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Colorized photograph of the Fliegendlabor flying over the countryside.
- Only five of those were ever flown (four if you take away the one that was decommissioned and put on static display as a propaganda piece), so it was a rare honor to serve on one of those - even if it was just on one mission.
- Most of the crew’s experiments were performed on the ground, but research could still be done during the flight. In fact, on many occasions, the flight engineer was noted to have advised that the research be performed while the plane was flying and during the day. The laboratory used a lot of power while active, so the solar panels and engines’ alternators would mitigate the power drain.
At the bare minimum, each Fliegendlabor mission required:
- One pilot to steer the aircraft.
- One flight engineer to check power levels and conduct repairs.
- Two scientists, as Heinkel’s government did not want them to work alone.
- (IF NECESSARY) Three more passengers for whatever jobs were required for that particular mission.
The Fliegendlabor on display in the SPH.
- Since Heinkel was supposed to be a parody of Germany, I combined the German words for
flying
andlaboratory
to make the name. - I started with a 2.5-m cockpit, since eventually I would need the mobile processing lab. Plus, I wanted to give the aesthetic of an interwar period airliner and a Mk3 fuselage was too large for that.
- Two gray nose cones are mounted on the fuselage as observation domes; one on top and the other on the bottom. After all, it is a research vehicle.
- I ripped the wings from my VC-54C
Sacred Cow
replica for this, since I needed for engines to haul this monster. - As for the engines itself, after a test flight with full sized motors but the main throttle torque limit at 1%, I then reduced the motor size and output to 50%. So that it’s not as obvious that I copied a significant piece of another replica (whose wings I made on my own, by the way), I had four blades per engine and gave the aircraft a twin tail.
- Although the test cruise was smooth sailing, the landing was not since the plane was quite front-heavy. To address this, I installed some downward-facing rockets in the back to help push it down. They are linked to the main throttle, but you can toggle the rockets with the AG0 button. The oxidizer in the back is mainly for weight purposes as the fuel tanks drain, but it can also be used for the rockets - although you shouldn’t have to leave them running for that long. Be sure you have enough fuel for pushing the tail down, though.
In hindsight, I probably could have put a fuel tank in between the cockpit and the laboratory (and batteries and cargo) to move the center of mass further forward. In my defense, I wanted to put everything that was important up front. At least this design works, although I acknowledge that the aforementioned improvement should be implemented in upgraded models.
Description
Between the First and Second Imperial Wars, Heinkelian engineer Thiel Kerman designed an aircraft that can not only transport scientists and their equipment around Kerbin but allow them to conduct their research on the go. The empire’s top scientists would fly to various locations, collect their data or samples – either in the air or on the ground – and use the plane’s onboard laboratory for their experiments. To save fuel that would otherwise be used for electricity during experimentation, Thiel installed some recently-invented solar panels on the airframe. Indeed, the Fliegendlabor marked the first documented use of solar panels on a vehicle. In the eyes of Heinkelian scientists, being called to work on a Fliegendlabor was a high honor. When Allied forces eventually seized all their lab reports during the war, their own scientists were impressed by their discoveries.
Only five airworthy Fliegendlabor aircraft were ever built. After several years in service, the first was decommissioned and put on static display at Heinkel’s (still active) Museum of Scientific Progress as a propaganda piece for children in hopes of inspiring them to become scientists or engineers. The second was shot down by friendly anti-aircraft fire after being mistaken for an Allied bomber during the Second Imperial Wars. The third was captured by Nye Island’s army near the end of the war, but the soldiers didn’t distribute their weight correctly and wrecked it during takeoff. The fourth was seized and flown back to Marx after the war, where it was reverse-engineered and disassembled; the data was used to create a jet-powered variant. The fifth was flown to Krakopolis’ (currently defunct) Frycook Field for study, then sent to the underground archives of the Nestonian Museum in Squaddon. Decades later, it was brought out for further study by the Kerbal Space Program’s engineers before being put on static display at the Nestonian Aerospace Museum’s Phelin-Hazy Center.
A stock aircraft called Fliegendlabor. Built with 193 of the finest parts, its root part is RCSTank1-2.
Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.12.5.
The Fliegendlabor ascending to cruising altitude after pointing in the desired heading.
- Be sure you’re ascending at a vertical speed between 15 and 25 m/s.
Details
- Type: SPH
- Class: aircraft
- Part Count: 193
- Pure Stock
- KSP: 1.12.5
The Fliegendlabor getting out of the polar ice caps and entering Kerbin’s highlands. In the back you can see the Mun.
- This photograph was used as part of a recruiting advertisement in Heinkel’s Museum of Scientific Progress before and during the Second Imperial Wars, convincing young would-be scientists and engineers to explore the world. It would also be used as postcards, even up to the present day.
The aircraft flying over Kerbin’s northern polar ice cap. The onboard engineer didn’t need the thermometer to tell him that the surrounding temperature was dropping.
Takeoff Instructions
- Engage the brakes and turn on SAS.
- Full throttle.
- Disengage brakes.
- Press and hold H (translate forward). It increases the propeller blade deploy angle - hence your speed.
- Retract front gear when airborne. Your tailwheel is fixed.
- Keep tapping H as necessary to keep optimal blade angle (which maximizes thrust). It is recommended to tap rather than press and hold for fine-turning blade angle. Best blade angle for maximizing thrust is 45 degrees, but you do what works best for you.
Be advised that you may need to slowly lower blade angle again at some point. When that happens, translate back using N.
Propeller Controls
- H: Translate forward (increase blade angle)
- N: Translate backward (decrease blade angle)
Landing Advice
After you land the plane, (unless you’re all done with it) press and hold N to return the blade angles back to 0 before taking off again.
RECOMMENDED CRUISE
Altitude: 6.3 km (~20.7k ft; Class Alpha airspace)
Velocity: 165 m/s (~369 mph)
- Will start out higher later, but eventually drops to a few m/s below 165. This is a good median.
Blade Deployment Angle: 40 degrees
- 45 degrees is optimal
Recommended Throttle: 70%
EXPECTED RANGE
1,125 km before immediate landing necessary.
- This plane glided for almost 20 km afterwards before touchdown in the latest test flight.
The aircraft after nearly two hours of flight and a nail-biting touchdown, which prompted the mounting of downward-pointing rockets at the tail. After that was over, the two scientists went outside to gather soil samples and conduct EVA reports.
- The engineer was complaining about a net power loss in the dark even with the engines running while the research lab was active, so the pilot ordered everyone to their sleeping bags after the data was obtained. The scientists would not resume their mission until the plane got adequate light for its panels the following day.
