@ymb1 I usually just do a single tail. I can't seem to tell the difference with a V, but maybe I wasn't angling them enough? Should they be at like a 45? If I've two tails like the SR71, should I angle them outwards, or straight, because I don't think (?) KSP aerodynamics actually require them to tilt inwards like how actual SR71s need them to be, but I dunno...

Why would I ever want two tails if head clearance isn't a problem? Because in a V configuration they can roll you with less unwanted torque than a single will?

@Mazura depends what your plane will do, and how cool will it look :D

if it's 1 vertical tail, disable the 'roll' yes

@Federico btw the latest edit/flag, was for the user asking about putting the rotor under, not about the "joke" :)

@ymb1 I just figure that with the olympics coming up, I needed to bring up the one place I actually have gold medals.

Heaven knows, it's never going to be in the actual olympics.

@JayCarr actually you are no.1 in gold badges :D data.stackexchange.com/aviation/query/746616/…

second best is 18 gold badges, a tie between Danny Beckett and Lnafziger

@Federico is it a question on the site?

@Federico does not seem that fast youtu.be/pxU61nzbijk?t=520

plus

it does have flaps

@Federico I think we'd just want to ask him to cite his source. I don't have any intention of changing the correct answer on that one for now.

image: theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/…

although a DCS manual kuknamys.cz/ProjectXX/21_Mig21PFM/DCS%20MiG-21bis%20EN.pdf says 340 km/h (183 kts), so there may be some truth to it

@Federico ok found a source

260-280 km/h according to the CIA: cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/…

pdf page 17, right page (side by side scan)

found a complete manual here: aviationarchives.blogspot.com/2017/04/…

@ymb1 I'm not sure declassified CIA documents are going to be the best source for information on this.... They aren't really an unbiased source. Not sure how to find something that is independently verified though.

@JayCarr hence the second source :D

a complete scanned manual

both same figures, plane has flaps, so it all makes sense

@ymb1 ooooOOOOoooo, somehow I missed that part, sorry ;)

on the trivia side, for airliners since the concorde was retired

it's the MD-11 with highest landing speed, due to the small wing / high wing loading

and on the cool side, the A380 landing speed is slower than a 737

for the opposite reason

@JayCarr it was just cool saying according the CIA :P when in fact it was the second google result :'D I did nothing fancy

@ymb1 It's interest that the a380 can have such a slow speed for landing and yet still have such a quick cruise altitude. Those must be some crazy flaps and slats.

@JayCarr very thick wing, the flaps are simple actually, single slotted

nice photos here: aviation.stackexchange.com/q/24763/14897

@ymb1 Right, I'm just saying the flaps have got to be a big step forward if they can maintain that low of a landing speed on a wing that's also designed to go 560mph. They may look simple, but I'm willing to bet they had to use a few new tricks to make them that effective.

@JayCarr - yep, i did find a study on the A380 wing when writing an answer, quite informative, I'll go find it

here it is researchgate.net/publication/…

@ymb1 Sweet, thanks!

back to the MiG-21, that airspeed indicator :o commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MiG-21_Cockpit_pic3.JPG

[air]speed is скорость in Russian

there MUST be another one for landing

it starts at 200 km/h 😂

@ymb1 Meh, you can just eyeball the speed under that, right?

yeah between 200-300 it's a wider scale :D

i checked it because usually the approach speed is designed to be at the 3 o'clock for easy spotting

but when the top speed is in the thousands, not so apparently

@ymb1 See, if it were me I'd just have 0-1000 and everything above that would just be 'really stupid fast'

The tower would say, "what is your speed?" and you'd respond "really quite fast actually."

@JayCarr there is a better option

but yours is more fun

... still trying to find a photo...

there: worldwarphotos.info/wp-content/gallery/japan/aircrafts/a6m-zero/…

@JayCarr that's a mitsubishi zero, two scales, two rotations allowed

@ymb1 OOoooo, I like that. It's all retro and steam punk :D. I mean, these days it'd probably just be an LCD or something.... So boring.

@JayCarr you know what, it does seem the MiG-21 has another speed indicator, double scale style, with the app speed at the 3 o'clock position:

but... it could very well be a metric altimeter

it does have a knob and a window reading 70, but 70 what? for a baro setting i'd expect something like 1013 or 101 at least

any clues anyone?

@JayCarr yeah disregard that, it is an altimeter, three hands! lol

talk about confirmation bias eh