Kerbodyne SSTO Division: Omnibus Thread

[Wanderfound]

One of my customers has requested that I make a single thread in order to easily find all of my designs. So, here it is.

Specialising in aesthetically pleasing, relatively realistic and highly functional SSTO's, mostly spaceplanes.

All designs are tested with FAR in operation; no guarantees as to performance under stock aero.

If you want to get them to perform as intended, I recommend that you read my short spaceplane piloting guide: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1353890&viewfull=1#post1353890

Design requests happily considered, albeit not necessarily fulfilled.

Dammit, Bob.

KERBODYNE

Kerbodyne 0.90 Range

Kerbodyne Napoleon http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1739701&viewfull=1#post1739701

Kerbodyne Gunbalanya http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1729812&viewfull=1#post1729812

Kerbodyne Gunbalanya Micro http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1729863&viewfull=1#post1729863

Kerbodyne Gunbalanya Micro Slim http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1729893&viewfull=1#post1729893

Kerbodyne Spacehopper http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1733826&viewfull=1#post1733826

Kerbodyne Javelin http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1735611&viewfull=1#post1735611

Kerbodyne Trident http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1737779&viewfull=1#post1737779

Kerbodyne Twostep http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1752813&viewfull=1#post1752813

Kerbodyne Imperius Tug http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1744112&viewfull=1#post1744112

Kerbodyne Sidewinder http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1746093&viewfull=1#post1746093

Kerbike http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1750843&viewfull=1#post1750843

Kerbodyne Harpoon http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1759937&viewfull=1#post1759937

Kerbodyne Farlander http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1755194&viewfull=1#post1755194

Kerbodyne Dementia Nova http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1764737&viewfull=1#post1764737

Kerbodyne Astrotrout http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1765352&viewfull=1#post1765352

Kerbodyne V-Storm http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1766813&viewfull=1#post1766813

Kerbodyne Liftjet http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1773395&viewfull=1#post1773395

Kerbodyne Dunaflyer http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1769815&viewfull=1#post1769815

Kerbodyne Dolphin http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1727067&viewfull=1#post1727067

Kerbodyne Dropbear 2015 http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1727395&viewfull=1#post1727395

Kerbodyne Sabotage http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1721422&viewfull=1#post1721422

Kerbodyne Titan 8 http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1636232&viewfull=1#post1636232

Kerbodyne Aero R http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1654465&viewfull=1#post1654465

Kerbodyne Skyfang XN http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1653765&viewfull=1#post1653765

Kerbodyne Skyfang http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1653560&viewfull=1#post1653560

Kerbodyne Dragonfly X http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1652100&viewfull=1#post1652100

Kerbodyne Satshot http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1647974&viewfull=1#post1647974

Kerbodyne Stratos N http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1659593&viewfull=1#post1659593

Kerbodyne Peregrine http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1659477&viewfull=1#post1659477

Kerbodyne Stratos http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1656296&viewfull=1#post1656296

Kerbodyne Nostalgia http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1673199&viewfull=1#post1673199

Kerbotrainer http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1670972&viewfull=1#post1670972

Demo Gull VTOL http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1692778&viewfull=1#post1692778

Kerbodyne Komet R http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1691129&viewfull=1#post1691129

Kerbodyne Komet 2015 http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1691056&viewfull=1#post1691056

Kerbodyne Econoboost http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1699318&viewfull=1#post1699318

Kerbodyne Titan Shuttle http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1704195&viewfull=1#post1704195

Kerbodyne VTOL Trainer http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1716278&viewfull=1#post1716278

Kerbodyne Karnifex http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1718015&viewfull=1#post1718015

Kerbodyne Sabot http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1719719&viewfull=1#post1719719

Kerbodyne Archer http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1632210&viewfull=1#post1632210

Kerbodyne Alkahest RP4 http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1630134&viewfull=1#post1630134

Kerbodyne Constellation http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1610271&viewfull=1#post1610271

Kerbodyne Cloudbreaker http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1626248&viewfull=1#post1626248

Kerbodyne Initiale http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1626507&viewfull=1#post1626507

Kerbodyne Alkahest http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1630075&viewfull=1#post1630075

Kerbodyne XXV Range

Kerbodyne Kosciuszko http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1583102&viewfull=1#post1583102

Kerbodyne Farseer http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1572727&viewfull=1#post1572727

Kerbodyne Infusion Corsair http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1573030&viewfull=1#post1573030

Kerbodyne De Minimus XXV http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1571108&viewfull=1#post1571108

Kerbodyne Investigator http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1558757&viewfull=1#post1558757

Kerbodyne Simplicio http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1555545&viewfull=1#post1555545

Kerbodyne Delta Glider http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1551661&viewfull=1#post1551661

Kerbodyne Cacafuego http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1557239&viewfull=1#post1557239

Kerbodyne Dropbear http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1527285&viewfull=1#post1527285

