Get lift on a rocket from some wings?

[Foxster]

OK, I know KSPs drag & flight mechanics are a little odd. So I wondered - can I get lift on a vertically-flown rocket from some wings? I mean, is there some way to add wings to a rocket that is going to fly up, do a gravity turn and achieve orbit so that they will add some lift? Or can I only get lift from some wings if flying with a large horizontal component as in real life?

[Wanderfound]

OK, I know KSPs drag & flight mechanics are a little odd. So I wondered - can I get lift on a vertically-flown rocket from some wings? I mean, is there some way to add wings to a rocket that is going to fly up, do a gravity turn and achieve orbit so that they will add some lift? Or can I only get lift from some wings if flying with a large horizontal component as in real life?

No idea if this would work in Kerbal, particularly in stock aero (I'm a FAR person), but the only way to do it in reality is with a "corkscrew". Angled wings aimed upwards but perpendicular to each other and a very rapid spin in the appropriate direction.

[Laie]

I mean, is there some way to add wings to a rocket that is going to fly up, do a gravity turn and achieve orbit so that they will add some lift? Or can I only get lift from some wings if flying with a large horizontal component as in real life?

A long time ago, I had great success with small wings for re-entry/landing. They give you a lot of control about where you will eventually land (Kerbin is a small world, give and take 10km means a lot). But during ascent they were, at best, not much of a burden. Standard rules for CoM/CoL placement apply, so you need to balance the finished rocket with more fins at the tail.

They were kinda useful early in my first career, when I tried to splash down in a mountain lake; but eventually I gave up on the concept as too much trouble to design (esp. at a stage when the design changes after every launch due to newly-accessible parts).

Wing orientation matters, though. IIRC you need to build the craft in SPH, as VAB-attached wings will cancel each other out / make you go corkscrew.

[SRV Ron]

While not much in lift, the fins on this turbojet design allowed me to accelerate the payload section to nearly 2,400 m/sec at over 38,000 meters at flameout. A small burn at apogee achieved orbit. The payload went to Mun orbit and return.

[Foxster]

While not much in lift, the fins on this turbojet design allowed me to accelerate the payload section to nearly 2,400 m/sec at over 38,000 meters at flameout. A small burn at apogee achieved orbit. The payload went to Mun orbit and return.

http://i.imgur.com/r7U7URC.jpg

That's a little dark. Could you please tell me how you used the fins you mentioned?

[SRV Ron]

That's a little dark. Could you please tell me how you used the fins you mentioned?

They behave more as a stabilizing factor while providing some lift when flying nearly parallel to the horizon for the high speed run to orbital insertion. (Dark because of the altitude and sun angle.) The turbojet section is recoverable.

[Pondafarr]

I'm using a similar turbojet base (with wings) to make a hybrid craft, SSTO to ~40k, then drop the wings and turbojets and finish orbit on a LV909. I'm only using it as a "Rescue the Idiot" ship, very small.