How to Fly a Plane - KSP Beginner's Tutorial

[@MikeAben]

Up Next: Building a Basic Probe - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYm0kJ6Ff8p7ipo

[@NBATIPS]

thanks i fond out how to autostrut no need to reply

[@littleretroship6403]

What were the adjustments that you make to the landing gear? I would like to know because I dont have ksp on pc (I have it on ps4) and I would like to fix the brakes

[@MikeAben]

@@littleretroship6403 I upped the spring and dampener strength. Also, increasing the friction on the rear landing gear often helps.

[@littleretroship6403]

@@MikeAben thank you very much

[@littleretroship6403]

@@MikeAben when you said to up it. By like how much roughly? To I slide it to the max or do I set it only slightly to the right

[@bazej1080]

Disable wheels steering - this will help with 'wobble' during takeoff. It's also good to disable brake in nose wheel. Thank for your videos, they are great, especially about fine tuning orbit and storing science experiments.

[@MikeAben]

Thanks, though I found just replacing them fixed the issue. It's fixed in the craft file in the description.

[@the_omg3242]

I think the issue is the alignment on the main gear. If it's too far from parallel you get wandering when the weight starts to come off them. Disabling steering might keep it from oscillating as much trying to correct for that, but it doesn't fix the root cause.

[@antonvladimirov5442]

i have 300H on the game but i never really understand what i was doing your tutorials really helped me thank you :) +sub

[@K24B]

Before i play KSP : i want to build rocket ! When i play KSP : build cesna

[@marcopohl4875]

I got KSP because I wanted to build a rocket idea I had too, instead I've made the bus from agents of shield. long story short: same.

[@letsplaygaming714]

@@marcopohl4875 Have you also build Zephyr One? Would be cool if this is working too :D

[@returnip]

Great tutorial. Another tip is if you're *really* having trouble nailing the landing you can have a radially mounted parachute on the underside of the tail cone and just hit space as you're about to touch down. :)

[@SubZero-cv5hk]

Tends to be a bad idea, at least until the wheels are on the ground already because the rapid deceleration will likely make you end up slamming into the runway. I personally find landing planes in KSP really hard and really akward, but I think that's just due to the game since I have landed hundreds of planes in various games, in different conditions (of plane and weather) and none of these came close to the difficulty (and failure rate) of landings as did KSP. Could be because I always end up with canard designs, could be because the control surfaces just don't allow fine adjustments as they would be necessary to make easy landings.

[@finnpalm9951]

@@SubZero-cv5hk I tried this too. It works like a charm. I deploy the parachute just before touching down which help remedy the instability of wheel physics at higher speeds in the game.

[@hugoandre96]

Again, thank you for the tutorial. I've finally safely landed my plane. Not on a runway, but on a hilly landscape

[@KillaStaten92]

Dude, I could say so much about how much this helped me but thats too much to type. So, all im going to say is, THANK YOU!! Excellent tutorial!!

[@dylanklein1286]

this guy deserves more subs and likes. The way he explains everything is so awesome

[@SgtVeritas]

I just kept slapping control surfaces on trying to make my plane more stable... It never occurred to me (even with all my Google searches) to specialize control surfaces for their intended purpose. Seems super basic and obvious, but I just figured the game was doing it automatically. If not for this video, I may never have figured it out.

[@mreeper25]

I accidentally slept watching the playlist and woke up 11 minute into this video, 4 hours of videos that need rewatch

[@MrMinttyy]

Thanks for the help. I wasn't gonna watch this at first because I thought flying was gonna be easy but this video most definitely helped me.

[@MikeAben]

I think planes are one of the hardest things in the game.

[@zzqqoo123]

@@MikeAben nope its very easy

[@Freak80MC]

I just recently got back into KSP and planes used to be my favorite thing, albeit frustrating so I'm looking up as many plane tutorials as I can before I build my own and yours showed up!

[@MikeAben]

I hope it helped.

[@porteffroiseigneurdesombre556]

Very good video, very clear instructions and tips. Just took the game back to prepare for ksp2 and with your explanations I got my first aircraft working instead of landing rockets "Space-X style" all over the place like 3 years ago to get science from kerbin ... Always good to refresh the basics. Thanks.

