The Enternal Flyer: Forever in the sky!

[willwolvescry]

After a wonderful Kerbal War 1 challenge I decided it's time to unveil the next challenge in line of challenges to come for each update! This one is called The Eternal Flyer! You are to create a plane that can basically break ever single scientific law out there and fly forever without any thrust or cheats! For it to be considered an Eternal Flyer you must be able to have it fly to the end of the runway or if you want to to the edge of the ocean. With that in mind here are the rules!

Rules:

1. Must fly on kerbin!

2. Must not use any cheats of any kind!

3. Modded aircraft are aloud but scoring will be separate from those using only stock parts.

4. Must be under 100 parts.

5. Can't do any "dolphining" (repeatedly climbing stalling and falling) This is only ok if it loses or gains 1 meter over a very long time span.

6. Can not use thrust to maintain the eternal flight.

7. Can not use SAS once you start your eternal flight.

8. No copy cating!

9. Must carry one kerbal!

10. Must take video of it flying or provide pictures. Files will not count.

I know its quite a bit but that's fine. As for scoring here is the math behind it (we are using a point system)

Scoring:

100-(part count)= part count score (this can be negative!)

Total Weight of Eternal Flyer = weight score (simple enough)

90-angle of attack (aoa)= AOA score* (if it's flipped over its the same as 90 degrees and check bonus for exception)

50-speed= speed score (if over 50 than this is the same as 50 m/s)

Part count score + total weight score + AOA score + speed score = total score

*Bonus:

You must land the plane to obtain the bonus and you can only get it once on your first try. When you land you will receive all 90 point for aoa score unless something broke, exploded or decoupled. If something breaks or explodes than its only 85 points and another landing wont count. If you decouple you will not receive the bonus. You may use SAS at this point but not thrust.

Remember that stocks and mods will be scored separately and you may try for both. If you need help building a plane than Scott Manely has three videos on how to build a plane. Click here for those tutorials-->

As for the proof that this can be done here is my run at it also going over it:

my total score is:

Part score = 9

Weight Score = 15.41

AOA score = 90 (landed intact)

Speed score = 46.3

Total Score = 160.71

Have fun! (look at the comments for any updates.)

Edited November 15, 2013 by willwolvescry

[willwolvescry]

Oh by the way if the kerbal dies the bonus doesn't count

[fluffysnowcap]

that is epic thue and thue epic i will love to see what people relpy with and will give it a go my selth

[willwolvescry]

So am I...so am I

[Deathsoul097]

I think you guys might want to see DaemonCaptrix's "Slipstream Drive" Aircraft. MACH 3.5 AT SEA LEVEL. THATS 1300MS-1!

[willwolvescry]

Speed isn't everything. Especially here.

[Sirine]

@willwolvescry

You video time : 7:47- > 7:48...altitude drop by 1m.

This disqualify your own entry as "Eternal Flyer" cause you will eventually going 'down'. It just very very slow.

However if you would say that is 'acceptable'. Here are my entry.

http://www./download/ggucqh69zz2bjca/Eternal_Flight.craft

Flight profile:-

Start Engines->>go to 20m/s--> stop engines.--> lower gear---> pitch up--->Balance pitch to maintain 90 degree AOA.

I can "try" to improve it to not dropping the altitude that fast. But seems that it is irrelevant, your rules does not specify how long it hold "a meter".

But for my own definition, eternal means: Holding altitude forever, not even a meter drop...forever.

[willwolvescry]

Losing 1 meter or gaining 1 meter is fine. I ran it for a longer time after the video and it would slowly go back and forth between 224 and 225. Also I wont except files. They have to be videos or pictures. Otherwise the bonus would be pointless.

Edited November 15, 2013 by willwolvescry

[A Fat Pokemon]

I'll be entering this later... One question though, does it count if it launches off kerbin yet still produces 'thrust' in space without engines?

[willwolvescry]

If you get into space that's great. You wont getting any points for going into space but you can't use any once you start your eternal flight in kerbin's atmosphere.

[willwolvescry]

kind disappointed not to see any video or pictures yet.

[Sirine]

Losing 1 meter or gaining 1 meter is fine. I ran it for a longer time after the video and it would slowly go back and forth between 224 and 225. Also I wont except files. They have to be videos or pictures. Otherwise the bonus would be pointless.

Could you please show us the moment it go back to 225m? My design can't gain altitude once lost it. (Unless dolphin hopping).

[Vector]

Losing 1 meter or gaining 1 meter is fine. I ran it for a longer time after the video and it would slowly go back and forth between 224 and 225.

In the video it drops to 223 at 13:15. I think you are definitely descending, not going back and forth between 224 and 225 as claimed.

