How to lift off a spaceplane?

[bruce]

I've got all the neccesary componants but it won't get off the floor. Help?

[Kilroyiv]

Pictures pretty please... That statement isn't nearly specific enough as spaceplanes are one of the hardest parts about this game.

[bruce]

How do I put a pic in chat?

[Ty Ty]

My guess is your main landing gear is too far back stopping the plane from rotating up, but yea, a screenshot would help. If you take one using F12 in game, then when you quit the game upload it to your steam account and post the link to it here.

[Regularity]

Look in the spaceplane hanger, and check center mass. To take off from the runway, you either need:

- The rear wheels very close to the center mass, so the plane can more effectively "pivot" upwards. Having your control flaps farther back helps a bit too, but much less than having your rear wheels near center mass.

- The front wheels being taller than the rear wheels, so the planes wings naturally slant upwards. (and thus naturally tends to try and lift off when driving straight on the ground). This is typically the better option, as it removes all restrictions as to where you need to place your wheels or flaps to help takeoff. It's also much safer, since having your wheels near the center mass point (as in the first option) makes it far easier to "tip" over and slam your tail against the ground.

[Lonesome 77]

On my MiG (you can find it in my screenshots) it is slanted upwards a bit and at a certain point it seems like it will start leaving the ground without me pulling back on the stick. So slanting should help for one.

Also, you need stuff like the "elevons" I think they're called (in game) on the back edge of your wings which will add lift when you pull back on the stick (the S key).

[FourGreenFields]

What Regularity said.

You need a positive AoA (angle of attack) to generate any reasonable amounts of lift (afaIk, lift at 0 AoA isnt even modelled in KSP).

That can mean that your nose is pointed above the horizon when standing on the ground.
That can mean configuring your plane so you can pull the nose above the horizon when taking off.
Or it can mean using flaps*. If the flaps are dropped, they have a positive AoA, even if your plane's AoA is 0°.

*(or canards, like Vikingr mentioned)

[Regularity]

Just FYI, it's usually better to use simple terminology when helping out new players. Odds are if they can't lift a plane off the ground, they won't know aeronautical terms like AoA or canards.

[FourGreenFields]

Originally posted by Regularity:

Just FYI, it's usually better to use simple terminology when helping out new players. Odds are if they can't lift a plane off the ground, they won't know aeronautical terms like AoA or canards.

:P Thats what google is for, or they can ask questions.

Anyway...
AoA is the angle between the direction you are flying towards, and the angle your nose is pointed at. In case it helps you:
http://sportysnetwork.com/airfacts/wp-content/blogs.dir/13/files/2015/04/aoa5.jpg
Canards are control surfaces intendet to pitch your plane (nose up/down), mounted in front of the wings.

[Lonesome 77]

Here's what I was talking about. The rectangular sections on the back of each wing are the "elevons" as they are called in game. In real life they are "ailerons" which is French for "little wings."

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=434008799

Also note the similar concept on the tail. While the ones on the wings control primarily up an down motion, the one on the tail controls side-to-side "pivoting," also called "yawing." The elevons can also allow the plane to roll (like if it were to go upside down and then right side up again).

[Yawzheek]

Originally posted by Vikingr:

Here's what I was talking about. The rectangular sections on the back of each wing are the "elevons" as they are called in game. In real life they are "ailerons" which is French for "little wings."

I'm inclined to believe this may be the problem, based on my own ignorance, thinking they were built into all wings.

They're not.

Slap a symmetrical pair of those to the ends of your wings, and see if that doesn't improve the situation 1000%, because if you're achieving proper velocity on the runway (level 1 runway sucks, BTW) and still not achieving lift, I have to ask if you're either not using your W and S keys, or if you don't have elevons attached.

Not trying to be condescending, but I remember my own, "WTF?!" moments when I first built planes and they'd just bounce off the runway and crash.

[Lonesome 77]

Yeah, but watch out. When placing them they seem to want to be jackwagons and not align correctly so you'll have to fidget around to get them to align properly--but if you accidentally put them upside down, as I've done, then when you want to go up, they'll make your plane go down, and vice versa! It has happened to me where I accidentally align the elevons on the wings incorrectly, then put other elevons/elevators on correctly, so they all conflict when I press W/S lol.