[@Bendigo1]

If you hold L ALT key while tapping w and s keys you can adjust the trim of the horizontal control surfaces to allow you to keep the craft from diving or climbing with SAS off. This works for all control surfaces. WSAD

[@MikeAben]

Cool. I didn't know you could do that. Thanks. I'm definitely trying that out on my next flight.

[@Bendigo1]

@@MikeAben It comes in very handy. I found out by accident that it is a thing.

[@HazySkies]

Just in case anyone's still reading this and happens to be using the Linux version; L-Alt is replaced with Right-Shift on Linux, so be sure to use that for all your flight trimming and build part copying needs ^-^

[@Tulio509]

@@HazySkies so THAT's why I cant copy parts? 😂 Thanks a lot for this info!

[@2uiator325]

Loving this series as I’m one of those who were frustrated in figuring out the subtleties behind KSP. For this vid, though, I would suggest mentioning trimming (“Alt” key + “W”, “S”, “A” or “D” key. It makes control much more precise without resorting to the SAS and better reflects how aircraft fly in real life. I’d also mention joystick support or setup as I know KSP supports joysticks, but directions on how to add joystick control are difficult to find…at least, I haven’t found a good tutorial on how to add one.

[@MikeAben]

I didn't realize myself that this was a feature for the longest time, so I keep forgetting about it. I should make a video on it.

[@Ivan-ll8vf]

Wow, that's helpful, thank you :D

[@macthegenius2703]

There should be a Test Flight button (with the Launch one) built in so the ajusted part’s parameters are saved when recovered. Great video, by the way ! Edit: Yesterday’s SpaceX manned Dragon launch gived me so much ideas for spacecraft and rockets...

[@MikeAben]

Maybe just a button in the pause menu that allows you to save edits.

[@xxmeanyheadxx]

i didnt notice you use flaps but you can actually "activate" the ailerons as you slow down and approach on a glide not sure if this is what you're "supposed" to do or if it's "realistic" but it works pretty good :) i didnt know what "authority" was for you really saved me there!!!

[@MikeAben]

I decided not to use flaps because there was already enough going on in this video.

[@wadeperkins714]

this is actually both good and very realistic. almost all planes that fly faster than biplanes have dedicated flaps between the ailerons and fuselage. commonly, you have flap settings like landing and takeoff and some military planes have “combat” flaps. combat flap settings usually deploy at a very low angle to slightly decrease turning circle size, with takeoff settings being at a higher angle to reduce the speed and distance necessary for takeoff. landing flaps deploy the furthest, not far off from 90 in a lot of cases depending on plane speed. this allows the plane to land at the lowest possible ground speed to allow flexibilty in planning for landings. landing flaps also help slow rate of descent allowing the engine to be throttled down during landing. how necessary this is in KSP, I couldn’t tell you. but if you know what you’re doing (which it sounds like you do) it can be a big help to preventing crash landings. a lot of transonic and supersonic jets also employ airbrakes and drogue shutes during landing as well. cheers!

[@xxmeanyheadxx]

@@wadeperkins714 holy crap that makes me want to change my major to aero engineering lol! i just kinda figured it would act like an air brake and also tilt the plane up allowing for a glide approach, i remember this from a lesson i had with young eagles when i was a teenager a pilot took me up in a single engine cessna and had a minor stroke i almost had to crash land it but he came to a couple minutes later. i always wanted to be a pilot just didnt think i could make it at this point in life idk

[@fearan9406]

Getting back into KSP your tuts are amazing dude

[@SpaceflightRocketShorts]

This is for any general wobbling vehicle in KSP- turn on advanced tweakables in settings then auto strut everything on the craft!

[@Fazmukadar]

Make moooooore! I subscribed for this kind of content! Keep it up mike!

[@MikeAben]

There will be more. Definitely within the next week or two.

[@brettgibson9843]

After watching this video I finally built and landed an aircraft for the first time, Thanks Mike

[@MobileTech296]

I never knew you could isolate what certain flaps control, or adjust the authority limits for them. I always thought I was just a bad pilot when my planes started flipping out. lol. Looks like it's time for a trip back to the spaceplane hanger.

