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The Ultimate VTOL Challenge

Fengist

By Fengist
in KSP1 Challenges & Mission ideas

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Aghanim

Aghanim

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@Northstar1989: I will say the truth to you: The truth is, I'm too lazy to do career mode as my 0.22 modded KSP save doesn't survive the upgrade yet KSPI added microwave transmitter fixes and balance and updates (you get the point) 0.23, and it means that I need to redo it from scratch

But again, I think I will go with fuel power for this challenge, airplane VTOL, as thermal turbojets power curve is bad. But still, my primary VTOL for fun is that ugly box, with antimatter so it could go single stage to everywhere, as it have the highest cargo bay volume ever

But I will some time make it looks like a real spaceship

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Ryu Gemini

Ryu Gemini

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Nice carrier by the way. What mods did you use to build that?

Well, aside from Hooligans balloons, the large tanks on the sides are from Firespitters (they are the bomber fuel tanks). I think that electric fuselage is also from that (the massive line of oblong batteries just above the large round things, that give me way more power then I ever need on the thing).

I have KW rocketry, and that may be in play, since I used a "medium connector strut" that is stronger and heavier then the vanilla one, and I believe it may be from KW. If not, then its from the Near Future pack. But since bomber fuel tanks are light compared with tanks that have oxydizer (similar to how the plane fuselages tend to be light compared with rocket tanks in general), I wonder if normal struts would have worked anyway. Oh right, and those half-SAS clip-on rings are from KW.

And of course, the hinges and the elevator are made possible by infernal robotics.

Aside from the mods mentioned so far, I also have kethane and mechjeb, though neither were used on that thing.

If you want to make one, my general tip would be to make the internal hangar twice the size of what you initially think will be enough. And maybe find a mod if there is one that adds some larger structural elements to make a deck with.

Edit: On a side note, a line of large rotating VTOL props would have been capable of getting it airborne, but I didn't feel like working out balance for the thing at the time. Also, I wanted to have a chance of actually landing on it without having to train for 10 hours, and I wanted to give the big balloons a proper test run anyway.

.

Edited by Ryu Gemini
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Mesklin

Mesklin

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Here is my ultimate VTOL craft: Mushroom

Stock only, no mods, base construction mass: ~6.7 t (depend on fuel load), one pilot in personal, comfortable cabin :cool:

I finished some awards tougher:

1. The Bedstead Award - base construction

2. The Airgeep Distinction (4 kerbals), The DARPA VTOL-X Award (10.29 t full mass – 3.36 t payload – 48% fraction) – 4 passenger’s cabins were added

3. The Harrier Distinction, The Dornier Award, The Osprey Award (10.89 t full mass – 3.96 t payload – 57% fraction) – 6 passenger’s cabins were added

4. The Moller Distinction, The Delta Clipper Award (1 passenger) – 1 passenger’s cabin was added

5. The MLRV Award (Munar Landing Research Vehicle) – 4 drop tanks and Mun Flea craft were added

The Pogo Stick Award - earned

W2nsYii.jpg

Edited by Mesklin
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DirkLarien

DirkLarien

Posted
Posted

Just for the The DARPA VTOL-X Award

description is in the video

mods used

B9 aerospace

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/25241-0-22-B9-Aerospace-Pack-R4-0c-New-pods-IVAs-engines-fuselages-structures

RCSBuildAid

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/35996-0-23-RCS-Build-Aid-v0-4-4-New-average-center-of-mass-marker

Kerbal Engineer Redux

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/18230-0-23-Kerbal-Engineer-Redux-v0-6-2-3

Kerbal Joint Reinforcement

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55657-0-23-Kerbal-Joint-Reinforcement-v1-7-1-18-14-v2-0x2-experimental-available!

KAS

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/25563-0-21-1-KAS-v0-4-3-Struts-pipes-part-storage-containers-merged-winches-more

Enhanced Navball

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/50524-0-23-Enhanced-Navball-1-2

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Northstar1989

Northstar1989

Posted
Posted

A pretty cool VTOL all-in-all.

I know you probably thought the raised fuselage was just "cool", but it actually solves one of the major problems in cargo-lifts like this: how to get the cargo attached close enough under the center of mass...

Really, aside from pre-attaching cargo to a built-in cargo bay, you don't have many options. Attaching cargo with a KAS winch like that is often difficult because you can't land directly on top of the cargo- which means you have to initially take off with the cargo trailing slightly behind (take a look at my "HELO: B" on the HELO Challenge thread- also by the same author as this thread, for more of what I'm talking about... I had quite a few incidents lifting a 40-ton cargo off the launchpad with a 30-ton helicopter by KAS winch, and when I finally did manage to get the cargo off the pad that way, I managed to crash it into the island runway by coming down too fast- causing me to switch to pre-attaching the cargo into a built-in cargo bay...)

