Show me your NEAR/FAR-compatible "visual surveys" contract craft

[godefroi]

We all have them, they're contracts to perform visual surveys. Often (or maybe, always?) one needs to make a landing in possibly rough terrain to complete a component of them.

Mine is the "Gull 2":

What craft do you pull out of the toolbox when you need to complete one? Remember, these are FAR/NEAR compatible craft we're looking for.

[Pondafarr]

I use a variant of Six Six Science's Stratocoaster X1b. I use the same wingform, slightly scaled up, and a standard aircraft command pod instead of the probe core, and removed the SSTO capabilties. Ok, it's really nothing like it. I do fly NEAR.

Mass ~5 tons, enough fuel for a 1h4m flight, and capable of supercruise with partial throttle (1200+ m/s at any altitude with air) I gotta figure out which mode made the PWR210 afterburning jet engine, that thing is a beast...

I'll append a photo sometime today.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Pondafarr

[Azimech]

Very stable, flies perfect without SAS. Very good range.

[Mesklin]

Very simple, very cheap, very low tech

[Tidus Klein]

Here is mine, using FAR, AJE, and RF.

[Azimech]

Ah, Adjustable Landing Gear has been updated for 0.90?

[Nik_601]

Ah, Adjustable Landing Gear has been updated for 0.90?

It's a modded KSP screenshot as I can see - there're B9 parts in menu

[steve_v]

Ah, Adjustable Landing Gear has been updated for 0.90?

Works just fine, just as well since it's a must-have for me. The stock landing gear are pretty lousy IMO.

On the OT:

Very low-tech, idiot-proof landing system. Flies like it looks (Realchutes)

And:

Also low-tech, capable of extremely short landings in rough terrain thanks to the thrust-reverser on the KAX radial engine. Emergency landing 'chute for those "oh ****" moments. (KAX, Adjustable landing gear)

Technology has come a long way since these early-game monstrosities, but of course now that I have the science for some fancier planes, I'm not getting many kerbin surveys

Edited January 2, 2015 by steve_v

[Tidus Klein]

It's a modded KSP screenshot as I can see - there're B9 parts in menu

No? B9 is updated to .90 and the adjustable landing gear still works with .90 even thou it was not updated

[Hodo]

No? B9 is updated to .90 and the adjustable landing gear still works with .90 even thou it was not updated

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This was my airial survey craft for a good while but I have since retired it in .90. Working on building a new one for this version.

This has been pressed back into survice as my airial survey craft and general air defense craft.

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And this is currently entering service here at HARM industries.

Edited January 3, 2015 by Hodo

[mark_mark]

How do you guys get to space using the latest FAR? The upper atmosphere drag is much higher than before. Seems like using nuclear engine is not possible

[Hodo]

How do you guys get to space using the latest FAR? The upper atmosphere drag is much higher than before. Seems like using nuclear engine is not possible

It is possible just harder. I havent used a nuke in a long while for my SSTO program other than an orbital maneuver engine. I prefer aerospikes or RAPIER/SABER engines for the orbital insertion burn. I am just now getting to where my career program can start to build big SSTOs again. But I havent had a need for them yet.

The trick for the orbital burn now to get out the atmosphere is a higher TWR then what you were using before. Now instead of a .1:1 you need at least a .3+:1 ratio.

Anyway here is my newest visual survey craft that does not leave the atmosphere, but is capable of getting to a max ceiling of 20km.

Is it fast, nope, but it will fly anywhere on Kerbin and perform any airborne visual survey mission and has a lab to help with the mission.