[@smu48]

Awesome instructions! I think I can now fly a plane without immediately crashing it

[@hihi-rp2uy]

Oh my god thank you! I finally know how to get near a runway and land on it

[@coffeeandvapes1308]

If trouble landing is holding anybody up from progressing, just do what I have. Whack a couple of radial parashoots above the COM! I now land like a graceful ballerina with pinpoint accuracy. 🤪👍🇬🇧.

[@petermcfawn7201]

The main gear has too little spring force and dampening. But the wobble on take off is also due to your track way being too wide for the length of the wheel base. A wide track way (distance between the left and right wheels) makes the vehicle less likely to flip but more likely to spin.

[@jacob.rausch]

if you want to practice taking on and off, start on the island airfield then land on the main airfield

[@danpettersson4671]

It can help to add a small wheel at the end of the plane, to avoid knocking off the rear of the plane. I do it at least at half of my planes. Edit: Then using me as a role model for space planes is not a good idea :)

[@MikeAben]

A wheel at the back is a good idea, Dan.

[@Madenity]

Thanks I made some modifications to the plane and instead of science jr i put the big liquid fuel to extend my range for the go here take crew report or temperature report mission

[@tarrantwolf]

If you activate the engine then throttle up you get a lot less wobble on the runway. If you still get wobble throttle up slower.

[@charlx8979]

Everyone on youtube doesnt get the insane wobble all my craft get when turning, even with sas on it just starts yanking the plane certain ways

[@Prisoner4245]

So I’m not the only one this comment made me happy knowing that I’m not the only one who have to suffer

[@Prisoner4245]

And the bigger the plane, the worse it is

[@Morten0Darving]

​@@Prisoner4245 try to turn off fiction on the wheels 👍 That did it for me

[@Prisoner4245]

@@Morten0Darving i’ll try that

[@LeastNationalistPole]

I know I'm a year late but did you time warp while flying?

[@coolmanboss5]

!PRO TIP! If your plane is unstable while taking off or spazzing out and you have no idea why, add more landing gear to it!

[@wimpiedreams7694]

Wow, dis helps me out so much!!

[@benwilliams8252]

I've tried multiple different designs and launches of my plane but it starts to steer towards the right and off the runway when I launch. When I try to correct the direction of take off the plane starts tilting and I end up losing a wing. Do you know how I can prevent this from happening?

[@allenjackson8345]

YOu can also add radial parachutes and float down. It requires less skill but more money

[@hyper_8135]

My plane keeps on getting off track and its so fucking annoying!

[@timbarnes6187]

Super helpful, thanks buddy

[@pablogarin]

Is it just me or right before the takeoff you had a solar eclipse?

[@furn2313]

Is there a playlist of these? This is premium content!

[@MikeAben]

Yes. The link is in the description.

[@furn2313]

@@MikeAben you are literally my new favourite channel

[@MrOliPantz]

When I pitch up my plane just bounces until it explodes

[@MikeAben]

It sounds like your center of lift is too far back. try moving your lifting surfaces forward on the plane.

[@TuIIaKoT]

You are great man btw. ty really much

[@davd322]

you are genius sir

[@sjfortune]

Mike, I had an issue where my front canard would lock to +pitch only (my input of negative pitch, to re-stabilise after an aggressive pitch for speed shaving, would bd ignored and canards would apply +pitch instead... I have no idea why, if you know please help me), eventually I would loop the loop while attempting to land. This became a problem mid-flight, ie it wouldn't occur for the first five minutes and it flew like a dream. Not sure if I have solved it yet but in the VAB I notice using canards as pitch device is drastic by pulling the lift point well away from the COM, as opposed to aerolons where angle from the normal changes instead of it AND the application point. Any advice on my issue would be appreciated if you've experienced it. Bests!

[@MikeAben]

I'm not sure what's going on. I've used both canards and elevators without encountering that problem. That said, I typically find control surfaces too twitchy and turn down the authority limiters on them. Other than that, I'm not sure what to suggest.

