Captain Jebediah flies the Deuce for the very first time, although it has been said & proven that getting up into the air is the easy part. Getting back down…
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Kerbal Space Agency
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Deuce has been cleared for flight tests! Issue noted yesterday still a minor concern & will continue to be monitored under flight conditions
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Jeb will see how she handles tomorrow after 3rd sunrise & is of course super stoked to be first pilot of a multi-engine aircraft. History!
Kerbal Space Agency
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no offense to Jeb, but rescue crews ran practice exercises earlier in the day & are now debriefing & prepping for Deuce test flight later
Kerbal Space Agency
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Jeb is getting ready, Deuce will be rolled out at sunrise & flight will be later than usual to ensure good visibility during the test
Kerbal Space Agency
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briefing underway. Jeb will keep things simple this 1st flight - get up, establish level flight, get a feel for handling then get back down
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Deuce has been rolled out to the tarmac in front of the HAB as the sun rises w/Mun just finishing its transit across, ending an eclipse
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Jeb is out doing his walkaround inspection prior to climbing into the cabin & performing his preflight routine. Weather is looking great
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both engines fired up, all systems nominal, Flight has cleared Jeb to taxi. Winds 0-3kts @ 315, Rwy27 chosen to stay over land on departure
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Jeb has reached the hold point down on the turf & Flight has cleared him for takeoff. He will apply full thrust, flaps at 2. Here we go...
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he's up! He's away! Jeb reports slideslip on the takeoff roll, which was countered. Deuce was airborne ~500m down the runway at ~50m/s
Kerbal Space Agency
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confirming positive rate of climb, Jeb has cleaned up the wings & undercarriage - gear up! Working to maintain runway hdg, battling sideslip
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climbing thru 1km, going for at least 2km to give himself recovery room, Jeb says there is a *big* leftward-roll tendency at stick neutral
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attempting to level off @ 2km, traveling 126m/s, Jeb is finding the controls way too sensitive, especially the elevators (controlling pitch)
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30km downrange to the west Jeb has made a slow, careful turn back towards KSC to setup for landing. Says keeping in control is very tiring
Kerbal Space Agency
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Flight confirmed he wanted to land so soon. Jeb doesn't like ctrl response, afraid he will over-correct in attempting any maneuver testing
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1km pattern altitude 7.5km south of KSC but still traveling 98m/s Jeb is working to slow down & continue to descend w/engines at idle
Kerbal Space Agency
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down < 500m & 60m/s rolling out into base leg Jeb says he's fighting to stay a step ahead of what the plane is trying to do he doesn't want
Kerbal Space Agency
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Jeb is too low & has lost sight of the runway, has started to turn final early & climb back up, not calling a missed approach just yet
Kerbal Space Agency
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Jeb has called runway in sight & is back on good approach for landing, flaps full & Flight reminded him to check that his gear is down 😛
Kerbal Space Agency
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"Mayday! Mayday!" Jeb lost control shortly after our last tweet & crashed into the water 6km short of the runway. Rescue boat already onsite
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Jeb is visible, responsive, talking over short-range emergency radio as nose cone damaged. Engines stripped off as designed. Deuce is afloat
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assessment by emergency response crews completed & Jeb is instructed to not egress unless he notices water leaking in. Setting up a tow now
Kerbal Space Agency
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oof, we need a bigger boat. Tow is making slow progress. Thankfully Jeb has assured us he is not in need of immediate medical attention
Kerbal Space Agency
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Deuce is back to shore & crews already there to haul it out of the water & back to HAB. Jeb is off to the med center for an evaluation
Kerbal Space Agency
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Jeb suffered through a full medical examination & has been released with some muscle relaxants but otherwise a clean bill of health
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C7 has already called in their crash investigation team, thankfully all data recorders are intact. Engines will be dredged up from seafloor
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salvage ship arrived over Deuce crash site earlier today & has successfully hauled up both engines, which are now being delivered to HAB
Kerbal Space Agency
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the engine recovery is vital to the crash investigation to ensure no mechanical issues were to blame, regardless of what flight data says
Kerbal Space Agency
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speaking of Deuce flight data, here's a look at the trouble Jeb had w/aircraft control. Preliminary crash details in ops summary later today
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another busy week wraps up here at KSC. Even if you saw it all, additional info almost always included in our bit.ly/OpsSummary6-12…
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Jeb is back on duty today & will be interviewed by the C7 crash investigation team to help them determine his role in the accident last week
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good news from C7: Deuce's cabin is sound & will not have to be replaced or overhauled - that is a lot of work knocked off the rebuild
Kerbal Space Agency
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damage assessment expected to be completed later this week. Wings now focus of inspection, def need replacing but note of damage still req'd
Kerbal Space Agency
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Deuce crash investigation reports both engines were functioning normally, as reported by telemetry data. All mechanical issues ruled out
Kerbal Space Agency
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new engine pods, gear, wings & nose cone ordered for Deuce rebuild, engineers are now looking into the tail section as a source of sideslip
Kerbal Space Agency
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time to close out the work week! As usual, review of this past week & extra details available in our Ops Summary: bit.ly/OpsSummary6-19…
Kerbal Space Agency
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Deuce crash investigation nearing completion. Rebuild won't be fully underway until 7/11 - many parts, like wings, need to be specially made
Kerbal Space Agency
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some of the simpler parts like nose cones & lights already here, also both new PT-6 pistons since we employ a well-used airship engine
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we're scrubbing all missions & calling it a week! *shakes fists at the sky* learn more of this week's activities: bit.ly/OpsSummary6-26…
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final report on the Deuce crash has been published, aerodynamic stability issues assigned primary blame - bit.ly/Genesis-PR8