[willwolvescry]

Ok let me do another recorded run and this time I will go until I pass the island with the runway on it.

Edited November 16, 2013 by willwolvescry

[Sirine]

Ok let me do another recorded run and this time I will go until I pass the island with the runway on it.

You just need to show the moment you making ascend (going up a meter). while "eternal flying mode" is enable.

[RussaX]

Very interesting. I'm not very good with flying in this game because of some strange physics and bugs. Also this is one of strange stuff.

[willwolvescry]

Since you wanted to see if it really happened I decided to lay down a deal. If it climbed back up after losing a meter than the challenge stays the same. If not than the challenge must follow this plane's definition of eternal flight.

In a phrase...go by this...unless you can do better.

[willwolvescry]

Also would like to add that you can show two airplanes doing this in the same video as long as one is stock.

[Sirine]

100-(part count)= part count score (this can be negative!)

100-(45) = 55

Total Weight of Eternal Flyer = weight score (simple enough)

Total weight = 5.57tons

90-angle of attack (aoa)= AOA score* (if it's flipped over its the same as 90 degrees and check bonus for exception)

90-15 degree = 75

50-speed= speed score (if over 50 than this is the same as 50 m/s)

50-(11.8) = 38.2

Part count score + total weight score + AOA score + speed score = total score

55+5.57+75+38.2= 173.77

*Bonus:

You must land the plane to obtain the bonus and you can only get it once on your first try. When you land you will receive all 90 point for aoa score unless

something broke, exploded or decoupled. If something breaks or explodes than its only 85 points and another landing wont count. If you decouple you will not

receive the bonus. You may use SAS at this point but not thrust.

I can't think of a way that I can crash at the speed of 11.8m/s.

http://www./download/ggucqh69zz2bjca/Eternal_Flight.craft

Flight profile:-

Start Engines->>go to 20m/s--> stop engines.--> lower gear(optional)---> pitch up--->Balance pitch to 15 degree AOA.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_of_attack

In this diagram, the black lines represent the flow of a fluid around a two-dimensional airfoil shape. The angle α is the angle of attack.

Base on your video, your score for AOA should be 90-10 degree = 80. Oh perhaps, you means it another way.

[willwolvescry]

Thats good! And the AOA is based of what the Artificial Horizon says.

[Sirine]

No leader board? Well, so far, I'm the only participant.

[willwolvescry]

Mhmmm We need more people for there to be a leader board.

[Fengist]

Well, here's the problem as I see it. Each of those wings from the OP has a lift rating of 38.18. Unless he's using clipping, That's 38.18 x 6 = 230ish.

Now, if you're attempting this stock, to get the same lift, you'd need 230 wing connectors. ummmm no.

Now, I've got an eternal flying going stock with 71 parts but not without SAS running.

So, you want a leader board, talk to the OP about what it takes to do this.

--Edit-- Oh, I was so gullible to believe this. I feel like a noob. See my next post.

Edited December 1, 2013 by Fengist

[Fengist]

Ok. Now I get it. Stumbled onto how you did this by accident trying to create a plane for Duna. You sir, have created an infiglider. The reason I didn't spot this right off is, I'm used to the ones with gobs of flapping parts running 2,000 m/s at 1,000m altitude. It didn't register because I expected the flaps to flap in order to infiglide. I thot since you said no SAS that it couldn't be an infiglider. SAS is know to cause that even when they're not flapping. Apparently, flaps produce thrust even when doing nothing (did not know this). So, your plane is just another name for infiglider. What ticks me off to the point that I made this post is that you did this big production video like you're Scott Manley breaking the laws of physics, when you should have spotted this yourself and claimed it right off. Even funnier is that you say specifically, 'no cheats' when in virtually every other challenge, (except those specifically for infigliding) it's considered cheating.

I'm really disappointed. Here I thot this might be an interesting challenge and might involve lift. That it might solve some of the Duna aircraft problems I've been experiencing. Ummm not so.

And just to prove it to myself more than you or anyone else... (Oh, and sorry about the squashed video. First time playing with bandicam. But, you'll get the idea. It's a little boring at first but the climax is a graphic assault on the senses.)

Oh, and though I didn't bother to video it, I turned 4 of those big orange Rockomax fuel cans into an 'eternal flyer' by slapping on a bunch of B9 wings and gobs of flaps, I think it was over 180 tons and it flew just like yours, even without SAS. But, I have no desire to compete in a challenge that takes advantage of known game bugs. Thanks anyway.

But, you can take my challenge. Do what I did. Remove the flaps from yours and see if it''s still eternal.