Why does an entirely symmetrically constructed space plane yaw right?

[rtxoff]

Can't try your file because i do not use FAR but what i see from the screenshots Kasuha is right. Your plane simpy does not have enough power. You need to add more solar panels or remove ion engines.

You need something like 12 small solar panels to power one ion drive if you are not using any batterys. Even with batterys you will quickly run out of power and then some ion engines deactivate resulting in unsymetrical thrust.

[Zatie12]

Your plane simpy does not have enough power. You need to add more solar panels or remove ion engines

I've designed the craft such that it has entirely sufficient solar power as long as the sun is vaguely overhead, as per the save tile. If you tried the craft in said configuration before making a comment you would soon discover the opposite?

Edited May 6, 2014 by Zatie12

[Hodo]

Looks like if you are creating enough power, you are having an issue with wing flex on the landing gear. When your landing gear is attached to the wings the wings may flex on take off, which will cause the camber of the landing gear which will cause the craft to veer one direction or the other.

My suggestion is to add more struts to the wings.

[Master Tao]

I was able to download and examine the craft file.

Short answer: It needs batteries.

Long answer:

I wasn't able to load the file; the SPH reports that it "contains locked or invalid parts" (I have FAR, KAS, B9, and a few other mods). I was able to search for any of the stock batteries in the file itself. As far as I can tell, the only electrical storage is the probe cube. It does look like you added enough solar panels (more than 10 per engine).

Hope that helps. I haven't tried an ion glider since installing FAR - how does it fly?

[Kasuha]

You don't have enough solar panels. Size of the probe battery is not an issue, but its capacity depletes within a second after start and some engines run out of power - three in my case.That's why it yaws. Adding batteries only helps till they deplete.

You also used some modded struts, I had to remove them from the craft to load it, then I installed a few standard ones to keep it together somewhat.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Kasuha

[rtxoff]

I've designed the craft such that it has entirely sufficient solar power as long as the sun is vaguely overhead, as per the save tile. If you tried the craft in said configuration before making a comment you would soon discover the opposite?

It is always the same thing. People asking for help and then they do not want to try the advices they get.

I have such people every day on the support line.

I suggest you try out the advice people give you or stop wasting our time.

[zarakon]

According to http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Parts

Each ion engine requires 8.729 charge per second

You have 11 engines, for a total requirement of 96.019 per second.

A single solar panel generates 0.75 charge per second. You need 128.025 of them running at full power to meet your requirement.

Your design appears to have two 8x7 squares of panels, so only 112, not enough to power all of your engines fully.

[Zatie12]

It is always the same thing. People asking for help and then they do not want to try the advices they get.

I have such people every day on the support line.

I suggest you try out the advice people give you or stop wasting our time.

You and the helpful community are correct, and is Zarakon. I do apologise, I am entirely at fault here. When I first tested the craft I think the sun was directly overhead and the thrust might not have been quite 100%. Things seemed to be okay. In subsequent attempts where I ran the throttle up to maximum, the panels weren't quite generating enough power and one of the engines cut out.

I'll go learn from my incompetence. And thank you for the help!

Sorry

[Kasuha]

According to http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Parts

Each ion engine requires 8.729 charge per second

You have 11 engines, for a total requirement of 96.019 per second.

A single solar panel generates 0.75 charge per second. You need 128.025 of them running at full power to meet your requirement.

Your design appears to have two 8x7 squares of panels, so only 112, not enough to power all of your engines fully.

Besides, Wiki values apply when the sun is directly above solar panels, not when the panel is inclined. You need some extra to cover the fact that you won't always fly with sun directly above you.

[Alfondoo]

It is always the same thing. People asking for help and then they do not want to try the advices they get.

I suggest you try out the advice people give you or stop wasting our time.

Pretty hostile... it's an honest mistake to make and nobody wasted any time that wasn't freely given. We're all here to help each other.

OP, glad you got the answers you were looking for in the end

[rtxoff]

Pretty hostile... it's an honest mistake to make and nobody wasted any time that wasn't freely given. We're all here to help each other.

OP, glad you got the answers you were looking for in the end

Everybody makes a mistake, that is no problem and never will be. But for me personal it is a problem when somebody asks for help and then overgoes the advice he gets without even verifying it. It makes the sense in asking for help senseless especially when i get accused of talking nonsense but beeing 100% right. So you see i had every reason to react hostile but i did not. I my opinion my statement was harsh at best and it had success. Maybe we still discussing with Zatie12 if i had not reacted like i did. Sorry if i sounded hostile, it was not my intention.