KSP Quick Guides: High Altitude Design and Flying - Stock v.23

This tutorial will cover designing and flying a plane that can soar at high altitudes! These are the building blocks of solid spaceplane design!

Quicklinks to topics in this video

Jet Engine Concepts: 0:30
Air Intakes: 1:13
Flameouts: 2:22
Control Surfaces: 5:08
Flying Tips: 5:57

This video will go over everything that you need to know about to design a capable plane that can fly in the thinnest of atmospheres. These designs are great for getting around Kerbin quickly, but without going orbital.

Knowing how to design these types of planes make jumping in to SSTO design very easy as there are only a few minor changes that need to be made.

Music Credits:
1st Song: "Elephants" - YouTube Audio Library
2nd Song: "Hot Heat" - YouTube Audio Library

What game is this? It's Kerbal Space Program v.22! Check out the website and try the game out for yourself :D

[rmirkovich]

That last engine mounted is the first to flame out trick is a game changer

[thytom]

This series is really helping me with spaceplane designs. I've tried things like SSTOs and VTOLs before. I even tried a horrific VTOL in career mode made entirely of solid boosters... anyways, this series has and probably will be incredibly helpful and has definitely allowed my new designs to actually lift off the runway. Thanks and keep up the good work!

[maxglaser]

Geez, why don't you have kinda 500.000 subs? You definatly deserve it! :)

[MalfunctonMke]

Thats an awesome Video Cruzan, it will really really help. I appreciate your work on this! :)

[Bodkinn]

these videos have more than earned you my subscription. Thank you!

[vaos]

Sweet. I always wondered about why one engine would die before the other. Keep up the good research :)

[ragor]

Thanks for 'order of flame-out' hint!!! (If I could give more than one 'like' I would be busy spamming now)
I wasn't aware of this as well and already see the benefit of this insight.

gtg, the drawing board is calling me.

[picklesandammo]

Very helpful and well made video.  Thanks a bunch!

[Tsevion.]

Just a heads up, this awesome video isn't showing up in the Quick Guides playlist.

[wilurbean]

I'm using the newest version of KSP, 1. something.
But one key thing I've never seen anyone do, is put two turbojets on the side of the fuselage, and get up to 1500m/s. Then on the center fuselage, have a nuclear engine, and use the nuke to give extra push once the turbos start to run out thrust. Higher speed will keep the turbos running longer, up to 40km. Above 40km, go all nuke, and basically get up just under 2000m/s. Trim the thrust down on the nuke, and if the AoA is just slightly above level, and balanced with the nuclear thrust, the planes can cruise upwards of 60km almost indefinitely as the amount of thrust is basically 1-3% of the nuke's power, and it sips fuel. I think the last endurance run, I completed 5 or 6 orbits before getting bored, all over 60km and just around 2050m/s. Its just like orbiting, but the tiny little bit of drag is countered by the nuke.

[NickGilbert]

Very informative and great guide! Subbed!

[meme__kun]

Nice vid, even though I'm quite pro, I learnt a lot from this tutorial. So keep up the good work :)

[KspManiac]

I've noticed that your videos are a lot clearer than mine. What video recording/editing software do you use? Camtasia 8 was acceptable when I was a beginner but now I want something with better quality :)

[kookiespace]

I always have a bit of RCS on my SSTOs to actually dock them to a station or w/e I want to rendezvouz with.

[HarbringerofTruth]

How did you mount intakes on the struts? After I get both of them on I can't attach anything to end of the strut because the green attachment point is gone.

[Marex]

I never used reaction wheels ;D Anyway great tutorial :D It will help people a lot ;d

[darkveneno]

RCS is for translational movement in space (for docking)

[aalox]

Where did you get the data for the graph comparing the basic jet and turbo jet?

[MultiMrRaven]

3082 views, 197 likes aaand 0 dislikes :D
This vid is great, also you´ve got an abo :D

[natecaraway]

My first plane I ever made in ksp was also my best because it could reach 2.4km/s, an altitude of 150km and could fly around kerbin with a little less than half fuel remaining the only problem it had was slowing down was next to impossible at altitude.