[0.142][Stock][Airplane] Air 7

[VincentLaw]

Air 7 is a stock airplane that is able to fly indefinitely and return its crew safely to the ground at their destination. It relies on two bug exploits to fly effectively. The first is the ability to place stabilizers inside each other, which greatly increases the lift ratio. The second is the ability for a properly balanced AV-R8 in canard configuration to generate thrust. For this reason, no fuel is needed after the first stage takeoff.

Flight instructions:

it is important to note that the airplane is carefully balanced, so it will not be statically stable until after the fuel tank is empty and the launch stage has been separated.

1: Turn on Advanced SAS

2: Throttle up

3: Press space to launch

4: After running out of fuel, press space to separate from booster and advanced SAS.

5: Fly around as much as you like. Pitch up or down to accelerate, this works best while banked and at lower altitudes. Note that the roll controls are very sensitive and that conventional landings are not possible. Use roll and pitch to turn, not yaw.

6: Press space again to separate from flight stage and engage parachute. Note: do not attempt to land on mountain tops. Low altitude landing sites are best.

Performance characteristics:

Max Speed: 155 m/s (low altitude, level flight)

Max Speed: 285 m/s (dive)

Stall Speed: 5 m/s

Service ceiling 12500 m

Absolute ceiling 13590 m

Range: Infinite

Loiter: Infinite

Images:

It is possible to build an airplane similar to this that flies well over 350 m/s at low altitude. This can be done by adding more AV-R8s and removing parts like the parachute and stage decoupler, but this makes the game more laggy and makes crew recovery nigh impossible. If people would like me to upload something like that, just let me know.

Have fun buzzing the tower.

[sting_auer]

hah, I made one of these before!

It had 2 sets of steering wings instead of 1 though, and it didn\'t have any stationary wings.

[purple100]

Wow, good job. This actually LOOKS like an airplane, AND it flies!

[VincentLaw]

Here, I might as well upload it anyway. This is for anyone that likes the idea but wants to go faster. This one has no parachute though! It can get around 320 m/s at sea level. the primary limitation on speed there is computer performance. I used a fixed rear horizontal stabilizer because it helps reduce the sudden pitch while maneuvering. I don\'t think anything can be done about the roll sensitivity. Its a good idea to wait a second after stage separation to help prevent stabilizer damage also. Another point, which is probably obvious, is that it will be easier to lose control at higher altitude since the air is thinner, so the stabilizers are not as effective.

Expect this version to lag.

[Potatum]

this is so much fun thank you for sharing. i put the cart mod on the bottom for landing gear and it works. if you\'re takeing off from the strip the takeoff speed is about 64 m/s

[Elven_sword]

HAAAAAAX *flings monitor*

Well done! When I saw the Range:infinite, I knew there were shenanigans afoot.

[sjwt]

Love your work, keep it up!

[VincentLaw]

I was going to post this yesterday but attachments were not working for some reason.

Here is a new version designed specifically for conventional landings on the runway with stock parts, so it is not as pretty, and the solid rocket on the nose may seem weird (it is there for structure, not thrust). It still has infinite range using pitch controls to increase speed. It is mostly stable during launch so there is no advanced SAS. Just press space once and you are flying. Do not deploy the drag chute until you have touched down on the runway. I recommend landing under 70 m/s, and be gentle on the touchdown. It is not possible to takeoff again with the same ship once you come to a stop.

Important notes: As long as you have not deployed the chute, you can abort landings (for touch-and-gos) even after you have touched down by pulling up and retracting the landing gear. This works down to 20 m/s. Slower than that and you make a runway crater. Also, make sure the landing gear are deployed before you land. Do not attempt to land this one on water.

Picture: