The "Other" Runways

[problemecium]

I have come to the realization that KSC has more than one runway. Sure, only one structure is actually named "Runway", but...

I've identified three other areas which for the purpose of this challenge are to be considered runways. Since I'm too lazy to figure out what a good way to compare scores between them is, I'm just going to have three divisions for the three. Left is the "easy" one - a reasonably skinny plane should be able to land here without smashing into anything. Right is "medium" given the bumpiness of the track. Bottom is "hard", as despite its width it's very very short.

Scores are based on the entry velocity of the plane (how fast it is going when it hits the ground) times one of these metrics:

Easy: width of the plane

Medium: inverse height of the plane (shorter is better)

Hard: length of the plane

Hopefully the plane dimensions won't be too close for us to tell what's bigger than what.

The actual challenge is, as you may have pieced together by now, to launch an airplane, loop around KSC, and land on one of the alternate runways.

Rules:

No parachutes!

No joysticks! They make planes too easy. SAS is allowed though.

Obviously, no "make planes super easy to fly and indestructible" mods, etc. In fact I'd prefer stock, but as I know a lot of people have MJ, FAR, etc. I'm not gonna require you to reinstall KSP.

Finally, no crashing! Intact planes please, and no armored flying lances that stab buildings on the way in.

Proof of concept: None because I suck at planes. Sorry!! I'll probably attempt this later but most likely I'll just get a bunch of explosions.

[ihtoit]

there's an even harder one: on top of the VAB roof, there's a "runway" - those two helipads provide a very short run, and a bit of a step off the end!

[Silverchain]

"I'm a good pilot. How hard can it be? ...er, on second thoughts, this is rather bumpy, let's try the easy one first."

"Wait, is that the memorial to the Mark I Command Po-" *smash* "-goodbye, wing! There's a 51% chance you would've survived continued flights."

"I'll get me coat."

[OTehNoes]

A+ for effort, D- for execution.

[Batz_10K]

Well, it must be time to bust out the ion flyer then...

You don't say which direction you're supposed to land from - I'm guessing for the one in front of the VAB, you come in from the sea side, and for the others, it's the mountain side?

Also, I presume VTOLs are illegal?

It's OK to land on the path next to the tracks in front of the VAB? I forgot to take a screenshot at touchdown but it was about 25ms

Airborne selfie... Shepson is not too impressed.

I hope RCS for airbrakes isn't illegal...

also...Hard challenge is hard

[Othuyeg]

How about adding the mass of the aircraft as one of the factors in scoring? Also, for me the challenge scoring system seems slightly hard to understand perfectly. It could be just me, since I am not a native speaker of english, however I would look into clearing it up if possible.

I will be participating once I crank up my KSP.

[jmiki8]

I didn't see any VTOL-restrictions added to the challange, so I show my "exploit":

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EDIT: Oh, I didn't read it correctly, and I didn't see this part: "Scores are based on the entry velocity of the plane"

Well, I'll try uploading another entry later.

Edited March 11, 2014 by jmiki8

[MiniMatt]

OOOOH! I can enter something for the third, under the bridge, runway. Tangentially designed whilst messing around in the spaceplane hangar thanks to Xeldrak's challenges I present the supremely silly Jet Trike:

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Craft file available on Xeldrak's thread

Edit: arse! Having the attention span of a goldfish I naturally missed the stipulation that one must land on these alternative runways rather than merely takeoff.

Edited March 11, 2014 by MiniMatt

[Sirrobert]

"I'm a good pilot. How hard can it be? ...er, on second thoughts, this is rather bumpy, let's try the easy one first."

http://i.imgur.com/WMyk0pv.jpg

"Wait, is that the memorial to the Mark I Command Po-" *smash* "-goodbye, wing! There's a 51% chance you would've survived continued flights."

http://i.imgur.com/xQ9PpnQ.png

"I'll get me coat."

http://i.imgur.com/hKh3IEd.jpg

Just say you wanted to land infront of the pilot lounge

[problemecium]

VTOLs are legal, because I don't expect you'll be able to get your entry velocity very high coming down vertically.

Mass I have left out of the calculations due to KSP's drag mechanics, which make the drag proportional to mass and mean that massive planes slow down at about the same rate as light ones.

[Othuyeg]

Okay... Here are my attempts in the form of a video.

These are my landings on the easy runway.

http://www.twitch.tv/othuyeg/c/3868340

http://www.twitch.tv/othuyeg/c/3868312

And here we go. The big one. The short runway:

http://www.twitch.tv/othuyeg/c/3868521

Please, tell me what you think.

Edit: For those like me who love laughing at miserable failures, here is a full video including the prototypes. The first minutes are just me flying amongst the buildings, failing constantly but I believe there is quite a bit of entertainment hidden there.

http://www.twitch.tv/othuyeg/b/510239254

Edit 2: I added my landing on the short runway.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Othuyeg

[leafty]

I also managed to land a plane that's not a VTOL on the "hard" runway.

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It's hard to tell the speed at which it touches the ground since the deceleration is very short.

[BagelRabbit]

I've landed at these "runways" before! Give me enough time and I'll make a video.

[Whatshtisthis]

I tried "Easy".

Went off the length of it after I smashed my right wing on the Mk1 Pod Memorial, the resulting partial roll destroyed what remains of my wings.

Edited March 13, 2014 by Whatshtisthis

[BagelRabbit]

Here's a nice attempt. The video speaks for itself...

What's up with the Mk1 pod and its desire to smash everything in its path? Maybe it's bitter about not being in the game anymore...?

On a side note, I made one landing on the short runway kind of sideways, and then rolled off the "runway" as I attempted to stop. This attempt was otherwise successful, with no damage. Does this still count?