Kerbal Dynamics Air Race

[ihtoit]

Simple challenge, simple rules:

Fly around the Island, bounce off the Island runway, land back at KSC.

RULES:

- Course is fairly simple: KSC runway, clockwise around the Island (the Island airfield should be off your RIGHT wing) for one complete lap, touch-and-go EAST TO WEST on the Island runway (the buildings should be on your LEFT as you pass and you should show evidence of your aircraft actually touching dirt), back to the KSC runway.

- Free design, however your aircraft must start and finish on the KSC runway.

- Flight ceiling is TWO HUNDRED METRES (200m). Go above that, your flight is OVER. Flight aids permitted to lock hover below this altitude if it helps (I find most of the time at such altitudes it doesn't, it's still mostly down to flying skill).

- Video submissions preferable, screenies acceptable, I'll defer to your preference and honesty.

- ANY structural and propulsion method/part acceptable, except for massless/dragless parts (though stock landing gear is massless, as I have just been reminded so this is the ONLY exception to this rule*) and vastly OP stuff.

- No infinite fuel, unbreakable joints, part welding, excessive clipping (by which I mean using the Alt-F12 clip toggle) or procedural shrouds.

- No jettisoning parts, shrouds, empty tanks...

- Aircraft must carry a Kerbal

- Kerbal must survive

- Aircraft must finish its run with the same number of parts it left with

- Timer starts on takeoff from the KSC runway, stops when your aircraft comes to a complete stop following its lap.

- Please indicate the following in your submission:

: propulsion method

: FAR/Non-FAR

: attempt start/end weights (except for solar/nuclear powered pure electric engines which obviously don't lose mass), this is purely to verify non-use of infinite fuel

: flight duration

*Allowed massless (stock) parts: C7 Small Gear Bay

Not allowed massless (stock) parts: anything known or shown to be massless in testing with MJ or KER, eg cubic octagonal struts, small pylons, static panels, small batteries, list not exhaustive.

LEADERBOARDS:

FAR/Jet (inc. Rapier & kethane):

Non-FAR/Jet (inc. Rapier & kethane):

FAR/Rocket (inc. methane):

Non-FAR/Rocket (inc. methane):

FAR/Ion (inc. monoprop):

Non-FAR/Ion (inc. monoprop):

FAR/Electric:

Non-FAR/Electric:

FAR/Other:

Non-FAR/Other:

(Challenger's Note: I'm going with a helicopter, if I can get one flying over 160m/s without going nuts with stabiliser issues/ Test flying a nuclear copter and not submitting for entry as I went slightly over the altitude limit (by about 600m!), I completed the course in about 12 minutes.)

Edited August 25, 2014 by ihtoit

[Wanderfound]

Ooh, I like. And I just made a racing plane, too...

[Wanderfound]

- Aircraft must finish its run with the same number of parts it left with

Can we loosen that rule a bit? I'm likely to lose at least one control surface to overheating if racing at that altitude.

[ihtoit]

Can we loosen that rule a bit? I'm likely to lose at least one control surface to overheating if racing at that altitude.

nope. Fly slower

[Darren9]

ANY structural and propulsion method/part acceptable, except for massless/dragless parts and vastly OP stuff.

That seems to eliminate the stock landing gears, you'll need exceptions for stock entries unless you want them to land on rover wheels.

[TJPrime]

That seems to eliminate the stock landing gears, you'll need exceptions for stock entries unless you want them to land on rover wheels.

Agreed. Anyone that can land with just rover wheels makes an impressive entry, though.

[ihtoit]

Agreed. Anyone that can land with just rover wheels makes an impressive entry, though.

you're both right - ok, updated.

Rover wheel landing could be interesting though, particularly if you use the ones with active suspension.

Edited August 25, 2014 by ihtoit

[zarakon]

What about the massless stock cubic struts, lights, or normal RCS ports?

I can understand banning the massless big monopropellant engines, but I'd think everything else should be fine

[sdj64]

I understand that cubic struts might be banned due to intake clipping concerns (not sure why intake clipping is necessary at <200m but oh well) but also regular strut connectors, RCS and Vernor engines, and those small pylons that Wanderfound put his front landing gear on are also physicsless. Are they all banned as well?

[ihtoit]

ok... lemme clarify this, and I'll clarify it in the OP as well: if it is massless (known or by testing with KER or MechJeb, please do if there is doubt) and it is not a stock "C7 Small Gear Bay", it is banned. Period. Sorry Wanderfound, you'll have to slightly redesign and resubmit

Edited August 25, 2014 by ihtoit

[zarakon]

So... no struts or fuel lines

[Darren9]

What about the MechJeb control module, the surface attach one is a non-physics part? No one uses the pod thing.

[manni01]

I'll definitely try this with a modified version of my ataraxia

[Darren9]

I've got a Mechjeb unit stuck to one wing but there's mods that add it to various pods and stuff for no extra drag/mass so it seemed OK, I didn't use any of it's control functions either. It's Firespitter, a B9 engine, P-Wing and an unmodified Tweakscale, oh, and a bit of wood from Prof Kerbalstien that holds up quite well in jet exhaust. Mass is 0.454T at launch, 0.407T at the landing. Stock drag and made 5 mins 57 seconds. I cut out the straight line across the ocean because it was quite uneventful.

[Wanderfound]

Nope.

There are too many basic aircraft ingredients that are massless: struts, fuel lines, pylons, etc. Stock wings in FAR fall off at a harsh word if they're not strutted.

I'm all for stopping the "strap 500 monoprop engines to a big mono tank" approach, but do it sensibly, not with a blanket ban on all use of physicless parts, whether used exploitatively or not.

[Voculus]

This challenge proved to be far harder than I anticipated, and I nearly gave up. Maybe it was the crazy vectoring jet engines I was using, but they made the plane quite squirelly. I spent most of my energy keeping the ship below the ceiling, and didn't get quite as much video as I wanted, but I assembled a series of clips showing the important stuff.

Max Altitude: 185m

Total Time: 6m 57s

Mods: B9, Spaceplane Plus, Aviation Lights, Surface Lights, Baha Engines. Mechjeb was only used for the weight, and not used to fly the ship!

7.96 tons before takeoff.

Doing a touch and go on the island runway.

Mission complete! 7.53 tons/

Highlight reel: