Finding out Lift Ratings

[kmacku]

Okay, with all the new information/encouragement, and with an increasing desire for efficiency when fulfilling contracts, I'm coming back again to spaceplanes. I've looked around a bunch of places, but I cannot find out where anything tells me the lift rating of my craft, or the component wings of its construction. I've tried right clicking the wings for additional info (nothing), right clicking them after construction (allows me to change wing strength/mass, but no showing of lift rating), I've looked in my FAR and KER menus and can't seem to locate anything...so, can anyone help me out?

Current mod list:

FAR

Kerbal Joint Reinforcement

Kerbal Engineer Redux

B9 Aerospace (with Firespitter 0.90 compatibility fix)

KW Rocketry

Mechjeb

Kerbal Alarm Clock

Docking Port Alignment

Edited January 14, 2015 by kmacku
Question answered!

[DeMatt]

"Lift rating", as an actual part-by-part statistic, is only relevant in stock aerodynamics.

You'll want to learn to use the FAR aerodynamic analysis tools; that's beyond me, so try reading up on the FAR thread.

[kmacku]

"Lift rating", as an actual part-by-part statistic, is only relevant in stock aerodynamics.

You'll want to learn to use the FAR aerodynamic analysis tools; that's beyond me, so try reading up on the FAR thread.

Ah, thank you. I was reading up on Intermediate Plane Design and thought I was going crazy, trying to figure out what the heck this "lift rating" thing was.

[capi3101]

The actual information can be accessed via the middle mouse button in the VAB or SPH. In general, Delta Wings and Wing Connector A/Bs both have a lift rating of 2. You want your total lift rating (the sum of the lift ratings of all lift-generating parts) to equal or exceed the mass of your craft (for example, a pair of delta wings is sufficient for a 4-tonne craft; a pair of wing connectors with delta wings attached to the end is sufficient for an 8-tonne craft and so on and so forth). I think that general rule holds in both stock aero and FAR, but I would definitely use FAR's analysis tools over taking my word for it - I don't use FAR, see...

[pincushionman]

Does your total "lift rating" need to exceed the MASS of your craft or the WEIGHT?

[capi3101]

Does your total "lift rating" need to exceed the MASS of your craft or the WEIGHT?

The mass. A 4 tonne craft by definition weighs somewhere a little shy of 40 kN on Kerbin (F=mg=4*9.8=39.2); putting on that many wing parts (20) on such a little plane would go into the realm of the ridiculous pretty fast...

Edited January 14, 2015 by capi3101