CHIPMUNK - Heavy Transport Helicopter
CHIPMUNK - Heavy Transport Helicopter
[Co-axial Helicopter Incorporating Powerful Motors Utilizing Novel Kinematics]
Inspired by helicopters such as the Mil Mi-6 and the Kamov Ka-27, the giant Chipmunk helicopter not only can fit a great deal of cargo within its cheeks, but despite its diminutive name, boasts one of the largest lifting capacities of any helicopter in the game. (Minimum of 17,000 - varies based on physics settings and rotor rps)
(NOTE: In progress *Not polished* - I’m noticing my motivation for the project slipping a bit, so I decided to publish what I currently have on it, with the aim of updating it as I improve upon it. This is my first real creation in Stormworks, so any constructive feedback is appreciated!)
FEATURES
ROTORS
Largest possible rotors that fit in conventional Stormworks hanger without folding (Made of large wing-control surfaces that are utilized like actual helicopter blades to create lift/pitch/roll - this is what makes this project special, at least in my eyes)
Coaxial design that allows for 8 giant rotor blades to life a huge amount of weight (one of, if not the strongest helicopter currently available on the workshop)
POWERPLANT
3 Sets of toggleable motors enable the helicopter to be utilized for maximum lift, or more efficient flight. (Motor power switches can be toggled off in-flight to simulate a form of auto-rotation)
Optional motor throttle for increased lift (Though this is not optimised, for more stable experience leave set to 1)
Primarily electric/battery based, but provisions have been made for fuel tanks and ballast weight. So a generator can easily be added to create a diesel/electric, jet turbine, or even nuclear powered craft.
STORAGE
Large internal cargo bay, with fore and aft ramps for easy loading/unloading
Different rope and rail attachment points within and outside the chopper
Large trapdoor, which can be utilized by an internal crane/winch. (Winch is ‘Huge-Winch’ with two additional stabilizing lines to aid in orientation) Magnetic vehicle coupler is the default crane attachment as it has no couple limit, but this can be swapped out with others easily enough.
External hardpoints should be used for most loads in excess of 15,000. Cables/Ropes can cause instability when loads greater than this or put on them.
OPERATION
Standard helicopter controls, made possible by the ‘rotor-blade controller ™’ acting as a helicopter swashplate
Front left seat is flight controls, front right is ground controls, rotor motors are enabled/disabled using electric switches on center console (Crane controls are second row right seat
Simple auto-level/hover mode to aid in maneuvering and keeping stable position (Hotkey 2) Allows for moving about the cabin and operating crane
Currently has separate seats for control of ground control, crane, and flight. (This will be most likely changed in future updates)
CONTROL SCHEME
Vertical Flight (First Left Seat)
W/S - Collective
A/D - Yaw
Left/Right - Roll
Up/Down - Pitch
Hotkey 1 - Turn on rotors
Hotkey 2 - Auto-trim/Auto-hover Mode (Optimized for 0.62 rps)
Space - Toggle External Magnetic Couplers
Switches - Rotor Motor Power Cutoffs
Throttle - Rotor Speed Multiplier (Recommend range 0.62-1.6 rps)
Ground Control (First Right Seat)
W/S - Forward/Back
A/D - Left/Right Steering
Space - Brake
Hotkey 1 - Parking Brake
Crane/Winch Control (Second Right Seat)
W/S - Winch In/Out
Hotkey 1 - Open/Close Bottom Door
Hotkey 4 - Deploy Crane
Space - Attach/Detach
NOTES
Due to control response time, at higher rotor speeds (greater than 1.5 RPS) controls can seemingly ‘invert’ in certain ranges, and ‘revert’ in others. I plan to try to fix this with logic, but I am not certain the response time of control surfaces is consistent between games at higher RPS or different physics settings.
10 rps appears to be the game limited top speed of this rotor setup (at least at low-physics quality) by default I have this lower due to diminishing returns/stability. *Recommended operating range is 0.62-1.6 RPS*
The overall lifting power of the helicopter will almost always be significantly more than the winch capacity. As a result, any suspended loads higher than the winch capacity will be at the maximum cable length.
Yaw is currently achieved by varying top and bottom rotor speeds. Though this is more how quad drones operate as opposed to actual coaxial helicopters, the response of varying motor speeds is more consistent at the lower RPS that this creation operates at. Altering collective per rotor was less reliable in game, so this small compromise remains.
RE-PUBLISHING/USING MY WORK
As long as I am properly credited and linked, I am perfectly fine with large parts of my work being utilized in other projects. This includes control modules being repurposed, or variations on my creations being made. However, some substantive change/effort or addition should be made, not just a copy/paste re-upload with a different name.
PLANNED FUTURE UPDATES/CHANGES
Polishing creation/adding better interfaces, auxiliary controls and quality of life features
Consolidating controls so that any seat can be utilized for all modes of operation
A standard electric generator and controls for it. (and possibly a nuclear or steam powered variant)
Increase carrying capacity (most likely at the expense of range/energy efficiency)
A ‘Hold Position’ mode, with the goal of making crane/winching operations easier
Forward propulsion (by propellers, fans, or jets) in order to increase the speed of the helicopter. With this I plan to add an additional control mode for high speed flight.
Rotor rate adjustment for air speed conditions (to better aid in forward flight and to approximate the role of rotor flex in real heli-rotors)
Useful autopilot that can fly the helicopter to a set of grid coordinates
Cargo modules/mounting system to better outfit helicopters for specific roles, such as firefighting, tankering, lifting, personal transport, mobile command, ect.
Cohesive color scheme, general improvement of esthetic appearance
