When do you start your gravity turn

[Jank]

I do it at 10,000. Or 300m/s, whichever is sooner. Got bigger worries to worry about. And I do it like BAM, all at once. No lube.

[UmbralRaptor]

4000 - 6000 m, on or just below the prograde marker until I get an exoatmospheric apoapsis. Then coasting and circularization burn.

(stock aerodynamics)

[Guest]

My turns are around the common 10 km mark. However, it may be more or less depending on speed. I usually start later if below 250 m/s at 10 km.

[problemecium]

I give my rockets a little nudge eastward, like 3 degrees maybe, at 6km to make sure they don't drift west and waste fuel, and then at 10km I start slowly turning it east so that the apoapsis hits about 25km at the same time that I'm tilted 45 degrees. From there I follow the navball to space.

[TYRT]

If craft is big, at 6k-7k starting with 20*, very gently

If craft isn't so big at 11-12 starting with 45*

[morph113]

I usually make my first turn at around 12 -18k meter, depending on my rocket and acceleration and what my velocity is at a certain altitude. I would never turn before reaching 10k though. The amount of degrees I first turn depends on the altitude and speed as well and from then on I increase it gradually, while always checking my current apoapsis to know what angle is best.

Edited February 28, 2014 by morph113

[Mazlem]

I start right around 10k, and lately I've been only pitching over to ~65*, then 45* at about 15k an go full throttle.

Edited March 1, 2014 by Mazlem

[Penguinhero]

i start all my turns at 12,000 meters because its close enough to 10,000 m and its the end of the light blue part of the altimeter

[boxman]

It depends on what I am sending up and how much thrust to weight ratio I have. Some rockets do better with early gravity turn while others do better with late.

If i have enough trust and fuel and go for a interplanetary trip I might even skip gravity turning completely and just go straight up until i reach solar orbit just to save time.

I say the best way is to just experiment yourself and eventually you will learn to judge it based on what you are sending up.

[Klingon Admiral]

Immediatley after lift-off. Partly because of far, aprtly because dropping boosters on top of KSC is bad manners.

[Deejay2000]

I've never paid attention. I use FAR and I tip over a little bit instantly. I guess the one thing I do try to do is get and apoapsis of 20km to 25km around the time I'm pointing 45 degrees over. Anything lower and I feel I'm taking to much time in the lower atmosphere and anything higher and I feel my vertical velocity is too high. I really just go by how the trajectory "feels".

[RocketPilot573]

I start turning over at 10 Km, and reach 45 degrees by 16 Km.

[Sovek]

About 5-10° right off the bat, assuming I have a rocket with a TWR of about 1.5, then I stick it straight up till I get some proper speed. But then again I'm running under FAR.

For stock, 10Km is good enough.

[Kryxal]

I like to start my turn a bit early, but then, I usually use a 6-tank asparagus set and I tend to see some torque problems once I drop the first two tanks ... the problems go away after dropping the second pair.

I've actually been playing around with turbojet "booster" rockets, and those go by different rules. Around 15k, I try to get a whole lot of horizontal speed, then go at maybe 60 degrees shortly before detaching them.

[Deathsoul097]

I generally go for 7K start, and at least 400m/s and at 45* by ~20K. Works pretty well for me.

[AlamoVampire]

I know this thread has been created before, and if there's an active one, pardon me.

Before I used to always do my gravity turn heading 45 degrees at 10 000 meters, but today I start turning to about 85-80 degrees a few seconds after launch. You get the speed up more easily that way, and I noticed that my launcher stage could launch my payload into a higher orbit. Now, is it more effective to start directly after liftoff or should you wait until 10 000 meters? When do you guys start your gravity turn?

1. that is a bit steep of a turn honestly, but, as far as timing goes, nearly on par with real world rockets. but, not sure how far they turn.

2. keep an eye on your throttle, stay below terminal velocity or you are wastin fuel on drag.

3. IF manual, i do it about 7-10km up depending on payload.

4. IF by mechjeb: when ever it decides its time to turn lol.

[Vanamonde]

This belongs in gameplay questions. And now, it is there.