[@dragonfly0923]

When i made my first plane it was horrible the little ting tilted forward it was a pain to controll but it was VERY fast and when i went to fly it i was fane at the first half but the landing was a real problem i had to use the z and x keys in quick succession to de able to land safely in the wather

[@hansolo-mx4xt]

thanks for the vids. i hope you got that landing gear fixed

[@MikeAben]

It's fixed in the craft file linked in the description.

[@hansolo-mx4xt]

@@MikeAben thnks!

[@Blindeh]

@@MikeAben Has the craft file changed ? Appears to be a rocket now? (Very late to this video!)

[@MikeAben]

@@Blindeh Thanks for letting me know. It should be fixed now.

[@purple_infused]

I was flying an SSTO and accidentally pushed F4, XD its too close to each other!

[@MikeAben]

My common finger botch is hitting z (full throttle) when I meant to hit x (kill throttle).

[@deivishd6728]

Doesn't that heck up the aerodynamics?

[@purple_infused]

@@deivishd6728 not if you hold alt xD

[@yteicosf1103]

If u don't want to take a risk in hard mode u can always land the plane with prachutes like rockets

[@orangenerthantrump3751]

I just saw that you liked a comment from last week, so i want to write something also. Big thank you for that tutorial, it helped really, but do you know how you can throttle up on the ps4? Also I want to know if science is active in the sandbox mode?

[@MikeAben]

Science is not active in sandbox mode. As for PS4 controls. I don't know know, but the control scheme must be laid out somewhere.

[@TeaInTheMorning-we2kh]

How did you get that tail fin cebtered? Whenever I try to adjusted it with the rotator tool, it screws up the center of lift?

[@MikeAben]

The link to the build video is in the description.

[@TeaInTheMorning-we2kh]

@@MikeAben I must have missed that part, I'll watch it again

[@gamertardguardian1299]

Cant help but notice that your sky looks black, is there a way for me to change the stars in the game so that it is more realistic and less bright? Especially in space it feels like im at a disco party

[@Loker5hCOOL]

I needed help thank u

[@budpup65]

fr I can't get this to take off, its so unstable and it pulls to the left the entire time its flying but all the weight/aero/lift markers say its straight. I need help lmao this game makes me feel so dumb

[@plagueyt4834]

When i take off it suddently flips down and crushes...

[@Sigma_coconut19]

how do you slow your thrust downe

[@Prushka]

ctrl

[@tonyanthony5105]

🤣 no idea how many planes I’ve looked at in real life, did not even begin to consider an upright tail fin 😂🤣

[@choricito4261]

For some reason, in my game planes dont activate the engines, full throttle and no brakes and they dont move, how can i fix this?

[@MikeAben]

Do you have air intakes?

[@charlesballard5251]

JESUS H. CHRIST!!!!!! I have ALWAYS avoided getting Aerodynamics until I absolutely had to and have avoided building planes!!!! I cannot BELIEVE you got a plane to handle so dependably!!!!! Even Scott Manley has not built a plane a good as yours. I'm going to build one now. I'll let you know how it goes!!!!

[@MikeAben]

Please let me know how it goes.

[@charlesballard5251]

@@MikeAben It went QUITE WELL!!!! I made some changes from yours because I had one level higher tech to use. I used the medium retractable landing gear and I used the AV-R8 Winglets I believe they are called for the front canards and the rear stabilizer. Still tweaking. When I kill the SAS, the nose just drops and drops and drops. I'll experiment with the other fins and see what happens. But I did land in the desert and take off again. I think it was 3 tries to land, and about 7 or 8 to take-off again. OH!!!!! Also something I've done that may make it easier to avoid slamming the tail into the ground and causing a rapid unplanned disassembly is to put the small steerable nose gear (the one you used on the nose) on the tail cone, not too far in front of the tip. I then took it out of symmetry and used the uh... you know, the tools.. the 3 way arrow tool to move it up a bit, and I may even have rotated it back a bit. It shouldn't hit the ground during take-off or landing on a runway, but landing and taking off on rough surfaces should be a LOT less traumatic.

