Kerbodyne Velociraptor: light cargo express SSTO for Spaceplane Plus and FAR

[Wanderfound]

Like the idea of SSTO cargo spaceplanes, but can't be bothered waiting around for them to get up to speed? Have we got the plane for you...

This thing is ridiculously fast. It can go supersonic while in a vertical climb and reach orbit with tanks better than half full. Treat the throttle with caution; although it has enough thrust to reach crazy high Mach numbers at sea level, you'll shatter the airframe if you crank it up too much below 10,000m. Climb vertically until the atmosphere thins, level off while you take it to 30,000m and flick the Vernors on to enhance stability during the oxidising burn.

Check the action groups and switch off the Vernors while docking. The Vernor thrust should be sufficient for VTOL landings on the Mun or Minmus.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3u2omnejrwstcma/Kerbodyne%20Velociraptor%20ST.craft

Requires both Spaceplane Plus and Ferram Aerospace Research mod packs.

[Wanderfound]

Runway to orbit in under six minutes, and about two minutes of that was spent coasting to apoapsis.

[CavemanNinja]

holy mother of kod, supersonic vertical?

EDIT: nevermind, just saw ferram

Edited August 12, 2014 by CavemanNinja

[Wanderfound]

holy mother of kod, supersonic vertical?

EDIT: nevermind, just saw ferram

Fly it without FAR and you'll double the horsepower; that should compensate for the soup a bit.

With FAR, you can't leave it at full throttle for more than a minute or so below 10,000m or the plane will explode from the air pressure...

[Wanderfound]

Note, however: it currently has the control surface tweakables tuned, hence the need for FAR. If anyone wants to fly it under stock aero, let me know and I'll post a version with the surfaces reset to default.

[goldenpsp]

Note, however: it currently has the control surface tweakables tuned, hence the need for FAR. If anyone wants to fly it under stock aero, let me know and I'll post a version with the surfaces reset to default.

I'm guessing this would also have an effect using NEAR instead of far? It is mostly stable but the control surfaces are a bit twitchy.

[Wanderfound]

I'm guessing this would also have an effect using NEAR instead of far? It is mostly stable but the control surfaces are a bit twitchy.

I'm not certain, but I'd expect so. Can you adjust control surface tweakables in NEAR? Max control, yaw/roll/pitch, spoiler/flap?

I'm considering winding down the control authority a bit myself (they should be currently all set to max); it's a bit too easy to flip it while climbing. Tweaking them is just a matter of right-clicking the control surface in the SPH.

[goldenpsp]

I'm not certain, but I'd expect so. Can you adjust control surface tweakables in NEAR? Max control, yaw/roll/pitch, spoiler/flap?

I'm considering winding down the control authority a bit myself (they should be currently all set to max); it's a bit too easy to flip it while climbing. Tweaking them is just a matter of right-clicking the control surface in the SPH.

I will take a look once I'm done flying

By the way, first successful docking at my station for restocking

[Wanderfound]

I will take a look once I'm done flying

By the way, first successful docking at my station for restocking

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

Cool; glad you're getting some use from it. What've you got in the cargo bay?

[goldenpsp]

Cool; glad you're getting some use from it. What've you got in the cargo bay?

They are equipment storage tanks from the USI Kolonization mod. This run was basically delivering the necessary parts to keep everything running. Patch Kits, Repair kits, Replacment parts and Basic machinery

The tanks are 2.5m but i tweakscaled them to fit. It obviously doesn't carry as much as a heavy lifting rocket but its way more fun and in career mode more cost efficient.

[edit]

I had to offset one tank as jamming them in was kinda wonky. I offset the one to keep the COT in line with the COM

[Wanderfound]

They are equipment storage tanks from the USI Kolonization mod. This run was basically delivering the necessary parts to keep everything running. Patch Kits, Repair kits, Replacment parts and Basic machinery

The tanks are 2.5m but i tweakscaled them to fit. It obviously doesn't carry as much as a heavy lifting rocket but its way more fun and in career mode more cost efficient.

[edit]

I had to offset one tank as jamming them in was kinda wonky. I offset the one to keep the COT in line with the COM

You could probably double the length of the cargo bay without seriously impairing the performance, BTW. Just make sure to adjust the winglet positions to maintain the CoM/CoL relationship, and check it with and without cargo.

[goldenpsp]

You could probably double the length of the cargo bay without seriously impairing the performance, BTW. Just make sure to adjust the winglet positions to maintain the CoM/CoL relationship, and check it with and without cargo.

Yea I may try that. It really laughed at the load, taking off and being able to easily accelerate off the runway at at least a 45%+ angle. The control surfaces are just a bit twitchy. I may try installing far at least temporarily to see how it handles with the designed mod.

This is the options I have in the SPH. Would it be best to try toning down the control max a little? I have never played with tweaking the actual control surfaces.

​

[Wanderfound]

Yea I may try that. It really laughed at the load, taking off and being able to easily accelerate off the runway at at least a 45%+ angle. The control surfaces are just a bit twitchy. I may try installing far at least temporarily to see how it handles with the designed mod.

