Plan View in VAB
Mar. 4th, 2024 06:32 pmKSP2 has added a plan view to the VAB. You can look at the top, bottom, or side of a build in a blueprint-like view, which I find most useful when attempting to build wings on aircraft that match the wings of actual aircraft. I can print out a blueprint, cut out the plans into a template, and tape it to my laptop screen. Then, I can just shift the craft into that template and adjust the wings until they match.
In this case, the Myasishchev M-55, Russia's version of the U-2.

While the craft is reasonably accurate in appearance, I don’t think it flies very well. It was tricky getting it up off the runway. It ended up slewing off the runway before it got in the air. It turned like a cow.
It also slewed on the landing but I was lucky enough to keep it from breaking anything. There is a mod that adds PAPI lights to the runway, which might help on landing but there was something not right in the design.
I went online and did a search and found some advice that actually worked. For the landing gear I turned off Auto Friction Control and sent the Friction Level on the rear landing gear a touch higher and on the front landing gear a little lower. I also turned off Steering on the rear landing gear. That had a significant effect on runway controllability on both takeoff and landing.
If I am going to seek out more discoverables on Kerbin, I am going to need to get better at planes. Sure, I could use the stock Aeris-K2, which is a pretty good plane, but KSP is about building stuff. I will need to work on more airplanes and maybe try original designs rather than attempting to recreate historical or real-world designs.

In this case, the Myasishchev M-55, Russia's version of the U-2.

While the craft is reasonably accurate in appearance, I don’t think it flies very well. It was tricky getting it up off the runway. It ended up slewing off the runway before it got in the air. It turned like a cow.
It also slewed on the landing but I was lucky enough to keep it from breaking anything. There is a mod that adds PAPI lights to the runway, which might help on landing but there was something not right in the design.
I went online and did a search and found some advice that actually worked. For the landing gear I turned off Auto Friction Control and sent the Friction Level on the rear landing gear a touch higher and on the front landing gear a little lower. I also turned off Steering on the rear landing gear. That had a significant effect on runway controllability on both takeoff and landing.
If I am going to seek out more discoverables on Kerbin, I am going to need to get better at planes. Sure, I could use the stock Aeris-K2, which is a pretty good plane, but KSP is about building stuff. I will need to work on more airplanes and maybe try original designs rather than attempting to recreate historical or real-world designs.
