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O-2A Albatross

NOTE: Because of its considerable wingspan, this ornithopter requires a modded workbench to spawn. I may attempt a hangar-fitting double-jointed ornithopter in the future, but this is not it.

The O-2A Albatross: fly like a bird (and not like a mosquito)

Description:
The O-2A Albatross is my first attempt at a double-jointed ornithopter, going for full "bird cred" after my previous, more insectoid design. Though I mostly pursued it for cosmetic reasons, it turns out double-jointed wings do provide some interesting properties: namely, they allow you to stretch the wingspan a little bit without striking the ground as quickly, and they allow the length and speed of the wingtip downstroke to be increased. All-in-all you will find this ornithopter is a bit slower and less steady than the O-1 Meadowhawk, but capable of hauling a much larger payload with wider margins. Like the meadowhawk, this is a no-cheating, no-XML edits ornithopter, though I do intend to experiment with XML-edited hinges on other vehicles in the future.

Features in this version:
-70-80 knot cruise speed
-Variable Angle of Incidence (Top center monitor)
-Several hours of endurance courtesy of a jet turbine generator
-Decently responsive controls
-minimalistic but useful avionics suite
-Dual-Axis GPS autopilot
-Full interior
-Automatically variable stroke geometry for take-off and landing

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Operation:
- Takeoff -
You can mostly just floor the throttle, ease back on the elevator and hope for the best. The O-2A still experiences some of the nose-down tendencies of the O-1, and the reaction force on the wings is quite substantial so it isn't always pretty, but it'll take off without too much difficulty. Once clear of the ground, the wings will snap into a lower frequency, higher amplitude stroke that provides better thrust and steadier flight.

- Climb -
At full battery, The O-2A's climb performance is actually quite impressive. Any angle below 45 degrees should be fairly easy to maintain stably, and I have pulled it into vertical climbs with enough cajoling. Like the Meadowhawk, I recommend climbing with a steep (default) feather angle.

- Cruise -
The O-2A benefits a bit more from shallowed feather angles than the O-1. For long-duration cruise, I recommend shallowing out the feather angle by tapping the top of the top-center monitor. You can steepen it again by tapping the bottom. This has an effect similar to increasing prop pitch, and the difference should be obvious in your airspeed tape.

Note that the O-2A includes a jet turbine generator, enabled from the center console beside the gear lever. This will charge the battery and keep it charged for several hours of continuous operation.

Note that the O-2A also includes a simple dual-axis autopilot, which can be set from the center of the panel (waypoint) and the lower-center console (altitude).

- Descent and Landing -
Descend at 25% - 50% or so power. The Albatross will maintain a fairly predictable glide slope at low-to-medium throttle settings. Once the land draws near the wing stroke will automatically shallow out and increase in frequency to ensure ground clearance. You may notice an increase in thrust at low throttle settings when this mode is entered, so be prepared to continue decreasing throttle.