things Easier!

• Toggle your intakes for rocket-like response.
  
• Toggle your engines for a similar result. Best used for landing!
  

Episode 9: Building and Flying SSTOs!

• Building an SSTO
  
• Flying an SSTO
  

Episode 10: SSTO Re-Entry

• 
  

Watch the Full Episodes Here!

I'll be making more and plan to release a new vid at least every week, so stay tuned!

Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to have covered, or if any of the videos that I've posted could use more/less info. Thanks!

Hopefully some people find these useful

Edited February 27, 2014 by Cruzan
Added Table of Contents!

[Specialist290]

I like the idea. It's a shame that Youtube videos aren't loading half the time on my computer, though...

[Cruzan]

Doh! I couldn't imagine a world without youtube videos

[Cruzan]

Episode 2 added!

Edited January 1, 2014 by Cruzan

[Lojik]

Keep them up mate, lots and lots of good tips on here for new and vet players

[Cruzan]

I plan to

They'll get more interesting for the vets as I go along here!

[Cruzan]

Whoa this thread got stickied! Woot!

I'll see if I can pump these videos out more often than once a week to make this more of a complete thread a little sooner.

Also, I'm very open to suggestions on what topics to cover. I've got a good outline laid out so far, but if anyone has specific topics they think should be covered or things I've missed let me know!

Also, my new mic arrives monday/tues Time for "movie voiceover guy" quality audio to start coming out haha.

Thanks for the ninja sticky!

[dennislinux]

Hey dude, you are seriously a generous guy. I appreciate your effort. Keep Up!

[Cruzan]

Thanks, I definitely will!

[Cruzan]

Upgraded the OP to include a breakdown of the contents of each video. These sections link directly to the part of the video they cover! This should make finding a specific topic much easier, rather than watching an entire video just for one bit of info

Next week I'll be releasing two more videos covering:

Episode 3: Troubleshooting your aircraft

Episode 4: Advanced Flight Maneuvers

Stay tuned for those! After these episodes I'll move on to VTOL and High Altitude designs!

Here's a Behind the Scenes look at Episodes 3 and 4.

[Cruzan]

UPDATE

Added Episode 3 which covers troubleshooting advice for takeoff problems! I've also got a new mic! Woo!

Edited December 27, 2013 by Cruzan

[Cruzan]

UPDATE

Adding a video that shows me building several different VTOL designs. This is a lead in to the actual tutorial video. A link has also been added to the Table of Contents!

Edited November 19, 2013 by Cruzan

[sunrakhan]

Hi, thanks for your quick guides ! I find them spot on, brief and informative, and pleasant to watch.

You inspired me to build and fly planes in KSP, those can be quite cool.

Keep on and thanks again.

[Cruzan]

Hey thanks for the compliments!

I'm glad I converted someone to the dark side..err....the wings side?

[Cruzan]

UPDATE

Episode 5, How to Make a VTOL is now live! I updated the OP to add the video to the table of contents.

[team.leit]

You have also inspired me in making aircraft, more specifically the VTOL version of aircraft, I find them much more challenging and rewarding when you get it right Keep up the great work

[Cruzan]

That's great to hear! I love them and try to make most of my aircraft VTOL capable if it makes sense to do so

[Cruzan]

Aww I got de-stickied

I'll have to finish up the rest of the tutorials so maybe I can regain my status!

[Guitarman355]

My friend you are invaluable to the KSP community. I now have a much better idea of how to create spaceplanes. I always thought you wanted the COL to be right on the COM.

Im trying to make a multi-stage docking rocket mission to duna, but ive also considered a space plane that rendezvous with a fueling station in HKO. All in career too

[Cruzan]

Thanks

Good luck with your Duna mission! You might also consider a "Transfer Ring" (link) type of setup. Something you put in to space ahead of time that has extra fuel and nuclear engines used for going interplanetary. Get orbital and dock to it, then undock from it when you arrive at your destination. I like this design because I prefer not to put nukes on to my SSTOs themselves. They're so heavy!

I plan to cover going interplanetary eventually. I just need to revise my SSTO designs now that we have an epic new engine designed for SSTOs to play with when .23 goes live!

[Cruzan]

New video has been added which covers flying and landing VTOLs. I also cover the new Thrust Limiter feature which was added in v.23! It's pretty useful for flying VTOLs imo.

I made changes to the OP as I can't embed more than 5 videos in one post. I hadn't thought about it, but it makes sense! So I just added a link to the full playlist for the guides.

Table of Contents has been updated with the newest episodes and links to the different topics.

[Cruzan]

Finally got around to making another video for the series! THis one covers high altitude flying which is a good lead-in to SSTO design. It covers a ton of good stuff!

Table of Contents also updated

KSP Quick Guides: High Altitude Design v.23

[m4rt14n]

Hello. I managed to make a VTOL by looking at your wonderful design from youtube. My question is, is it necessary for the Center of Lift to be precisely the same as Center of Mass and Center of Thrust?

And boy landing at the heli pad on top of VAB is hardd....

Edited February 4, 2014 by m4rt14n

[Claw]

These are great! I wish I would have found these when I was first flailing around in the SPH...

Thanks!

EDIT: I noticed some other people complaining about your videos loading. I to have had some problems, though I have no explanation. I just had to reload them and it worked.

[Cruzan]

Hello. I managed to make a VTOL by looking at your wonderful design from youtube. My question is, is it necessary for the Center of Lift to be precisely the same as Center of Mass and Center of Thrust?

And boy landing at the heli pad on top of VAB is hardd....

Ya the heli-pad landings can be tough to nail down at first. I plan to make a quick video showing off some extra VTOL flying tips which I've found/been shown by others recently.

As for the CoL/CoM/CoT question, I always recommend having the CoL behind the CoM. If it is directly on the CoM you'll have a design that wants to fly forwards and backwards, causing it to flip

If you're asking about the CoL being "in line" with the CoM and CoT, then no. The CoL can be above/below those just fine! The main concern with the bubbles is to have the CoL be behind the CoM and to have the CoT aiming directly through the CoM (the second one changes when you have a combo of horizontal and vertical engines though!)

These are great! I wish I would have found these when I was first flailing around in the SPH...

Thanks!

EDIT: I noticed some other people complaining about your videos loading. I to have had some problems, though I have no explanation. I just had to reload them and it worked.

Thanks Do you make a lot of planes/spaceplanes?

I haven't heard of people having issues with my videos loading before. Can you elaborate a little bit or point me in the direction of people who were having issues? Thanks for letting me know about it!