KerbalX

Details

• Type: SPH
• Class: aircraft
• Part Count: 36
• Mods: 2

Mods

• Squad (stock)
• TweakableEverything

Aircraft Characteristics

Crew: 1

Dry Mass: 3,105 kg

Wet Mass: 7,047 kg

The KT-12A Jay is one in a series of trainer aircraft I’ve built with different series’ representing different categories such as the 10 Series representing small aircraft meant for subsonic operations. They are entirely stock-built although some addons such as TweakableEverything and TweakScale may be necessary.

The Jay is a variation on the KT-10A Lark which moves the pair of side-mounted engines to back as a tandem engine and upgrades the intakes to a pair of more powerful radial intakes but it’s still meant to operate at subsonic speeds (below 384 ASL) at an intermediate range of approximately 1,590 km although I recommend missions that don’t exceed 1,431 km so that you have a considerable fuel reserve. It’s also designed, much like its predecessor , to be easily flown with takeoffs handled with no pilot input required.

The Jay has a lower maximum ceiling of about 9,203 meters although your rate of climb will steadily decrease as you approach this altitude so it’s probably not efficient to attempt it under normal operations. The service ceiling of X meters allows for a higher altitude flight and strikes a balance allowing for efficiency in terms of both fuel and lift. The cruising altitude of 4,436 m/s allows for max speed and long-range level flying with both efficient life and fuel consumption – it should be a good altitude for most of the uses for this aircraft.

Takeoff Procedure

The normal takeoff procedure is handled with flaps being deployed, SAS activated, and throttled immediately deployed to full. This approach should lead to a gentle roll down the runway with lift occurring without pilot input at about 86 m/s and if flaps haven’t been deployed then it will still occur but at 105 m/s.

Do not apply the outer flaps or flap brakes at any point during takeoff.

You should continue as an ascent for at least 50 to 100 meters before raising your flaps and landing gear in case of a sudden loss of lift upon takeoff. It is after that point you can safely adjust your speed and rate of climb through pilot input.

Approach and Landing Procedure

There are many different approach and landing procedures depending on your choice of field and runway so I’m going to cover the approaching and landing on KSC Runway 027 which if you take off from KSC Runway 090 it’s simply turning around and going for a (mostly) straight-in approach.

Your KSC Runway 027 approach should begin at an altitude of approximately 1,222 km (1,151 km AGL) and about 22 to 30 km from the KSC at a speed of about 101 m/s with flaps deployed. You should begin a 3 degree descent along with the goal of reaching 176 m (105 m AGL) about 2 km from the runway and gradually reducing speed to about 85 to 95 m/s with minor adjustments to your throttle and heading to stay on the glide slope.

The final approach begins at about 2 km from the end of the runway at which point you should be at an altitude of 176 m (105 m AGL) and at a speed of approximately 50 m/s with both flaps and landing gear deployed. You should avoid completely killing the throttle since you are already very close to stall speed which could cause you have an accelerated plummet into the runway.

When you are within about 10 meters above the runway you should flare up by slightly raising your nose so that the rear wheels hit the ground first to avoid a violent wheelbarrow impact with the ground. Once all your landing gear wheels have touched the runway you should immediately kill the throttle and start applying the brakes. If you have done everything correctly you should be sitting in the middle of runway in one piece.

Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.6.1.