preacherzero
New member
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2010
- Messages
- 12
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- Location
- On the edge of the Atlantic ocean.
So everybody I asked about fuel management told me to scram.
After I realised they didn't mean they wished me to leave, I began researching.
After reading through the forums I decided the XR series was the best choice for the level of realism I wanted (hi-tech, but not too easy) I took delivery of an Altea XR2 to use as a testbed for my 'scramming' experiments (and any other risky ventures that come my way).
I read the included manual carefully... seems pretty easy right?
Rip her up to 20k or so and pop open the scrams, kill the mains and scream into the sky... after 3 attempts resulting in a burning ball of wreckage falling from the sky like an Altea sponsored meteorite I learned what 'ionization' means.
Apparently air moving at high speed causes friction... friction causes heat, who'd have guessed. *shrug*
The problem is scrams need airflow to work.
Go too slow your scrams can't get enough air, go too fast and we're having a cookout at 20,000 feet with a main course of roast test pilot.
The problem had to be solved.
Another test pilot was chosen (Lt Bob Marley) and off we went again.
Altitude was 19k, speed was mach 3+, Bob leveled out, SCRAM doors open... Suddenly a new sound, a high pitched scream, the flow gauge rose steadily.
Bob eased off the mains until they were shut down completely and I marvelled at the power of the SCRAM... then that computer chick starts yelling in our ear, hull temp was rising... here we go again.
Bob begins pulling her up, we watch the gauge... it starts to drop, temperature readout starts going down... Scrams still screaming at full thrust, speed still climbing, we goddamn did it!
Computer chick interrupts our celebrations in a haughty tone... "Warning, wing stress" ...wing stress?? What the hell is that??
Bob tells me to "skank it easy", I smack him across the back of the head with the XR manual.
I say "I think it's air pressure on the wings", Bob points at the blinking red lights on the panel "we ain't got no wings mon... "
At this point the scrams are losing thrust rapidly, we shut them down and kick in the mains again.
Quickly I check the orbit read out, alt 97k, apopasis 107k and rising.
If we can just keep raising the Ap' to a stable 200 we're home free.
It seems to take forever but finally the highest point hits 200k and we cut the thrust as we coast towards our apopasis I check the damage to the ship... right wing busted and both foils useless, reentry would be suicide, the only solution is to dock with ISS for repairs.
At the apopasis Bob turns Prograde and engages, we watch the pea readout... finally, despite the damage, we achieve a stable 200x200 orbit with no less then 50% fuel to spare!
Bob lights up a very long cigarette and I apply the manual to the back of his head once more "This is a non smoking flight you slacker!"
We sit back and begin preperations to rendevouz with ISS.
Next time: Stressing out over wing stress.
After I realised they didn't mean they wished me to leave, I began researching.
After reading through the forums I decided the XR series was the best choice for the level of realism I wanted (hi-tech, but not too easy) I took delivery of an Altea XR2 to use as a testbed for my 'scramming' experiments (and any other risky ventures that come my way).
I read the included manual carefully... seems pretty easy right?
Rip her up to 20k or so and pop open the scrams, kill the mains and scream into the sky... after 3 attempts resulting in a burning ball of wreckage falling from the sky like an Altea sponsored meteorite I learned what 'ionization' means.
Apparently air moving at high speed causes friction... friction causes heat, who'd have guessed. *shrug*
The problem is scrams need airflow to work.
Go too slow your scrams can't get enough air, go too fast and we're having a cookout at 20,000 feet with a main course of roast test pilot.
The problem had to be solved.
Another test pilot was chosen (Lt Bob Marley) and off we went again.
Altitude was 19k, speed was mach 3+, Bob leveled out, SCRAM doors open... Suddenly a new sound, a high pitched scream, the flow gauge rose steadily.
Bob eased off the mains until they were shut down completely and I marvelled at the power of the SCRAM... then that computer chick starts yelling in our ear, hull temp was rising... here we go again.
Bob begins pulling her up, we watch the gauge... it starts to drop, temperature readout starts going down... Scrams still screaming at full thrust, speed still climbing, we goddamn did it!
Computer chick interrupts our celebrations in a haughty tone... "Warning, wing stress" ...wing stress?? What the hell is that??
Bob tells me to "skank it easy", I smack him across the back of the head with the XR manual.
I say "I think it's air pressure on the wings", Bob points at the blinking red lights on the panel "we ain't got no wings mon... "
At this point the scrams are losing thrust rapidly, we shut them down and kick in the mains again.
Quickly I check the orbit read out, alt 97k, apopasis 107k and rising.
If we can just keep raising the Ap' to a stable 200 we're home free.
It seems to take forever but finally the highest point hits 200k and we cut the thrust as we coast towards our apopasis I check the damage to the ship... right wing busted and both foils useless, reentry would be suicide, the only solution is to dock with ISS for repairs.
At the apopasis Bob turns Prograde and engages, we watch the pea readout... finally, despite the damage, we achieve a stable 200x200 orbit with no less then 50% fuel to spare!
Bob lights up a very long cigarette and I apply the manual to the back of his head once more "This is a non smoking flight you slacker!"
We sit back and begin preperations to rendevouz with ISS.
Next time: Stressing out over wing stress.
