KerbalX

Description

1:kneel 2:gen Keypad /*:blade pitch

A versatile airplane for Eve, Kerbin and Laythe. (PLease see Elekra Zest for the interplanetary lifter.)
NO SSTO Project mod was used in the manufacture of this vehicle!! **

**Elektra is remarkably easy to fly: a pilot’s dream.

Pin open one engine shaft (rotor) and one blade and activate fan blade pitch control with ‘R’. Spin up the engines with the throttle. Use Keypad ‘*’ and ‘/’ to increase/decrease blade pitch and you are rolling for take-off. The fuel cells are active by default but can be switched using [2]. Use [1] to ‘kneel’ the vehicle for passenger embarkation.

Blade pitch 25 deg is about good for take-off, although I prefer to run it up gradually, maintaining airspeed surge to achieve shortest take-off distance. Out in steps to 50-60 deg for cruise and this will depend upon altitude and also which planet you are flying on!

During flight, advance the throttle to get max rpm and then continually tune it backward, watching the charge to ensure the battery is not discharging.

For airspeed, the throttle permits fine tuning; whereas retarding the blade pitch will cause some abrupt braking. For moving to a slower regime, such as for landing, after first reducing speed with throttle, you can then wind pitch down to your preferred setting for landing/go-around, e.g. ~25 deg.

The ‘R’ control enables you to get precisely zero-thrust on the ground. It also assists with feathering the blades by advancing from 0 deg (no ‘R’) to suddenly 90 deg to avoid unwanted propulsion while feathering.

Acknowledgement of Rade’s turbofan engine design. His employs 40 blades, whereas Elektra uses only 24.

Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.11.2.