Greetings Commanders!
Yesterday, the intrepid team of commanders with the Infernal Expedition successfully landed an SRV on a Fleet Carrier by bringing the SRV from the surface and maneuvering it carefully into position on D SCAN WLL SOON B OVER. We believe that this is the first time this has ever been accomplished. CMDR Brono was the SRV pilot for this accomplishment, and his ascent was aided by CMDR Gh05ty, CMDR Steam Vision, and CMDR Infernal Mousse. Final maneuvering onto the carrier deck was aided by many of the over 50 commanders on the Infernal Expedition. This was the culmination of over 6 hours of effort, with many learnings along the way.
In an effort to aid others who would like to attempt this insanity, a how-to step by step guide is provided here.
Step 1: Locate a suitable body
Lower orbit height for the carrier is greatly desired, as this will decrease the amount of time the entire journey takes. In addition, lower gravity will also help the ascent time. The correct combination of both will yield the best result. We have tried this stunt from 2 bodies so far:
(1) Oevasy SG-Y d0 B 9 F (Semotus Beacon & Salomé's Reach) - This body has a radius of 675km and a surface gravity of 0.04G. Carrier orbit was 1240km ( link to furthest SRV from Sol )
(2) Streau Eop ZP-N c23-0 A 1 (Hot Potato) - This body has a radius of 344km and a surface gravity of 0.09G. Carrier orbit was 1116km
Lower orbital radius will decrease the amount of time in the later steps while lower gravity will decrease the amount of time in the earlier steps.
Step 2: Choose a suitable initial ascent ship & SRV
Although any large ship will do, we have found that the Anaconda and Federal Corvette seem to be more well suited for this. This is mainly because the cockpit is positioned in the aft of the ship, allowing for a good view of the SRV(s) on the deck. The SRV pilot should have sufficient materials for multiple hull repairs on the ascent as well, as damage will inevitably happen.
CMDR Gh05ty's Anaconda was used for the first successful ascent
Step 3: Choose a start location directly under the carrier and board the SRV(s) onto the ascent ship.
Boarding can be done simply by jumping onto the ship, although keep in mind that boarding a landed ship is more tricky as the SRV boosters will cut off near the ship. We have found that this can be aided by having the ascent ship hover near a suitable cliff or mound allowing the SRVs to easily jump onto the front. Once boarded, the SRV(s) should move to the middle of the front deck.
Step 4: Initial ascent - the most dangerous step!
Once everyone is ready, the ascent ship gently starts engaging its vertical thrusters to start a slow climb while keeping the ship horizontal to the surface. We have found that keeping the landing gear deployed for this step greatly increases the smoothness of the ascent. The most critical part of this process is the first 1-2km of the climb. The initial ascent will be quite bumpy for the SRV(s) and it is likely that they will fly off the deck of the ascent ship during this step. When this happens, the ascent ship pilot needs to accurately pivot and/or reposition the ship to 'catch' the SRV(s). The SRV(s) should have all pips to systems during this phase with the remainder to engines in case they are needed. Multiple stops along the way are recommended to allow for SRV hull repairs and screenshots (of course). This step took about 30-40 minutes for us when we were being careful.
Step 5: Slingshot launch - the 2nd most critical step
Once a sufficiently high altitude has been reached (about 20-25km, although this may vary), the SRV given one final boost by the ascent ship and launched vertically with as much speed as possible. The ascent ship (and other supporting ships) now reposition for step 6.
Step 6: Nose boosting - the most time consuming step
Once launched, the SRV is given boosts by the supporting ships by (gently) ramming the SRV from below. Each successful boost will impart momentum to the SRV while slowing the support ship. The goal is to use the nose of the boost ship and aim the ball (um SRV) directly at the targeted carrier location. Incorrect boosting may cause damage to the SRV and send it spinning. Some practice was necessary to get this right. The SRV should at this point have all pips to shields. We were able to achieve a vertical velocity of about 160 m/s. Gravity will gradually reduce as higher altitudes are reached, reducing the need for further boosting. Traveling the remaining 1100km to reach the carrier took about 2 hours at this speed.