Kerbodyne Cicada http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1527539&viewfull=1#post1527539

Kerbodyne Atlas http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1521521&viewfull=1#post1521521

Kerbodyne Benchmark XXV http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1481656&viewfull=1#post1481656

Kerbodyne Invasion http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1515200&viewfull=1#post1515200

Kerbodyne Skua http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1515151&viewfull=1#post1515151

Kerbodyne Wedgetail XXV http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1515154&viewfull=1#post1515154

Kerbodyne Lancer http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1509571&viewfull=1#post1509571

Kerbodyne Endeavour http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1491566&viewfull=1#post1491566

Kerbodyne Essence SPR http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1462963&viewfull=1#post1462963

Kerbodyne Nova http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1486879&viewfull=1#post1486879

Kerbodyne Gull http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1488835&viewfull=1#post1488835

Kerbodyne Tigershark http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1511356&viewfull=1#post1511356

Kerbodyne Bushranger http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1504987&viewfull=1#post1504987

Kerbodyne Tartaglia http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1515480&viewfull=1#post1515480

Kerbodyne Special Vehicles XXV Range

KSV Whirlwind http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1493009&viewfull=1#post1493009

Kerbodyne Instant Infrastructure

Kerbodyne Megatanker http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1585245&viewfull=1#post1585245

Kerbodyne Scitug http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1593570&viewfull=1#post1593570

Kerbodyne Suborbital Division

Kerbodyne Scapa http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1515356&viewfull=1#post1515356

Kerbodyne Evangelist XXV http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1463820&viewfull=1#post1463820

Kerbodyne Payload Solutions

Kerbodyne Microsat http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1431743&viewfull=1#post1431743

Kerbodyne Microbus http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1431743&viewfull=1#post1431743

Kerbodyne T-Shuttle http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1431743&viewfull=1#post1431743

Kerbodyne Microlander http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1447848&viewfull=1#post1447848

Kerbodyne Miniboost http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1447838&viewfull=1#post1447838

Note: all designs below balanced for 0.24. May not fly as intended in 0.25

Kerbodyne Wedgetail http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1353905&viewfull=1#post1353905

Kerbodyne Velociraptor http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1353924&viewfull=1#post1353924

Kerbodyne Velociraptor II http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1353924&viewfull=1#post1353924

Kerbodyne Elevator XS http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1353934&viewfull=1#post1353934

Kerbodyne Goblin http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1355016&viewfull=1#post1355016

Kerbodyne Longreach http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1356319&viewfull=1#post1356319

Kerbodyne Benchmark http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1357777&viewfull=1#post1357777

Kerbodyne Pteranodon http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1358464&viewfull=1#post1358464

Kerbodyne Komet http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1359869&viewfull=1#post1359869

Kerbodyne Munacy http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1360020&viewfull=1#post1360020

Kerbodyne Dementia http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1360602&viewfull=1#post1360602

Kerbodyne Epinephrine http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1364221&viewfull=1#post1364221

Kerbodyne Impactor http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1368623&viewfull=1#post1368623

Kerbodyne Migration http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1370535&viewfull=1#post1370535

Kerbodyne Porklifter http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1374206&viewfull=1#post1374206

Kerbodyne Migration Aerotrain http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1384576&viewfull=1#post1384576

Kerbodyne de Minimus http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1392463&viewfull=1#post1392463

Kerbodyne Brutus http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1394563&viewfull=1#post1394563

Kerbodyne Albatross http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1398173&viewfull=1#post1398173

Kerbodyne Pacifist http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1399695&viewfull=1#post1399695

Kerbodyne Evangelist http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1401723&viewfull=1#post1401723

Kerbodyne Graduate http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1402927&viewfull=1#post1402927

Kerbodyne Princeling http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1403128&viewfull=1#post1403128

Kerbodyne Evangelist II http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1411614&viewfull=1#post1411614

Kerbodyne Evangelist II TJ http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1411623&viewfull=1#post1411623

Kerbodyne Spacebat http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1411841&viewfull=1#post1411841

Kerbodyne Dairyman http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1423570&viewfull=1#post1423570

Kerbodyne Dairyman TSP http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1426134&viewfull=1#post1426134

Kerbodyne Jackaroo http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1424637&viewfull=1#post1424637

Kerbodyne Invector http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1434926&viewfull=1#post1434926

Kerbodyne Ranger http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1435468&viewfull=1#post1435468

Kerbodyne Special Vehicles

KSV Benchmark GTHO http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1444236&viewfull=1#post1444236

Edited March 8, 2015 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Wanderfound's Piloting Guide

1) Put the brakes on, then spool up your jets.

2) Careful of the tail as you pull up. Flaps down if you're using them.

3) Flaps up after takeoff, and pull into a climb steep enough that you stay subsonic until you're out of the pale blue band on the atmosphere gauge.

4) After reaching about 13,000m (exactly what altitude is "best" will vary between different ships; faster ships do it higher, slower ones do it lower), gently pull the nose down to level off and accelerate.