[@Bendigo1]

@@charlesballard5251 you can adjust trim on the control surfaces. Hold lest alt and tap the key of the direction you want to adjust. For example, if the nose drops alt+s will adjust nose up attitude and will hold it there it is incremental so may take a dosen taps to adjust it. Hope that makes sense and helps you out.

[@TotallyRealRonaldo6]

the only issue i have when i always take off is whenever i take the pitch up the tail thingy always gets destroyed

[@MikeAben]

I would avoid pitching up that agressively, but I know some people like to put landing gear at the end of the tail for exactly that reason.

[@RogueMandoGaming]

Mike i've built this exact plane, disabled wheel steering and done all the same settings as you but my plane keeps wobbling and breaking one of it's wings as soon as it picks up speed

[@MikeAben]

Somethings not aligned right. Likely the wheels. Try taking them off and replace them with new ones.

[@CJfoks]

Landing using parachute is good solution.

[@derickthemapper_]

he: i like to throttle up before i engage my engines me: HOW I THROTTLE UP?????

[@darkracer1252]

you didn't cover setting the SAS even with your control limited to 5. the yaw is still verry agressive. that's because the SAS of the cockpit is still set to pilot inputs

[@Mia_the_Mcdonalds_FrenchFry]

So I made my plane, I launch it, and it starts twitching IMMEDIATELY after I turn the engines on. It then proceeds to band hard left and crash into the ground. How do I fix this

[@MikeAben]

If this is happening on the ground it's likely an asymmetry in the landing gear. Remove them and replace with new ones. Make sure the snap is on when placing them.

[@Mia_the_Mcdonalds_FrenchFry]

@@MikeAben Thanks!

[@Mia_the_Mcdonalds_FrenchFry]

@@MikeAben It’s still doing the same thing. Maby I have to upgrade the runway?

[@MikeAben]

@@Mia_the_Mcdonalds_FrenchFry That shouldn't matter. Definitely sounds like there is an asymmetry somewhere. Landing gear is the most common. It's really easy for them to look straight when they're not.

[@jimmychad4755]

Can some one help me? When I use the panther engine it’s immediately dumps my fuel.

[@MikeAben]

If by "dumping fuel" you mean burning through it quickly then, yeah, the Panthers will do that if they are in wet mode with the after burners on. You want to use this mode sparingly. I don't see how any engine can actually dump the fuel unless there are mods involved.

[@malwieder_kili7231]

how do I assign roll to num 4 and 6?

[@MikeAben]

The key bindings can only be changed from the Settings on the main menu screen.

[@randomrocketofficial7020]

whats the roll controls? I can't seem to make my plane roll please help

[@MikeAben]

Q and E. All the keybindings can be found ingame through the KSPedia at the top right of the screen.

[@cam_critic511]

How to get to the runway?

[@Shiftry87]

1 thing that always happen when i try to build a plane and honestly i have no ide how it´s even possable as i have not seen it happen to anyone else. When i attach my ailerons on the wings and then test them they are opperating opposite from eachother. 1 is angeling up and 1 is angeling down and i have no ide how to fix it or how it´s even possable in the first place. Anyone know why? Also if u really cant land those "budget" wheels safely then an easy trick is to attatch two radial parachuts at the point of center mass and as u get over your landing area u can deploy the parachuts and slowly float down to the ground. Ofc remember to turn your engine off before deploying. In the event your chuts arent perfectly centered u can use the build in reaction wheel in the cockpit to try and lvl out your plane just before touchdown.

[@MikeAben]

Sounds like you have radial symmetry on rather than mirror symmetry.

[@NithinJune]

20:00 where is the energy going?

[@MikeAben]

It's being lost to drag. In real life you're increasing the temperature of the air.

[@MysteriousAlly]

Flying there's never been an issue for me in KSP... if the landing that I can't get.

[@MikeAben]

Landings are tough.

[@mixolydian45]

I followed the build step-by-step but every time I try to take off, the plane starts bouncing and blows up.

[@MikeAben]

If the plane won't lift off even though it is going very fast, it's likely because the rear landing gear are too far back or the plane is pitched down when sitting on the runway. If the bouncing is happening right away, the landing gear may be messed up. Try taking them off an putting on a new set. Make sure the snap us on when doing this or the wheels may not be straight. You can also try tweaking up the spring and dampener strengths on the landing gear.