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/66633-The-HELO-challenge

Regards,

Northstar

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Northstar1989

Northstar1989

Posted
Posted (edited)

Fengist,

I've decided to put my VTOL project on hold- indefinitely. I've already thrown out the design for the K-5 'Blackbird', and have progressed to the K-7 'Blackbird', which has additional SAS and larger control surfaces, basically- but am still not happy with the result (much like the K-5, the K-7 simply flies too much like a plane when its fuel tank is empty- it's WAY too hard to land as a VTOL with such a high lift:mass ratio)

The K-7:

tX8bPMK.png

Now I *COULD* just design something that looks an awful lot like a glorified air-breathing rocket/lander, and air-hog it around the globe and such. But I'm not going to. Personally, I want to build something *practical*, something that benefits from the reduced fuel consumption of wings (wings allow lower TWR for a give payload), and could be re-fitted rocket VTOL's, nuclear reactors and thermal turbojets for use somewhere like Duna or Jool. A design without wings won't work with fission-powered Thermal Turbojets- their TWR is simply too low to work well without wings, even on Duna.

Likely I'll eventually just end up going for a bigger fuselage to make it sufficiently heavy, slightly smaller wings, and air-brakes to slow it down: in many ways like a hybrid of the larger winged VTOL Swifty posted earlier and some of the other winged designs...

For the meantime, just put me down for the Bedstead Award with the K-5 'Blackbird'.

Regards,

Northstar

Edited by Northstar1989
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fluffysnowcap

fluffysnowcap

Posted
Posted (edited)

just started working on a Vtol but i carnt help but ask for a Walter landing sub objective to be added mostly as it will ass a lot of utility to a transport

EDIT:

there is a lot of epic crafts im hoping i can live up to them

Edited by fluffysnowcap
had to be said
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DirkLarien

DirkLarien

Posted
Posted (edited)
A pretty cool VTOL all-in-all.

I know you probably thought the raised fuselage was just "cool", but it actually solves one of the major problems in cargo-lifts like this: how to get the cargo attached close enough under the center of mass...

Really, aside from pre-attaching cargo to a built-in cargo bay, you don't have many options. Attaching cargo with a KAS winch like that is often difficult because you can't land directly on top of the cargo- which means you have to initially take off with the cargo trailing slightly behind (take a look at my "HELO: B" on the HELO Challenge thread- also by the same author as this thread, for more of what I'm talking about... I had quite a few incidents lifting a 40-ton cargo off the launchpad with a 30-ton helicopter by KAS winch, and when I finally did manage to get the cargo off the pad that way, I managed to crash it into the island runway by coming down too fast- causing me to switch to pre-attaching the cargo into a built-in cargo bay...)

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/66633-The-HELO-challenge

Regards,

Northstar

Thank you :-)

Yeah at first I wanted to use upside-down b9 cargo bay. But didn't really see the point in those doors, so why even use them.

At first it had M27 Overview cockpit.

I was aiming to build something like:

Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe - thats where that fuselage shape came from.

300px-Sikorsky_Skycrane_carrying_parachute_bomb_c.jpg

But i wanted it to look more modern.

So another inspiration was dropship from movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

300px-Copperhead.jpg

Then i switched to cockpit that is used in final version. And it looked slightly better, but it looked like it had broken neck. :-) So i tried to align it with rest of the fuselage and it just looked too cool to change anymore. :-) Thats where small docking port came in.

It has fuel only in those two wing parts next to fuselage. Where dry center of mass is.

Which means it should not change its balance with fuel levels.

Edited by DirkLarien
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zapy

zapy

Posted
Posted (edited)

This is my attempt, the basic design is almost the same for all the challenges, I only add some seats for some of them, another rocket engine for the two that requires to carry extra weight, and balancing thrust, fuel and oxidizer depending on my objective.

I based this on an old design I made some time ago to test RAPIER engine.

And that's it, all the challenges completed.

It's my first time with imgur, so I hope I won't have problems...