5) A shallow dive can be useful to gain speed, especially at first, but you want to be back into a slow climb by the time you're up to speed. As this is also your peak heating time, you need to be able to quickly gain altitude once things begin to cook.

6) Exactly what top speed is possible will vary between designs, but you want to crank as much speed as possible out of your jets before climbing above 20,000m. Once you do, the available jet thrust will begin to drop rapidly.

7) If you're carrying a nuke, you don't need to wait for space to light it. For the purposes of isp efficiency, 20,000m is virtually vacuum. An LV-N at this altitude should already be operating at almost full efficiency.

8) The stock overlays and gauges are useful, but the best way to monitor heating is with something like Kerbal Flight Data. A white temperature warning is just a reminder not to dawdle; a yellow warning means you should get climbing in a serious way; a red warning means pull up as hard as you can and maybe cut the throttle.

9) So long as you bring enough intake (about a shock cone and a quarter per jet), you can run jets at fairly extreme altitudes. However, if you're headed for space, you don't want to stretch it out so far that you start losing speed. Switch RAPIER modes or light conventional rockets once you stop accelerating.

10) If you're on oxidising rockets, shut down as soon as you raise your apoapsis to your intended orbital height. If you've got an LV-N, close down the high-thrust rocketry a few km short of your final altitude and keep the nuke burning.

11) Circularise on your most efficient engines, and get the solar out. RAPIER ships are particularly prone to running short of zap, thanks to the lack of alternator.

* Send a Kerbal to the beach at the east end of the runway. Plant a flag. You now have a landing beacon. Set this flag as a target.

* Burn retrograde from the opposite side of Kerbin to the KSC, until your trajectory intersects the beach on the west side of the KSC home continent.

* As you descend, keep your nose within 10° of prograde and immediately correct any stall. You can afford a much larger AoA at higher altitudes, but you should still avoid stalls and close to prograde as soon as you start to feel the atmosphere through your controls. If you have airbrakes, deploy them as soon as you hit the atmosphere; retract them again if you feel that they are negatively affecting the stability of the ship once you hit thicker air.

* Aim to level out at ~25,000m.

* Check your distance to KSC. If it's over 200km, slowly descend in order to hit 6,000m at the mountains west of KSC (which are about 5,000m tall). If it's within 200km, begin S-turns to wash off speed and altitude.

* S-turns. First, decide how urgent the turn is and whether you also want to drop altitude. If the turn is urgent or you want to drop, stand the plane on its wingtip, keep the nose on the horizon and pitch up (carefully). If less urgent or you want to maintain altitude, roll to ~45° and pitch/yaw the nose around, monitoring climb rate and controlling it with pitch as you go.

* Make sure the flag is still set as target. If your prograde and target markers coincide, you're heading for the end of the runway. If they aren't on a bearing of 90° while you're doing this, you're coming in at an angle. Fly to the side until the target indicator is at 90°. Then fly towards it.

* Get lined up, low and slow as soon as possible. As soon as you're over the mountains, start doing S-turns and drop to the deck. Pull it down to <150m/s and <500m altitude, then point at the runway and level your wings. The shallower the approach the better. Keep engines on minimal throttle to hold speed constant.

* Avoid any drastic manoeuvres over the runway. You'll probably overdo it and make things worse.

* Watch your VSI (vertical speed, to the right of the altitude meter) and keep it to 5m/s or so. Triggering spoilers will increase it; balance the spoilers will gentle pitch-up.

* Kerbal Flight Indicators makes landing much, much easier. Just plonk your prograde marker on the end of the runway and cruise in.

* Don't be afraid to wave off and go around again if it gets messy. Also remember that the paddock beside the runway is an easier landing strip than the runway itself.

* Be ready to hit the brakes and do some delicate steering as soon as you land. Stick to the middle of the runway if you're using it. Trigger RCS and Vernors and use the "N" key for retro thrust.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Stock SAS is horrid for aircraft in FAR. It's designed for rockets and stock aero, and it reacts badly to vehicles with a lot of control authority (e.g. spaceplanes). This leads it to continuously overcorrect, resulting in pitch and yaw wobbles of increasing severity.

The best solution is to get a mod that includes a PID tuner, and use that to reduce the sensitivity of the SAS. For a good PID tuner, see http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/100073-0-25-Pilot-Assistant-0-8-Nov-24-Atmospheric-piloting-aids

If you can't get a PID tuner, there are a couple of not-great-but-tolerable alternatives. Firstly, you can wind down the maximum deflection of your control surfaces to the bare minimum required. However, this reduces performance and requires fiddly testing to find exactly how low you can go. Secondly, you can disable SAS while flying in atmosphere and rely on the FAR Flight Assistance toggles alone. This is workable, but requires you to constantly manage your piloting; it is not as "set and forget" as a properly setup SAS system.