This is the options I have in the SPH. Would it be best to try toning down the control max a little? I have never played with tweaking the actual control surfaces.

​http://i.imgur.com/fqPvjhw.png

Yeah; default is 15. You may want to leave the rear surfaces a bit higher than the canards; rear surfaces add to stability, front surfaces add to agility.

[Wanderfound]

PS: while I heartily endorse the idea of giving FAR a go, don't be surprised if you rip the wings off the first few times. Keep the angle of attack below 20° and stay subsonic until you reach 5,000m.

[Wanderfound]

BTW:

Definitely enough VTOL for Minmus; might want to add a few more ventral Vernors before trying it on the Mun. Now to see if we have enough fuel to get home...

Update: Kerbin periapsis set for a 30,000m aerobrake; 6 units of oxidiser to spare.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Wanderfound

[KotDemopan]

The name alone makes me want to build a Velociraptor in KSP using Infernal Robotics.

[Wanderfound]

The name alone makes me want to build a Velociraptor in KSP using Infernal Robotics.

Make sure you send me pics when you do.

[KotDemopan]

Make sure you send me pics when you do.

Well, i did build it

I was originally going to have small wheels, because walking was complicated, but small wheels couldn't carry it.

So i made it into a transformer.

"Dragons is so stupid." -Kerbal in the picture

[Bob Jub]

"Walking is complicated- so I made a transformer instead" O.o

[JDCollie]

It obviously doesn't carry as much as a heavy lifting rocket but its way more fun and in career mode more cost efficient.

Man, I run everything possible on spaceplanes now. The 100% credit recovery (minus fuel of course) is just too good to pass up. Well, that and I love spaceplanes Unsurprisingly, I have also gotten much, much better at landing SSTOs.

[Wanderfound]

Man, I run everything possible on spaceplanes now. The 100% credit recovery (minus fuel of course) is just too good to pass up. Well, that and I love spaceplanes Unsurprisingly, I have also gotten much, much better at landing SSTOs.

I think you've got your threads crossed.

I'm fine with the landings, but I keep messing up reentries due to impatience. Especially with this one; it's so sleek that it takes forever to slow down, which in turn leads to me overshooting KSC, which in turn leads me to tear the wings off when I try to turn around before slowing down enough...

On the Minmus trip I ended up landing on a hillside about 500km east of KSC just because it was late and I couldn't be bothered flying all the way back.

(BTW: the Minmus trip involved refuelling in orbit before leaving Kerbin. It can probably do runway-to-Minmus without a refuel, but you won't have enough to get home again)

[goldenpsp]

So it is probably my lack of piloting skills but I decided to try loading up FAR. For some reason I totally can't fly this plane with FAR. I left it as is (removed the cargo) and I just find it terribly hard to control.

[Wanderfound]

So it is probably my lack of piloting skills but I decided to try loading up FAR. For some reason I totally can't fly this plane with FAR. I left it as is (removed the cargo) and I just find it terribly hard to control.

It is fairly twitchy and very high-performance; it's designed for climbing straight to space, not performing aerobatics (you want bigger wings for that). Winding down the control maximum on the surfaces (especially the front ones) is probably a good idea and don't try to go too fast until you've got it over 10,000m. Watch the flight condition indicator and try to keep it at nominal.

Also, I fly by keyboard, with taps at the controls rather than holding them down. Are you using a joystick?

I've been playing around with a second version where the central turbojets are replaced by aerospikes. Not quite as fast as the original in atmosphere (at least while the aerospikes are turned off), but faster and more fuel efficient in space as well as being easier to control. I'll see if I can put up a craft file for that today.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Wanderfound

[goldenpsp]

It is fairly twitchy and very high-performance; it's designed for climbing straight to space, not performing aerobatics (you want bigger wings for that). Winding down the control maximum on the surfaces (especially the front ones) is probably a good idea and don't try to go too fast until you've got it over 10,000m. Watch the flight condition indicator and try to keep it at nominal.

Also, I fly by keyboard, with taps at the controls rather than holding them down. Are you using a joystick?

I've been playing around with a second version where the central turbojets are replaced by aerospikes. Not quite as fast as the original in atmosphere (at least while the aerospikes are turned off), but faster and more fuel efficient in space as well as being easier to control. I'll see if I can put up a craft file for that today.

Keyboard as well.

Before this ship pretty much my only other real experience has been with the stock Aeris a4 that I have modified for various uses. I found that to fly that one successfully was to do a slower (less than 45 deg) climb up to 20km and then pick up speed etc.

Trying to do that I end up losing control in the thin atmosphere.

I will try a faster ascent

I did tone down the canards and reinstalled NEAR and had success again.

[Wanderfound]

Okay: the Kerbodyne Velociraptor Mk2: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s231vw8argy5vjm/Kerbodyne%20Velociraptor%202%20ST.craft

This should be substantially easier to fly, although it's still more Ferrari than family sedan. Keep the angle of attack below 20° and use the Vernors to keep control if it gets squirrely. There is still a bit of a tendency for the nose to climb if you try to ascend too steeply. Keep the aerospikes off until the RAPIERs flick to closed cycle.