Ideal Lift Rating : Tonnage Ratio?

[Box of Stardust]

What is the ideal 'lift rating' per ton ratio for a plane/spaceplane to fly well? I feel like it's 2:1, but I'm not sure. Or does it depend?

[Taki117]

It really depends on the aircraft since there is no real "lift" value generated by the wings (that I can find).

[Box of Stardust]

In the stats of the part, there's a 'lift rating'. I know that KSP's aerodynamics model is bonkers, which allows me to stack 10 wings in the same spot and get ludicrous amounts of lift, but... how much lift?

[Claw]

In general, I recommend 0.5 to 1.0 lift rating per ton. You can go lower than 0.5 if you have a lot of excess thrust. Generally you don't need to go over 1.0 because past that you don't get much additional performance for the extra drag/weight penalties.

Unsolicited, but I also recommend:

1 TurboJet per 12t (up to a maximum of 1 TurboJet per 15t)

3 Intakes per TurboJet (minimum of 1, max whatever you feel like, but you have to start doubling past 3 to see much difference)

150 units of fuel per engine

Those are really basic rules of thumb I use to get started. There's a lot more behind it then that, but that's a basic start.

Cheers,

~Claw