Exactly which PID settings are best depends upon craft and preference, but this is what I use:

UPDATE: a simpler way to (mostly) fix SAS is the Dynamic Deflection mod at http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/116888

Using both mods together provides excellent results. Dynamic Deflection is also of great use for air racing; it allows large control surface deflections for low-Mach high-G maneuvers, without being suicidal at high Mach.

Edited June 13, 2015 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Wanderfound, you have a gift for making planes. Is there any chance you could do a small FAR-centric tutorial for those of us who have gotten past the basics (CoL/CoM, gross wing configurations, etc.) but who still haven't quite 'gotten it'? I'm thinking of things like the FAR stability derivatives and broad information on how different configurations affect them, CoM stabilizing tricks, and the like. It would be very greatly appreciated.

Wanderfound's Spaceplane Design Guide

1) Decide on a basic engine/fuselage/wing configuration. How many engines and what sort? Mk 1 or 2 fuselages? Full length for all engines, or nacelles for some? Swept or delta wings? Wings set high, low or centred? Mid-mount or rear? Canards? Tailplanes?

2) Build the core fuselage first, with engines but without detailing. Then make the sides: additional fuselage sections, engines, intakes, nacelles, wing pieces, control surfaces. Engage symmetry and slide this piece up and down the core until you're happy with the CoM/dCoM position and relationship. If you can be bothered, remove the intakes and engines and replace them in order to control the air-demand priority: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/84217-Explaining-burnout-asymetry?p=1234436&viewfull=1#post1234436

For more detail on why that works, see http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/64362-Fuel-Flow-Rules-%280-23-5%29

3) Tweak the wing position, add or remove canards and stabilisers. Get the CoL placed right. Adjust the control surface tweakables.

3a) Check the aerodynamic analyses. Continue wing-fiddling until these are right.

4) Add accessories; batteries, solar panels, science gear etc.

5) Add landing gear, fuel lines and struts.

6) Place RCS thrusters. Balance.

7) Place Vernors.

8) Action groups.

9) Paint

If you need to go backwards through these stages (e.g. moving the wings after placing the RCS thrusters), it's safest to re-do from scratch all stages starting from the earliest returned-to stage. This will avoid a lot of the quirks of the SPH symmetry function.

Fuel Pumping

Get familiar with the fuel flow rules: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/64362-Fuel-Flow-Rules-(0-24-2)

The TLDR version of that is that fuel comes from the farthest tank first, but you can manipulate which tank is "farthest" by use of fuel hoses and parallel tanks.

My normal arrangement on a fuselage + outriggers design is to run fuel hoses at the nose from the lateral tanks to the core. This makes the rear-lateral tanks the farthest (and therefore first-drained) from the core engines. I then add a pair of fuel lines from the rear of the core directly to the lateral engines; this forces them to draw via the core, making rear lateral the first tank to drain for them as well.

This arrangement ensures that any initial mass shift will be forwards, enhancing stability. After the lateral tanks drain, the core will burn from front to rear.

In some circumstances, particularly on single-fuselage planes, it can be worthwhile to lock off a forward tank as a "reserve". Just use the right-click tweakable to disable fuel flow, and remember to reenable it when appropriate.

All of these balancing tricks become superfluous if you have TAC Fuel Balancer (good) or Goodspeed (better) installed. Goodspeed in particular allows for all sorts of pumping/balancing possibilities.

dCoM Hunting

Get RCS Build Aid. Seriously. You need it.

Anyway, now that you can see your CoM and dCoM markers at the same time, you want to start bringing them together. You want to get the CoM/dCoM offset down to 1m or less. Fortunately, it isn't too hard to do.

The markers update live. Build your tank/engine/intake/wing combo, engage symmetry, and slide them up and down the fuselage. Watch the CoM/dCoM relationship change as you do. Spread your fuel load laterally, not longitudinally. Mid-mounted engines provide more flexibility in fuel placement.

If you're carrying cargo, place the CoMs under the middle of the cargo bay. Think about the location of CoMs in relation to landing gear and takeoff rotation. Get your weight balance right, then fiddle about with CoL.

When adjusting more precisely, remember that parts without fuel move both CoMs but parts with fuel move CoM much more than dCoM. Structural fuselages are useful, as are partly-full tanks. Weight a long way from CoM has a big effect, weight close to CoM a small effect.

How to Read and Use FAR Analysis Screens

You can design perfectly well just by eyeball and flight testing; the flight data isn't absolutely necessary. But it does help if you can use it.

The first screen in Ferram is the static analysis screen. This gives you pretty graphs.

It has two options at top: Sweep AoA and Sweep Mach. There are boxes at the bottom which say Lower, Upper and Mach/AoA. This page can produce two different graphs: if you press the Sweep AoA button, it shows the behaviour of your plane from Angle of Attack values between Lower and Upper, at the speed shown in the Mach/AoA box. If you press the Sweep Mach button, it shows behaviour at speeds between Lower and Upper at the AoA shown in the Mach/AoA box.