<iframe class="imgur-album" width="100%" height="550" frameborder="0" src="http://imgur.com/a/dkKfF/embed"></iframe>

http://imgur.com/a/FMB3m#0

http://imgur.com/a/l4d68

http://imgur.com/a/eTY6A

http://imgur.com/a/UKbJO#0

http://imgur.com/a/fhOe0

http://imgur.com/a/jNwO2

http://imgur.com/a/9PZfh

http://imgur.com/a/uzuw9

http://imgur.com/a/dkKfF#4

Edited by zapy
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Fengist

Fengist

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  • Author
Posted
Here is my ultimate VTOL craft: Mushroom

Stock only, no mods, base construction mass: ~6.7 t (depend on fuel load), one pilot in personal, comfortable cabin :cool:

I finished some awards tougher:

1. The Bedstead Award - base construction

2. The Airgeep Distinction (4 kerbals), The DARPA VTOL-X Award (10.29 t full mass – 3.36 t payload – 48% fraction) – 4 passenger’s cabins were added

3. The Harrier Distinction, The Dornier Award, The Osprey Award (10.89 t full mass – 3.96 t payload – 57% fraction) – 6 passenger’s cabins were added

4. The Moller Distinction, The Delta Clipper Award (1 passenger) – 1 passenger’s cabin was added

5. The MLRV Award (Munar Landing Research Vehicle) – 4 drop tanks and Mun Flea craft were added

The Pogo Stick Award - earned

Excellent, and a radial design to boot. Leaderboard Updated.

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Fengist

Fengist

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For the meantime, just put me down for the Bedstead Award with the K-5 'Blackbird'.

Regards,

Northstar

Done. Something you may want to look into if you're having lift/mass problems is a 'radial' design. I goofed around with it and landed this 12 engine, 76 ton version on the VAB last night. Doesn't fly as well as my initial radial design but, fly it does and not bad on fuel either considering the 12 engines. One thing I've discovered is if you create a flat but wide 'pancake' design, it actually flies pretty well, the flatter the better (which is why this one is a bit more difficult to maneuver.)

Starfish3.png

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Fengist

Fengist

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  • Author
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just started working on a Vtol but i carnt help but ask for a Walter landing sub objective to be added mostly as it will ass a lot of utility to a transport

EDIT:

there is a lot of epic crafts im hoping i can live up to them

If you mean a water landing, I actually thought about that but, for that, all you'd really need to do is slap some pontoons on and it would be easy for most to do.

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Hodo

Hodo

Posted
Posted

Hmm... I guess I know what I am doing soon...

I have several craft that can do most of these challenges.

Like this one if I ever find the craft file again.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Or my massive SP-406VA

[imgur[Tk4n69L[/imgur]

Or my Yak-141 replica

Javascript is disabled. View full album

or anything out of this..lol

Javascript is disabled. View full album

So many choices... so great of a challenge.

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Rune

Rune

Posted
Posted

Hum. If I entered a K-drive powered ship, that would be considered cheating right? Because that's the first thing I thought of when I saw the Tesla award... and then I realized a K-drive ship like the Far Star, with minimal modifications (read: sticking the payloads to it in any place you want) would fulfill all of the above requirements... and then some.

Rune. Yeah, it must be cheating. Right? It's not infiniglide, but... :sticktongue:

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Ryu Gemini

Ryu Gemini

Posted
Posted

Technically, the kraken drive is an abuse of kerbal physics just like infiniglide, so yeah.

In its current state though, it is rather wonky though (particularly during in-atmosphere use), and I would be rather impressed if you could create a kraken-drive aircraft capable of operating to the standards of this thread. Even the best of them aren't the most reliable or easy to use things.

.

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fluffysnowcap

fluffysnowcap

Posted
Posted (edited)

The Vtol's where getting a little big so i went small very small

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Mitner kerman so one hot kerbal

Challenges i went for where

The Bedstead Award

The Airgeep Distinction

Mods:

B9

Interstellar

KspX

FAR

Magic Smoke Industries

Edited by fluffysnowcap
lots to do, lots to add, lots i forget.
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Claw

Claw

Posted
Posted

So I have to ask, because I've been trying to do this challenge. Is MechJeb not allowed to fly? Or can we not have MechJeb on at all? I don't usually let Jeb fly, but I use it for all kinds of useful information and I'm finding it pretty difficult to fly without it.

I finally landed on the island using Engineer, but then the Kraken got me as I was unloading my Kerbals. I don't know if it was Engineer, but it was pretty frustrating after so many vehicle crashes.

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Fengist

Fengist

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  • Author
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The Vtol's where getting a little big so i went small very small

Mitner kerman so one hot kerbal

Challenges i went for where

The Bedstead Award

The Airgeep Distinction

Mods:

B9

Interstellar

KspX

FAR

Magic Smoke Industries

Welcome to the vertical world! I tried making a VTOL with those jets and found their spool-up time wayyyyy too slow to have any accuracy. Glad you got them working.

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