This was the halfway point of our epic ascent!
Step 7: Slowdown
When the SRV (ball) is within 100-200 km (depending on speed) of the carrier, the slowdown process should be started. We accomplished this by very carefully positioning a ship in front of the SRV, and slowly reducing the speed of the ship. This was one of the most difficult parts of the process, and required a number of tries to get it right. Eventually, when the speed was sufficiently reduced, the front of the ships can be used as walls to perform the final slowdown. We ended up overshooting the carrier on our first attempt and had to re-initiate the Step 6 to return the SRV to the correct trajectory.
Step 8: Instancing
When the SRV and support ships are approaching the carrier, they will start to be able to see the ships there, but NOT the carrier. The ships on the carrier will be able to see the approaching ships as well. The support ships need to jump into supercruise briefly, target the carrier or wing signal of the SRV, and drop back in (simple relog may also work). They will then be able to see the carrier. The SRV needs to relog to do this. We were not sure what would happen if the SRV relogged far away from the carrier and held off on doing this until the SRV was on top of the carrier. In fact, we were able to witness the SRV phase directly through the carrier as they were not seeing the carrier. Relog of the SRV allowed the SRV pilot to see and interact with the carrier.
Step 9: Request docking access
Step 10: Final approach and touchdown
The last step involves very very gentle nudging of the SRV to the correct trajectory onto the flight deck of the carrier. In order to keep the SRV on the carrier deck, a support ship needs to hold the SRV down there. The carrier owner is preferred for this as they do not receive landing pad loitering warnings.
Step 11: Celebration.
Generally this involves mass quantities of Lavian Brandy or Kongga Ale, but any appropriate substance can be substituted for good results.
o7 have fun with your SRV flying!
Video documentation link
Yesterday, the intrepid team of commanders with the Infernal Expedition successfully landed an SRV on a Fleet Carrier by bringing the SRV from the surface and maneuvering it carefully into position on D SCAN WLL SOON B OVER. We believe that this is the first time this has ever been accomplished. CMDR Brono was the SRV pilot for this accomplishment, and his ascent was aided by CMDR Gh05ty, CMDR Steam Vision, and CMDR Infernal Mousse. Final maneuvering onto the carrier deck was aided by many of the over 50 commanders on the Infernal Expedition. This was the culmination of over 6 hours of effort, with many learnings along the way.
In an effort to aid others who would like to attempt this insanity, a how-to step by step guide is provided here.
Step 1: Locate a suitable body
Lower orbit height for the carrier is greatly desired, as this will decrease the amount of time the entire journey takes. In addition, lower gravity will also help the ascent time. The correct combination of both will yield the best result. We have tried this stunt from 2 bodies so far:
(1) Oevasy SG-Y d0 B 9 F (Semotus Beacon & Salomé's Reach) - This body has a radius of 675km and a surface gravity of 0.04G. Carrier orbit was 1240km ( link to furthest SRV from Sol )
(2) Streau Eop ZP-N c23-0 A 1 (Hot Potato) - This body has a radius of 344km and a surface gravity of 0.09G. Carrier orbit was 1116km
Lower orbital radius will decrease the amount of time in the later steps while lower gravity will decrease the amount of time in the earlier steps.
Step 2: Choose a suitable initial ascent ship & SRV
Although any large ship will do, we have found that the Anaconda and Federal Corvette seem to be more well suited for this. This is mainly because the cockpit is positioned in the aft of the ship, allowing for a good view of the SRV(s) on the deck. The SRV pilot should have sufficient materials for multiple hull repairs on the ascent as well, as damage will inevitably happen.
CMDR Gh05ty's Anaconda was used for the first successful ascent
Step 3: Choose a start location directly under the carrier and board the SRV(s) onto the ascent ship.