The blue line is the Coefficient of Lift. It's good when this is high.

The red line is the Coefficient of Drag. It's good when this is low.

The yellow line is the Coefficient of Manoeuvrability/Instability. You want this to be angling down (like it is here), and it's best that the slope of the line isn't too steep and that its X-intercept (where the yellow line crosses zero) isn't too far above zero.

The green line is lift divided by drag. It's good when this is high.

This picture shows how the plane will act at Angles of Attack between 0° and 25° while travelling at Mach 2.

Sometimes the lines split into two lines. This shows how the plane responds after a stall: you get a sudden loss of lift and increase in drag that lasts until you return your AoA to where the line isn't split any more.

This is the same picture at Mach 0.8. See how the plane can stall at that speed?

If you click the Sweep Mach button, you instead get a look at a bunch of different speeds with Angle of Attack held constant. This shows Mach 0-6 with a 3° AoA. The bumpiness on the left shows the effect of breaking through the sound barrier.

The second page of Ferram is data and stability derivatives. This produces scary looking numbers.

To get those numbers, you need to put in values for altitude and speed.

All of the confusing letters that appear when you hover your mouse over the output numbers relate to this picture here:

x is forwards, y is sideways, z is down. P is roll, Q is pitch, R is yaw. Don't worry about the Greek for now.

If you hover your mouse over any of the numbers, it'll pop up a tooltip explaining what it refers to. Mostly, however, all you want to do is make as many as possible of the numbers green and as few as possible red.

The one other useful thing on this screen is the "level flight" stuff up top right. If you set the analysis for zero altitude and the speed for whatever you think you can reach on the runway, you can find out how much AoA you need to take off (the "level flight" value). Try to keep that number below ten for easy takeoffs.

Transonic drag and Area Ruling

Go to transonic design and toggle the area curves. The green line shows the cross-sectional area of the aircraft as you move from nose to tail; the yellow line is a measure of how smoothly the green line is changing. Mach 1 Wave-Drag Area is the thing that you're aiming to minimise; if you manage to get the wiggles in the yellow line to the smallest amplitude possible, that is what you'll achieve. The lower the wave-drag, the less power you'll need to get up to speed.

With all of these analyses, you should have your gear toggled up. See how much they affect the outcome here:

How to Apply FAR Aero Analyses

The pretty graphs: use these to check for excessive drag and regions of instability. AoA graph is the more useful of the two.

Numbers: use the Level Flight figure to work on your takeoff speed and flap settings. For the stability figures, check takeoff (0 altitude and .35 or so speed), low altitude (5km and .8 speed), Mach 1 (speed obvious, 10km) and edge of rocketry (25km, Mach 4.5). You want green everywhere. You won't get it, at least to start with.

Hover your mouse over the red ones and use the picture above to work out what the tooltips mean. Once you decode the x's and y's, usually they just mean something like "has a tendency to roll when pitching up" or similar. Sometimes the solutions are obvious (e.g. too much yaw slippage, add a rudder), sometimes they take a great deal of trial and error to sort out.

With the transonic drag stuff, just wiggle parts about and see what happens. To achieve the lowest drag, "fill in" dips in the green line and "shave down" peaks.

Video tutorials:https://m.youtube.com/user/TheWanderfound

Illustrated tutorial:http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Tutorials/Hangar%20to%20Landing/story

FAR allows some options beyond stock here. You can activate or deactivate axes, adjust max deflection and set flaps and spoilers.

With the axes, think about what each control surface is intended to do. Control surfaces should be as far from their axis of rotation as possible, and as close as possible to the other axes. So, elevators at front and rear on the centreline, ailerons out to the side, flaps and spoilers at mid-centre, rudder right up the back, maybe some elevons mid-wing if it's a rear delta design. It's usually best if a control surface has one job only; you don't want inputs for one thing affecting something else.

Maximum control authority is basically the thrust limiter for your control surfaces. Too little, and the plane won't do what you tell it to; too much, and the plane becomes a hair-triggered bomb waiting for an aerodynamic failure. How much is largely a matter of personal taste.

Generally though, you want the values on rear surfaces to be higher than those up front (canards etc.). Manoeuvrability and stability are two sides of the same coin; improving one degrades the other and vice-versa. Forward-mounted control surfaces are better for manoeuvrability; rear-mounted control surfaces are better for stability. Mid-mounted surfaces should be ailerons on the wingtips and pure flaps/spoilers near the centreline.

Flaps add drag and increase lift. Use them to lower your stall speed at takeoff and landing. Spoilers add drag and reduce lift. Use them to lower your plane to the runway without needing to pitch down.

In either case, the control surfaces need to be right on CoM or balanced either side of it. If this isn't the case, activating the flaps/spoilers will also cause an alteration in pitch. Don't bother with flaps unless you need them for takeoff, and be sure to set a pair of action groups to raise and lower them. Do consider spoilers; they make landing much easier.

