Kerbin Circumnavigation Challenge!

[OTehNoes]

So I've just landed from what started as a test flight, and ended with a total circumnavigation of Kerbin!

I don't know if this has been posted before, I suspect it has but a search didn't find anything.

So here's the challenge, can you do it too? Here are your rules:

• The challenge can only be done via airplane
  
• You must build a plane specifically for this challenge, you may not use something you already have (I can't check this but be a good sport!)
  
• Your aircraft must be able to take off of its own accord, no assisted take offs allowed.
  
• No using debug (obviously)
  
• Your aircraft may not have any form of power generation besides the alternator in the jet engines.
  
• Your aircraft cannot have any form of RCS or SAS modules, the only permitted torque is that in your cockpit.
  
• Your aircraft must be build entirely from stock parts, C7 aerospace parts are also permitted.
  
• You must fly the aircraft yourself, using MechJeb or similar mods to maintain altitudes are not allowed.
  
• Only one cockpit per aircraft.
  
• You must take a Kerbal on this flight, no drones allowed.
  
• Your aircraft can only use the TurboJet Engine or the Basic Jet Engine, the RAPIER is not allowed. You may use the other two in as many numbers as you chose.
  
• You must take off from the KSC runway and finish on the KSC runway.
  
• You can take off in whichever direction is preferable, but you must go around Kerbin via the equator.
  
• Post pictures of your journey.
  
• Post your stats once you land.
  
• Post your time of landing, landing qualifies as coming to an absolute halt on the runway, be honest with your time.
  
• Post your pictures via an imgur album, and post with your score.
  
• Enjoy, if you do not enjoy this challenge you are immediately and indefinitely disqualified.
  

If you have any doubts or questions regarding rules be sure to ask!

There is no real winner to this challenge though whoever does it in the least time does have bragging rights!

Here is my documented journey! My time of landing was 54 minutes and 53 seconds.

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Current Times

OTehNoes - 00:54:53

Edited March 1, 2014 by OTehNoes

[Claw]

I think this has been done, a few times, but that's okay. It's also often a subset of other competitions.

I would caution about saying "space plane" because for most people that implies I can have rockets and go orbital. Unless you mean airplane (which I'm gathering from the engine rules). Some people also add altitude limits to prevent going orbital (as you discovered) unless you're not really worried about that.

[Tex_NL]

I don't want to spoil your fun but this is hardly original: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/search.php?searchid=1990607. One of them, http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/25884-Kerbin-Circumnavigation-Challenge-Reloaded-New-Rules-Once-More?highlight=Circumnavigation is still pretty recent and as far as I know still active.

You've been on the forum over half a year so you could (should) have known this.

Edit: Got Ninja'd.

[OTehNoes]

I think this has been done, a few times, but that's okay. It's also often a subset of other competitions.

I would caution about saying "space plane" because for most people that implies I can have rockets and go orbital. Unless you mean airplane (which I'm gathering from the engine rules). Some people also add altitude limits to prevent going orbital (as you discovered) unless you're not really worried about that.

Ah I see, I'll be sure to change that. Orbital altitudes are fine I guess as it should be impossible to actually get fully into orbit with only jet engines!

[OTehNoes]

I don't want to spoil your fun but this is hardly original: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/search.php?searchid=1990607. One of them, http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/25884-Kerbin-Circumnavigation-Challenge-Reloaded-New-Rules-Once-More?highlight=Circumnavigation is still pretty recent and as far as I know still active.

You've been on the forum over half a year so you could (should) have known this.

I've only really been active for a few weeks, I only made the account then to report a technical issue, sorry.

[Claw]

Ah I see, I'll be sure to change that. Orbital altitudes are fine I guess as it should be impossible to actually get fully into orbit with only jet engines!

Yeah, to permanently stay in orbit on TurboJets is a problem. However, it's completely possible to obtain an AP in excess of 200km without "air-hogging" on just TurboJets. In fact, I think I went over 300km on my Machingbird challenge.

I would maybe recommend seeing if you can think up a rule that would make your challenge unique. Like kerbal passenger carried per fuel used (I'm not sure if that one has been done). That sort of thing.

[Hodo]

Unfortunately a quick search would have told you this first. I know I did a passenger liner version of this very same challenge a few months back. Still have the craft file somewhere, loved that thing, a mach 4, 60 passenger airliner with range to fly around Kerbin twice. Granted I used B9 parts but I can't stand the stock parts for aircraft.

And now that I have the RSS+RF+AYJ I highly doubt I am doing this type of challenge again anytime soon. It takes 20minutes to get out to the island base now at mach 1.

[OTehNoes]

Yeah, to permanently stay in orbit on TurboJets is a problem. However, it's completely possible to obtain an AP in excess of 200km without "air-hogging" on just TurboJets. In fact, I think I went over 300km on my Machingbird challenge.

Yeah I did manage to get an apoapsis of 70,000m on my run, though I never actually got to that altitude as my max cruising altitude was about 36km.

[OTehNoes]

Well my bad on the repost guys, I did do a search and didn't find anything, though that did seem unusual. If nobody is wanting to the challenge then lets just let the thread die or get locked.

[GROOV3ST3R]

I never manage to find anything meaningful on the first page. For me, forum search I was looking for always winds up on the second page or beyond. Its weird but it does work - in its own little quirky way.

I'd let that slide if not for the fact thatI both took part in AND designed the ribbon for the original circumnavigation challenge by Flixxbeatz, which he then made even more rigorous and.... Well, challenging. Try it out for yourself. He does raise avalid point - namely that doing orbital hops isn't really circumnavigation, it's just tumbling through space and not actually flying. It becomes a much tougher challenge once you're limited to 25km above sea level.

Besides, im almost certain that with a little careful planning and some luck, you could hit the Mun, get a small gravity assist and enter a stable orbit using nothing but jets.

Edited March 1, 2014 by GROOV3ST3R