KerbalX

Details

• Type: SPH
• Class: aircraft
• Part Count: 29
• Pure Stock + Breaking Ground DLC

RCS on/off toggles engine power

Main Throttle directly controls vertical speed

Description

Uses the pitch yaw and roll response of the helicopter blades from Breaking Ground to control a helicopter with no reaction wheels.

The blades (elevons) respond in the same way as control surfaces connected to the airframe, so if we

• set the control-point orientation up,

• have one rotor on axis with the center of mass, and

• place the blades with positive incidence,

then the control surfaces deflect over half the cycle of rotation, effecting cyclic control.

The roll response of blades in a counter-rotating design gives one rotor has higher angle, and thus higher drag, than the other, which rotates the craft about the axis. This helicopter is set up with very weak roll control.

The rotation rate of the propellers is constant. The blades are ‘Deployed’ with the ‘Deploy Limit’ acting as collective. The KAL-1000 controller limits the collective to a reasonable range, and binds it to the Main Throttle. Main Throttle at 1/3 hovers. In case of power failure, taking Main Throttle below 1/3 keeps the rotors auto-rotating to control the descent.

Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.7.3.
17 February 2020: add small props for roll control