That definition of flap/spoilers (i.e. flaps deflect down, spoilers deflect up, assuming we're behind CoM) is the real world definition. In FAR, "flap" means "raised and lowered in steps, one action group for each direction" while "spoiler" means "toggle to full deflection, one action group for on/off".

FAR now allows the adjustment of wing mass/strength via right click tweakables. Mass = 1 is hugely overweight overkill unless you're planning on high-G supersonic aerobatics at treetop height. 0.5 is plenty tough enough to handle substantial abuse, 0.25 or even 0.2 is usable (but not recommended) for glass speedsters. Remember that vertical stabilisers etc. don't need to be as tough as main wing sections.

Tweakables also provide a way to deal with one of the perennial banes of spaceplanes: CoM/CoT misalignment. Use the mass tweakable of high or low mounted aerodynamic sufaces to fine tune the height of CoM.

Video tutorials: https://m.youtube.com/user/TheWanderfound

Illustrated tutorial: http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Tutorials/Hangar%20to%20Landing/story

Edited July 2, 2015 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Are you finding that you're spending a fortune on rockets just so you can keep your orbital refuelling stations supplied? Would you like to be able to lift more fuel than a Rockomax 64 into orbit for just a few thousand √? Then you need the Kerbodyne Wedgetail...

As usual, check the action groups and save the Vernors for when you need them. It can take off without them, but you may find it easier to lift the nose with them on. Deactivate Vernors when docking; the RCS ports are balanced, but the Vernors aren't.

Trim the flaps back down to normal after you lift off, and use a fairly normal ascent profile: 30°-45° to 20,000m then a medium-slow climb to 30,000m. Turn the RAPIERs off as soon as they switch to closed cycle and don't turn them back on until the turbojets start to choke. Leave the turbojets on for the final ascent; there are plenty of intakes to feed them once the RAPIERs stop hogging all the air.

There's an abort system and a drone core on board, and a spotlight in the cargo bay for use during docking.

The decoupler used for the abort system requires this minor hack: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/entries/1650-Making-decouplers-for-Spaceplane-Plus

Handle with care; she's a big 'un.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1bxr1jwfqzq7xfy/Kerbodyne%20Wedgetail.craft?dl=0

Requires Spaceplane Plus and FAR/NEAR.

Original release thread at http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90699-Kerbodyne-Wedgetail-a-bulk-fuel-tanker-for-Spaceplane-Plus-and-FAR-NEAR

Edited September 28, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

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

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?dl=0

Requires both Spaceplane Plus and Ferram Aerospace Research (or NEAR) mod packs.

Also available: Kerbodyne Velociraptor II. Not quite as fast in atmosphere, but substantially easier to fly. Still more Ferrari than family sedan, though.

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

Original release thread at http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90344-Kerbodyne-Velociraptor-light-cargo-express-SSTO-for-Spaceplane-Plus-and-FAR

Edited August 27, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Kerbodyne Elevator XS: extreme vertical-launch SSTO.

Like the efficiency of air-breathing SSTOs, but can't be bothered with all that spaceplane stuff? Got a computer that can handle a moderately chunky part count? Have we got a deal for you...

Ten turbojets and twenty RAPIERs provide all the power you could ever want. Who needs wings? In thrust we trust.

Use the action groups rather than staging, and disable crossfeed on the docking port connecting the lifter to the cargo (self-propelled Rockomax 64 used here as an example) before launch. Action group 8 will disable the RCS on the cargo. Take it vertically to 10,000m then gradually pitch over to 30°. Keep the Vernors off until you need them.

Cautious aerobraking is recommended before descent. Undoubtedly the silliest thing I've ever designed. Handle with care.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dwjph1dijh...%20Stock.craft

Original release thread at http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90241-Kerbodyne-Elevator-XS-extreme-vertical-launch-SSTO

Edited September 28, 2014 by Wanderfound

[technion]

. The forward-facing Sepratrons (triggered by action group 0) are for emergency braking assistance on short runways.

That is the best idea on the entire internet.

[Wanderfound]

That is the best idea on the entire internet.

Vernors work pretty well for that, too. Be careful with the Sepratron trick on smaller planes; it can go entertainingly wrong if you don't place them right.

If you're using FAR, it's also worth setting control surfaces as maxed-out spoilers. As well as giving you airbrakes and downforce on landing, they're also handy for increasing drag in the early stages of reentry.

[Red Iron Crown]

Nice collection. I'm starting to equate "nose mounted advanced canards" with "designed by Wanderfound".

[Wanderfound]

Nice collection. I'm starting to equate "nose mounted advanced canards" with "designed by Wanderfound".

I do like my fangs.

The canards will always be there, because the rear-delta designs I prefer always start with their CoL too far back. The advanced canards have the advantage of not taking up too much room on the nose.

