@temporaryaccount I don't know about the shocked part -- resentful is more like it -- and it was 1.4 years ago, by the way. As for the pixel-blocks script, I don't have it.

@temporaryaccount Well, different people value different things, I suppose.

@lancelot3340 Numbers. It's just numbers.

how you made it so smooth!!!

@horizoneer True.

American engineering at its finest

@horizoneer check this out

@SledDriver oh yeah, I get you there

@atgxtg Yeah, I'm sure there are lots of other ways to use this concept.

Clever. It would be great for some sort of escape vehicle too.

With the proper mix of engines, vectors and timing you could actually make an "engine" that varies it's output throughout a flight. Not sure why, someone would want to, but it's a neat concept.

Thanks, @atgxtg. The speed boost at takeoff (and afterburner) is because of an engine configuration I use to get super-high thrust at startup, that rapidly winds down to a more normal level. I did this because I wanted to have near-instant acceleration and deceleration. I call it the "Sled Drive" :)

The way it works is this: let's say your desired cruise speed is 1,000 mph, and that your aircraft needs 50,000 lbs of thrust to maintain that speed. But with that amount of thrust, it takes forever to reach its cruise speed. So you place one engine pointing backwards with a very high thrust, say 500,000 lbs, and a very low spin-up time, say 0.01 seconds. You place another engine in the same position but pointing forward, so that it cancels the first engine's thrust. For the second engine, you set the effective thrust to 450,000 lbs, and the spin-up time to, say, 0.5 seconds. Now when you switch on this two-engine configuration, the first engine provides you 500,000 lbs of thrust instantaneously, while the other engine spins up over half a second and in that time brings the total effective thrust down to 50,000 lbs, your "cruise" level.

The beauty of this system is that you can add more engines in this paired configuration to get more cruise speed levels. And it only takes half a second to switch between speeds. With my aircraft, the default cruise speed is around 1,000 mph, and if you enable AG1, it takes you very quickly to around 3,800 mph. Disabling AG1 takes you back to 1,000 mph just as quickly.

Thanks, @Treadmill103. Getting closer and closer every time...

@BaconRoll Thanks. Personally, I don't like the Raptor's nose/cockpit configuration -- it looks a little 'beaky' to me. I prefer the larger, rounded nose shapes, although I get that they're not as stealthy and indicate less-advanced radar tech. Visually, the F-16 is one of my favourite fighters, along with the Su-27. I really like the "muscular neck" of the MiG-29 SMT, as well.

Really nice! How did you get that speed boost at takeoff? It was like really taking off in a jet.

So pretty... this and the F-22 Raptor are so visually appealing

@CRJ900Pilot Yeah. Did I mention that they're wobbly as well? At least with heavy aircraft.

Even if there eight less and dragless? @SledDriver

@CRJ900Pilot I have. They affect flight performance negatively, so I don't consider them worthwhile, especially considering they're only used for a few seconds.

Cool! I think you should try landing gear

@SledDriver Agreed.

@Ian1231100 Yeah. To me, the SR-71 is the most beautiful airplane that ever existed.

No wonder your username's SledDriver, you really love Blackbirds.