[@mixolydian45]

@@MikeAben Sure enough, the front wheel was at a slight angle.

[@jacobwarren2412]

That wobble is 100%of the time if you have somthing on your wings I can't seem to get rid of it atleast

[@grahamr2809]

Is there a way to switch q/e to yaw and a/d to roll?

[@MikeAben]

I do not believe this can the key bindings can be changed in the settings. Perhaps there is a config file that can be modified. I'm not sure, I've never tried.

[@thewanderer4564]

Lolz I know this comment is from ten months ago and all that but if you go to settings (main menu settings) then go to Input there will be the controls, you can change them if you want by left clicking on them and then tapping the key that you want to switch it to, for example, If you want to swap the controls for yaw to roll and vice versa you would left click on a/b, then press the q/e key, Boom then it is switched, but dont forget to apply, also pressing accept automatically applies it and closes the settings menu, So yeah, your welcome I guess.

[@grahamr2809]

@@thewanderer4564 Yeah. I figured it out eventualy.

[@thewanderer4564]

@@grahamr2809 k np

[@bensosnowski1128]

I wondered why I couldn’t get it to work...I forgot to throttle up.

[@clau.mm7]

how exactly do you go up?

[@Bendigo1]

S key should be nose up. W key should be nose down. May have to reverse direction of control surfaces if it is opposite for you. Nose up means go up, nose down means go down.

[@FrickFrack7]

my plane keeps exploding

[@greenjibbles]

I find the lack of maneuverability disturbing. Also planes seem possessed in ksp, maybe it's the SAS.

[@xxriellixx978yt3]

Uhh you know u can press caps right?

[@mucsendit3556]

What game is this

[@mr.memedog3031]

How to do I start the plane

[@MikeAben]

Same as a rocket. Throttle up and stage.

[@jarjar7872]

200 hours in this game Ive never launched a single plane

[@LowerBudgetOppenheimer]

My plane is slow and doesn’t lift off.

[@quirobertmiolan9856]

Only true kerbals know, I’m in hard mode

[@darkracer1252]

01:40 there is nothing funky about it. it's physics. it's what gravity would look like on a flat earth. but yes the runway is basicly downhill and then back uphill once you pass the middle. and you would experiance the exact same in real life.

[@bermchasin]

id be interested in seeing those numbers and figuring out a rough acceleration from that.

[@landosstudio7448]

My plane doesn’t have any crew why😭😭😭😢

[@MikeAben]

You select your crew in the Spaceplane Hanger.

[@landosstudio7448]

Oh🤦

[@anaccidentalchannel]

Why won’t my plane do anything? It just doesn’t move

[@MikeAben]

My guess is a lack of air intakes. It's the easiest thing to miss.

[@anaccidentalchannel]

@@MikeAben thank you for responding! I got the plane to work. I was using larger engines and larger fuel tanks which is why it wouldn’t work. But how do I get those to work? Even with the big front air intakes and fuel, the larger jet engines don’t even turn on.

[@MikeAben]

@@anaccidentalchannel Not sure. I've never seen that problem. What engines are we talking about?

[@anaccidentalchannel]

@@MikeAben anything other than the first ones. Love your channel by the way, the only person I can find who actually makes sense.

[@MikeAben]

@@anaccidentalchannel Not sure then. It's not something silly like the brakes are on? I've done that before.

[@verycoolandepicguy]

instructions unclear: i crashed into a building

[@richjageman3976]

I found out by trial and error that the further the landing gear is out on the wings the more wobble on the runway.

[@bermchasin]

@21:27. your stale speed.

[@sofiathefirstautisticprinc8530]

mine just like crawls

[@WiseOwl_1408]

My planes are trash

[@kironbrown347]

cant launch, too many parts

[@w012thless]

how do i engage engines lol

[@MikeAben]

Spacebar

[@waffle8364]

Flying in this game is way too hard

[@zzqqoo123]

Its so easy you Larry larry

[@marinapetti70]

U

[@jtyfghfgdcfhdf]

bro the jet literally dances and explodes itself wtf