But I'm swinging to the view that AV-R8's look better:

[Wanderfound]

There are days when you don't want to be sensible. Sure, the space station may need a fuel delivery, and poor Bill has been stuck in the orbital lab for months. But you don't care about that; all you want to do is go stupidly fast in a ridiculously overpowered spaceplane and test how hard you can push it before you rip the wings off.

On those days, you need the Kerbodyne Goblin. Capable of runway-to-orbit times of around three minutes, this pocket rocket can crack serious Mach numbers in a vertical climb. Expect to see plenty of "re-entry" flames on the way up.

Normally we would provide a "how to get to orbit" guide with our planes, but for this little beastie that's unnecessary. Just point it at the sky and go.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/s0eyzvh5hve9bt7/Kerbodyne%20Goblin.craft

Requires Spaceplane Plus and FAR/NEAR.

[Wanderfound]

Sick of always having to stop and refuel in orbit? Got some science to collect? Then you need the Kerbodyne Longreach, our latest SSTLotsaplaces spaceplane.

Capable of flying directly from the KSC runway to Minmus, making a VTOL landing on the spot of your choosing and then returning back to KSC, all on a single tank of gas.

The cargo bay packs a hefty scientific payload by default, but is also large enough to hold a medium size space probe. Your probes can go a lot further when you can afford to give them a several thousand ÃŽâ€V head start. Pop out into a Kerbol orbit, deploy the probe and then cruise back to KSC for a well-earned snack break.

Use about a 30° degree pitch for the climb to orbit; shut down one pair of RAPIERs when they begin to stutter, then switch them back on once the air runs out. Activate the Vernors once you start getting stall warnings at high altitude in order to hold the nose down. The ventral Vernors have sufficient thrust for VTOL landings on Minmus or the Mun.

Requires Spaceplane Plus and FAR/NEAR.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/pxpeoezf58gf6ib/Kerbodyne%20Longreach.craft

Edited August 17, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Volcanix]

Finally!

Does using FAR / NEAR make the planes have less power or more? And is FAR really 'required' for the planes to work? Won't they fly with stock aerodynamics?

The planes look great. Is there some trick in placing something in the cargo bay of SP+? Because, always when I try to attach one node to another, KSP wants me to place it on the bottom of the cargo bay. I hope you know what I mean <.<

[Wanderfound]

Finally!

Does using FAR / NEAR make the planes have less power or more? And is FAR really 'required' for the planes to work? Won't they fly with stock aerodynamics?

The planes look great. Is there some trick in placing something in the cargo bay of SP+? Because, always when I try to attach one node to another, KSP wants me to place it on the bottom of the cargo bay. I hope you know what I mean <.<

FAR/NEAR halves the power of airbreathing engines and sharply chops the upper end of the speed/thrust curve (there are limits to how fast you can spin a turbine or propeller; nasty things happen when the blades go supersonic), but it also substantially reduces drag. All of the designs in this thread can easily exceed Mach 4.5 at 30,000m, which is more than enough to go to orbit.

The only reason why FAR/NEAR is required is because those mods allow you to tweak some options on the control surfaces that aren't allowed in stock, and I usually take advantage of that feature. As mentioned in the first post, if anyone really wants to fly them with stock aero I can post a version with the control surface tweakables reset to default.

However, they're designed to fly under FAR; I have no idea how they'll perform in stock aero. And, really, if you're into spaceplanes, you should give Ferram a try. You'll probably crash horribly a few times while you're adapting to the more realistic simulation, but give yourself a bit of time to adapt (quicksave/quickload will help there...). Planes are much more fun when they actually fly like planes.

And, yes, I'm aware of the "issues" with the SP+ cargo bays. There are two ways to solve it:

1) Install the Editor Extensions mod (highly recommended) and disable surface attachment while loading the cargo bay. The reason why it's so tricky is because your cargo is trying to attach itself to the sides of the bay instead of the nodes at front and rear.

2) If for some strange reason you don't want Editor Extensions, leave a pair of mated docking ports attached to one end of the bay and attach your cargo to that. You'll have a sod of a time getting the docking ports on in the first place, but at least you only have to do it once.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Just getting into spaceplanes? Got a dodgy old computer that struggles with high part counts? Determined to fly with stock aero for some strange reason?

You need the Kerbodyne Benchmark.

A very simple, easy to fly, low part count spaceplane that requires no mods whatsoever. All stock parts, all control surface tweakables left at default.

Easily able to reach a 70 x 70km orbit with tanks half full if flown correctly, in FAR, NEAR or stock.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/14ypo0tts8rgo8w/Kerbodyne%20Benchmark.craft

Edited August 22, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Red Iron Crown]

Just getting into spaceplanes? Got a dodgy old computer that struggles with high part counts? Determined to fly with stock aero for some strange reason?

It's like you made this just for me. Downloading.

[Wanderfound]

It's like you made this just for me. Downloading.

