This is my simple plane I created to gather science around Kerbin. I have created later designs that can more efficiently gather science from farther locations, but this is my first attempt at a plane with the limited resources available at this tech tree level. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Above is the tech tree I had when creating the plane. Nodes in orange crosses were ones I had not researched when making the plane.
Above: An image of the airplane.
Above: Schematic diagram. Modular Girder Segments on bottom not shown.
Parts:
6x AV-T1 Winglet
4x AV-R8 Winglet (at the corners)
2x Delta-Deluxe Winglet (vertical stabilizer)
1x BACC Thumper SRB (with throttle limited to 50%) (main body/engine)
2x SC-9001 Science Jr (to collect science)
4x Modular Girder Segment (landing gear)
1x Mk1 Command Pod (I always use Jebediah Kerman as the pilot when flying air/spacecraft)
2x Mk12-R Radial Mount Drogue Chute (attached to command pod)
1x Mk16 Parachute (attached to command pod)
2x Mk2-R Radial-Mount Parachute (attached to front Science Jr)
1x TD-12 Decoupler (separates Science Jrs and Command Pod from the rest of the craft before chutes deploy)
The plane flies quite well, able to reach speeds exceeding 300m/s, and once the solid fuel runs out it glides quite efficiently. Just in case I am not able to land it or it is in an uncontrollable situation, I have a second stage that decouples the command pod and Science Jrs from the main body and deploys parachutes to ensure a safe landing and recovery of science experiments. However this also leads to the destruction of the booster and most of the winglets, causing a dent in funds.
In my later planes I have removed the detachable cockpit concept in favor of a surplus of parachutes designed to carry the plane safely to the ground without the need for a high-speed, risky landing. I will post about them soon 🙂