Boarding can be done simply by jumping onto the ship, although keep in mind that boarding a landed ship is more tricky as the SRV boosters will cut off near the ship. We have found that this can be aided by having the ascent ship hover near a suitable cliff or mound allowing the SRVs to easily jump onto the front. Once boarded, the SRV(s) should move to the middle of the front deck.
Step 4: Initial ascent - the most dangerous step!
Once everyone is ready, the ascent ship gently starts engaging its vertical thrusters to start a slow climb while keeping the ship horizontal to the surface. We have found that keeping the landing gear deployed for this step greatly increases the smoothness of the ascent. The most critical part of this process is the first 1-2km of the climb. The initial ascent will be quite bumpy for the SRV(s) and it is likely that they will fly off the deck of the ascent ship during this step. When this happens, the ascent ship pilot needs to accurately pivot and/or reposition the ship to 'catch' the SRV(s). The SRV(s) should have all pips to systems during this phase with the remainder to engines in case they are needed. Multiple stops along the way are recommended to allow for SRV hull repairs and screenshots (of course). This step took about 30-40 minutes for us when we were being careful.
Step 5: Slingshot launch - the 2nd most critical step
Once a sufficiently high altitude has been reached (about 20-25km, although this may vary), the SRV given one final boost by the ascent ship and launched vertically with as much speed as possible. The ascent ship (and other supporting ships) now reposition for step 6.
Step 6: Nose boosting - the most time consuming step
Once launched, the SRV is given boosts by the supporting ships by (gently) ramming the SRV from below. Each successful boost will impart momentum to the SRV while slowing the support ship. The goal is to use the nose of the boost ship and aim the ball (um SRV) directly at the targeted carrier location. Incorrect boosting may cause damage to the SRV and send it spinning. Some practice was necessary to get this right. The SRV should at this point have all pips to shields. We were able to achieve a vertical velocity of about 160 m/s. Gravity will gradually reduce as higher altitudes are reached, reducing the need for further boosting. Traveling the remaining 1100km to reach the carrier took about 2 hours at this speed.
This was the halfway point of our epic ascent!
Step 7: Slowdown
When the SRV (ball) is within 100-200 km (depending on speed) of the carrier, the slowdown process should be started. We accomplished this by very carefully positioning a ship in front of the SRV, and slowly reducing the speed of the ship. This was one of the most difficult parts of the process, and required a number of tries to get it right. Eventually, when the speed was sufficiently reduced, the front of the ships can be used as walls to perform the final slowdown. We ended up overshooting the carrier on our first attempt and had to re-initiate the Step 6 to return the SRV to the correct trajectory.
Step 8: Instancing
When the SRV and support ships are approaching the carrier, they will start to be able to see the ships there, but NOT the carrier. The ships on the carrier will be able to see the approaching ships as well. The support ships need to jump into supercruise briefly, target the carrier or wing signal of the SRV, and drop back in (simple relog may also work). They will then be able to see the carrier. The SRV needs to relog to do this. We were not sure what would happen if the SRV relogged far away from the carrier and held off on doing this until the SRV was on top of the carrier. In fact, we were able to witness the SRV phase directly through the carrier as they were not seeing the carrier. Relog of the SRV allowed the SRV pilot to see and interact with the carrier.
Step 9: Request docking access
Step 10: Final approach and touchdown
The last step involves very very gentle nudging of the SRV to the correct trajectory onto the flight deck of the carrier. In order to keep the SRV on the carrier deck, a support ship needs to hold the SRV down there. The carrier owner is preferred for this as they do not receive landing pad loitering warnings.
Step 11: Celebration.
Generally this involves mass quantities of Lavian Brandy or Kongga Ale, but any appropriate substance can be substituted for good results.
o7 have fun with your SRV flying!
Video documentation link
Last edited:
![[PS4] Filthymick420](https://forums-cdn.zaonce.net/data/avatars/m/201/201444.jpg?1555738739){kind=avatar}
