Isolating chips

@SmurfResearchX ha yeah I tried the thing on a drop release, half the time it just flew up into mothership and ended in one big explosion.
Awesome, glad your project working out. Does your plane/rocket remind you of anything? That's how I come up with names.

@huuminberd - the setup of yours are awesome...still using some lift from the wings on the rocket, with a payload, and balanced the 2. i tried a top release - it rolled off, tipped the plane, nosed down with no recovery, or just went into a spin...so i switched to a X1 style drop from the bottom and just rocket thrust, the lift plane does a major pitch up after release too. the gyro orientation is working...so my plane, that releases a rocket, goes into low orbit, then the rocket releases a small drone plane, that reenters and can fly around/land, is almost done. not sure how to name that thing

@SmurfResearchX I got a ton of air launching prototypes, none of them separate without some 'piloting skills'. I had a look for real life examples of launching off the top, almost none, Lockheed did something in the 60's, abandoned after a handful of attempts, about 50% success rate. Otherwise I saw somewhere the Chinese were planning something but maybe BS. I just think it's probably a mad thing to do, which is why I wanted to try and get it to work. The other big disadvantage is immediately losing control of the mothership on release. I wonder if having 2 pilots carefully working together would make a big difference. Anyway I've kind of nailed it personally, haven't had a disaster since many test flights, it takes some practice.. Hoping I can replicate with Vizzy, that's going to be the final step.

@huuminberd - that could be it - there is so much going on during that transition(especially with gizmos and cargo bay involved), its hard to narrow down what exactly is happening

@SmurfResearchX I think maybe the problem with auto pilot is it's getting confused by having the thrust on movable parts, it should work as a plane in atmospheric flight, I guess it kind of works but I'm just fussy. For space I just set time to x10 and it works a treat.
I'm guessing the situation after release is that the released craft finds itself in situation that it wouldn't have been in if not for the mothership. So there's a period of adjustment while it finds its feet.

@huuminberd - im not too familiar with the auto pilot...but the mothership looks right on for controls. on the shuttle, i wonder if 1 command chip(set to rocket) used for space(so gimble/gyro works right) - and a 2nd command chip(set to plane) that only controls wing control surfaces(and maybe additional jet engine). i agree on the crazy actions right after release, probably controls fighting each other

@SmurfResearchX That sounds like the culprit, well done.

@huuminberd - it could be the "reorient on configuration change" setting - it keeps resetting my rocket to "plane", when i rotate it from vertical to horizontal(to attach to the launch plane). i toggled that "reorient on config change" to off(before rotating), and it kept the rocket as a rocket, while it was horizontal...and gyro worked properly(for the 2nd time ever)

@SmurfResearchX Send me a link if you can't figure it out, I'm no expert but you never know I might see something. PS thanks for updoot 🙂

@SmurfResearchX I think I got away with some complications because both chips are set to plane though not sure that's related. Is this an auto pilot issue? I spent forever changing the settings trying to get auto pilot to work, gave up in the end. Try having the gyro on an AG and switch it off for the drop? See what happens. One thing I learnt when you air launch, the released craft can do crazy things before it settles down.

@huuminberd - yes, sorry, forgot that you didnt want to release it. nice job on the rocket launcher planes - i am trying to figure out the gyro orientation, for a cargo plane that drops a rocket...it worked once, by luck...but every time i change the drop rocket, the gyro spins it like a top, instead of holding the heading - did you have any of that happening, or an idea of what im doing wrong?

I found this works without the interstage, as long as everything is dragged out the subassemblies folder and has its own chip, it's regarded as a separate craft, regardless how it's attached.
Oh for a 400 page PDF manual..

@huuminberd - cool - glad it worked for you. i had the same issue before, and all the mechanical parts worked right...but if a gyro is in there, its orientation gets funny(if both assemblies dont have the same "up" or heading)

Yep, it working.

@SmurfResearchX Thanks I'll give it a go.

if you build the arm seperately, with its own command chip/action groups, then save it as a subassembly - it will keep its commands to itself. after that, load your main craft, bring in the arm subassmbly, and attach it with a interstage. it works the same as having a rover or satellite that has seperate controls