Stock Helicopter

[KissSh0t]

Have you tried making one like a Chinook? and having the rotors at different heights so they aren't passing through one another?

I've tried but honestly I do not know how you make the parts rotate like that.... I tried duplicating exactly what you had dome and I just cannot do it.

[VincentLaw]

Have you tried making one like a Chinook? and having the rotors at different heights so they aren't passing through one another?

It's not that difficult to make the rotors not pass through each other, but since KSP doesn't detect same-ship collision, it doesn't really matter, and it makes designs a bit more bulky. Jet engine exhaust used to have a "laser beam of doom" effect that would destroy any part that got behind it (within a certain distance). For this reason, it used to be necessary to design rotors so that the blades did not intersect. That is why I used to prefer coaxial design because it was the easiest way to keep parts out of the exhaust.

If you look at this design, you can see how difficult it used to be to make designs that were not coaxial. Those props are about as close as they could get to the fuselage without the exhaust shearing it in half. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/21688-Stock-0-17-TurboPROP-%28fully-functional-propellers%29?highlight=turboprop (If you want to comment on that design, do in this thread)

I've tried but honestly I do not know how you make the parts rotate like that.... I tried duplicating exactly what you had dome and I just cannot do it.

You could try slowly modifying my design until you have something different. My cargo helicopter just used a modified subasssembly from the first one in this thread, so I didn't have to redo the rotor from scratch. (unfortunately the subassembly didn't preserve strut connections). Otherwise, send me the file and I can tell you what you are doing incorrectly. Edited October 30, 2013 by VincentLaw

[KissSh0t]

I'm currently in between moving everything on my PC over to Windows 8.1 .... But once I'm all up and running again I will put the helicopter I was trying to do here so you can give me some pointers xD

It wasn't something I was intending to have fly.. I was just trying to get the rotating part working... so It's just one rotor and then a tail engine off to the side to counter the spin... but the rotor doesn't spin so the whole craft spins.. hahaha..

Anyways I'll post it when I'm back up and running with windows 8.1

[KissSh0t]

I went and reworked it a bit... trying a duel rotor like yours except I lengthened the rotors not to pass through each other as they spin.

All I can't do is get it off the ground.. hahahaha.. The rotors spin though.. But it ends up tearing apart after some time.

It's not meant to look nice... Honestly I am still trying to understand how the rotors work.

[iDan122]

Vincent congrats! Your helicopter was featured on KSPTV! http://www.twitch.tv/ksptv/b/475343481

[VincentLaw]

Vincent congrats! Your helicopter was featured on KSPTV! http://www.twitch.tv/ksptv/b/475343481

Thanks. He did a good job of not exceeding the roll input limitations. I like that he showed the ejection system too.

I went and reworked it a bit... trying a dual rotor like yours except I lengthened the rotors not to pass through each other as they spin.

All I can't do is get it off the ground.. hahahaha.. The rotors spin though.. But it ends up tearing apart after some time.

It's not meant to look nice... Honestly I am still trying to understand how the rotors work.

The rotors are most likely tearing themselves apart because you don't have any struts connecting the rotor arms. You should run at least one strut between the I-beams across the middle that isn't connected to the decouplers. This will reduce the stress on the decouplers and help keep them from bending unevenly.

Your lift problem could be solved by adding more fins, increasing the length of the blades, or possibly increasing the angle of incidence of the blades. The larger the rotor, the more efficient it will be.

You also would not have any pitch authority if you did manage to take off because the blades are not angled as I showed in the picture on page 2. You would not have any yaw authority either because of the missing vertical fins at the rotor tips.

Edited November 1, 2013 by VincentLaw

[Penguinhero]

I modified one of your rotors to run on rocket fuel and strapped 2 hitchhiker containers on the ends and made a artificial gravity machine

I built one for my mun base

[Fleskhjerta14577]

You should make a quadcopter and see if that would work

[Giggleplex777]

You should make a quadcopter and see if that would work

Before 0.21 broke the Structural Pylon...

[Jeb Cubed]

Looks like this forum is becomeing a show your latest monstrosity-of-a-metal-death-trap-that-is-beautiful-only-to-ksp-players showcase. Anyways they are all so pretty, I don't know which one to fly first.

[xoknight]

Hey where do you launch the helicopters? The VAB or SPH?

[iDan122]

Hey where do you launch the helicopters? The VAB or SPH?

That's not a very smart question....

[xoknight]

Well i'm sorry for not reaching your expectations. I needed to know that question because when I download the craft it gives me the option of the SPH or the VAB and these might be crucial to the design of the helicopter.

[Exothermos]

The fact that these work at all in KSP is amazing. I love your decoupler rotor design, and how the fuel lines infinitely twist around the shaft and somehow the structural pieces pass through each other while rotating. v0v The end result is a freaking helicopter in a game where no rotating or gimbaling pieces are provided!

I'm glad you provided an escape pod plan too. I may or may not have used it many times.

So great.

[iDan122]

Well i'm sorry for not reaching your expectations. I needed to know that question because when I download the craft it gives me the option of the SPH or the VAB and these might be crucial to the design of the helicopter.

Do you think even? D you launcha helicopter from a runway or from a launch pad in a vertical position?

[xoknight]

As I said, It maybe crucial for the design of the helicopter. And as I suspected, the helicopter started to move and veer off course on the launchpad.