Have a go at the speed challenge once you get comfortable with it: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90354-Spaceplane-speed-challenge-shortest-elapsed-time-from-runway-to-orbit

Let me know how it handles in stock aero; I do all my flight testing with FAR.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Committed to stock-part planes? Wish you had a heavy tanker like the Spaceplane Plus crew? You need a Kerbodyne Pteranodon.

Keep it to about a 30° climb so you can build some speed before you get into the stratosphere. Flick the Vernors on (Action group 0) to help lift the nose during liftoff, but keep them off from then on until it's time to burn oxidiser.

All stock; no mods required.

Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/2lzdhljgvsn0mk5/Kerbodyne%20Pteranodon.craft

Edited August 19, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Decided that your Kerbodyne Goblin is too sedate and sensible?

Then you need a Kerbodyne Komet.

The pictures speak for themselves. Fly at your own risk.

Requires Spaceplane Plus and FAR/NEAR.

Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/7uqozdd2o9d1i8s/Kerbodyne%20Komet.craft

Edited August 19, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Is the Komet insufficiently crazed for your tastes? Are you a stock parts purist?

Come and kick the tyres on the Kerbodyne Munacy. No test drives without a down payment (life insurance policies accepted).

All stock, no mods required.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/xq442v2xb16uuvl/Kerbodyne%20Munacy.craft

[Volcanix]

Daaaamn, those are nice. But the design of the Kerbodyne Komet doesn't look really stable.. Even with all these struts, those boosters don't seem very trusty to me

It's nice that you also put up some planes for stock. I can't really fly with FAR, even if I've got around 300 hours and 200 landings in FSX, but well.. there is a difference xD

Keep it up

[Jovus]

This is a beautiful thread and very useful to those of us who can't seem to get plane design just right. I'm downloading a number of your designs, both for use and analysis. Thank you.

[Wanderfound]

Daaaamn, those are nice. But the design of the Kerbodyne Komet doesn't look really stable.. Even with all these struts, those boosters don't seem very trusty to me

It's nice that you also put up some planes for stock. I can't really fly with FAR, even if I've got around 300 hours and 200 landings in FSX, but well.. there is a difference xD

Keep it up

With both of the solid booster planes, I engineered them so that the divergence between CoM and DCoM was <1m. CoL is just off the back of the rearmost of CoM/DCoM. They're perfectly stable, fuelled or empty, and I've taken them both to orbit to make sure they perform (see pics).

This doesn't mean that they're sensible, though. Anyone flying them in FAR with aerodynamic failures on will have to be very careful with their manoeuvring while the rockets are lit if they don't want to tear the wings off. Even flying in a straight line is dangerous if you do it at too low an altitude. I built them just to see if it could be done.

The Munacy needs at least one of the SRBs lit to get off the runway; the Komet (name inspired by the Me163, obviously; the K-syndrome was just a happy coincidence) can take off with just aerospikes and RAPIERs, and you can turn the aerospikes off once you're in the air.

They're both very heavy planes to start with (you'll notice the wings sag a bit when they first hit the runway), but a huge percentage of the mass is solid rocket fuel. Once the boosters are used up, they're actually quite light and nimble.

I'd be interested to see what is the max speed someone can get them to while remaining in atmosphere. See if you can crank them up to high speed and altitude before you light the boosters and let me know how it goes.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

This is a beautiful thread and very useful to those of us who can't seem to get plane design just right. I'm downloading a number of your designs, both for use and analysis. Thank you.

I'd highly recommend RCS Build Aid for aspiring spaceplane engineers. Apart from making it vastly easier to balance your linear RCS ports properly, it is very useful to be able to view CoM and DCoM (dry centre of mass, i.e. after the fuel is gone) at the same time.

Try to keep the distance between CoM and DCoM below one metre; spreading your fuel load laterally rather than longitudinally will help with this, as will focussing the bulk of the fuel mass as close as possible to DCoM. Have the CoL overlapping but not in front of the rearmost of the two CoM's. Arrange your fuel lines to drain the rearmost tanks first, so that any in-flight CoM movement doesn't put CoL in front of CoM. If that happens, your plane will try to fly backwards.

With the RCS ports (not counting Vernors, those are for aerobatics and high-altitude stability, not docking), you want them balanced well enough that the torque is below 1kNm; your SAS can compensate for that easily. If you're building with SP+ (which everyone will be soon, if the guesses about the upcoming mod-integration announcement are right), the small cargo bay is very useful for hiding SAS units, batteries and other non-aerodynamic bits. Strut if things are flexing or breaking, but don't overdo it or your part count will explode.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

I can't really fly with FAR, even if I've got around 300 hours and 200 landings in FSX, but well.. there is a difference xD

Keep it up

If you give FAR/NEAR a bit of time, it shouldn't take too long to adapt. Don't be afraid to abuse F5/F9 while you're doing it; think of it as simulator training.

Feel free to use the "rate this thread" thingie up top, BTW.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Wanderfound