SpeedfestII

April 28th and 29th, 2012

Hosted By:

University Multispectral Labs (UML), Oklahoma State University, NASA OK Space Grant Consortium, Zivko Aeronautics, Spirit AeroSystems, AUVSI

Latest additions (2/12/2012) in red

Speedfest is an exciting, high-speed aircraft design competition which is intended to foster enthusiasm for aviation, and unmanned aircraft design. For 2012, there are two flight classes:

Alpha Class is the Advanced class. There are fewer propulsion restrictions, and more challenging performance and tasks are required.

India Class is the Invitational Class. For 2011-2012, it is open to high-school teams on an invitational basis

The top 3 teams in each class will be recognized with awards. The winners of each class will be awarded the Speedfest Cup.

Contents:
Scoring
Class Requirements
Safety Requirements
General Aircraft Requirements
Additional Rules and Information
Eligibility
Entry Form Format
Deadlines
Speedfest Site

Scoring

The Speedfest flight course can be seen in the figure below:

Scoring in each class is based on distance traveled (laps) within two minutes, on a course with 2 turn markers spaced 600ft. apart. One point is awarded for each turn marker crossed. Teams will be ranked by their best score.

Laps are figure 8’s with all turns away from the pilot.

Pilots will take off and fly directly for the upwind turn marker as seen in the Speedfest Site Layout.

Time begins when an aircraft passes over the first turn marker, and a signal is given by the flight line judge.

After crossing the first upwind turn marker, it is the turn marker judges that will indicate passage by raising a flag. (The course will be administered similar to the standard AMA 2-pylon course method.) Judges located near the spectator line, will use a sighting guide to determine when a plane has passed a turn line, at which point the judge will raise a flag. The flag will be lowered shortly afterwards when the line is crossed outbound.

It is not necessary to fly exactly around the turn markers. It is the turn lines that assure a minimum distance has been flown by each aircraft. The turn markers serve to locate the distance of the course away from the flight crew, judges, and spectators per AMA safety guidelines.

1 point is awarded each time a turn marker judge raises a flag (each 1/2 lap). Each time an aircraft misses a turn marker, the flight will be penalized one full lap (2 points).

Tiebreaker:

All Classes: Teams with the same overall score in one of the top three positions will fly again in a tiebreaker round. Only one attempt is allowed. Teams will fly the exact same mission profile that they did for the general round however, time will be increased from 2 minutes to 4 minutes. All other requirements stay the same. In case of a second tie, teams will be awarded the same place.

Class Requirements

Alpha Class:

Battery-electric propulsion only
5S Lipo Maximum
400g maximum battery weight inclusive of connectors, wires, and covering
No BEC allowed. Receiver must be powered by a separate battery. The receiver battery may only power the receiver and servos.
No rockets allowed. All parts brought into the box must remain with the airplane at all times. No component may be left behind (such as a catapult)
Aircraft must take off from within a 10ft x 10ft x 2ft tall open-top box, placed near the runway. Aircraft may not touch the sides of the box prior to engine start.
After a team has completed their 2 minute run, the aircraft must deploy a team banner, and then fly the course for 1 complete lap before exiting the course. The banner lap does not start until a turn marker is crossed, and ends when that same turn marker is crossed again. The banner must be at least 3”x14” and may be made out of any material. The 3"x14" part of the banner must:

be completely unfurled before the banner lap begins
trail completely (at least 14") behind the aftmost part of the aircraft
not break nor leave the aircraft at any time

Failure to complete the banner lap will result in a 5-lap (10 point) penalty for that flight. It is acceptable to retract the banner after the banner lap is complete.

India Class:

Teams will be provided with a Tower Hobbies Uproar 40 kit: Uproar Kit and everything needed to build and fly the aircraft (engine, radio, servos, tools, etc.)
Glow fuel O.S. 46LA ABN w/Muffler engine only. Unmodified stock engine and stock exhaust.
External geometry of the stock airframe may not be modified. It is acceptable to add drag reduction devices such as wheel pants, fairings, etc. Teams may also substitute the stock covering to design their own color scheme.
Fuel: The fuel shall be contest-supplied, Cool Power 15% or equivalent. Teams will be given a maximum of 3 fluid ounces of fuel while in the queue. Before receiving the fuel, teams must be able to confirm to a judge that their fuel tank is empty.
Commercially available, unmodified propeller (approved balancing methods excluded.)
ROG only. No launch assist such as rockets or catapults.
India class teams must have a mentor which is an AMA member. Speedfest organizers can assist with this. The mentor need-not be the contest pilot. One will be provided if requested.
See India Class Procedures for more competition details.

Safety Requirements

Safety must be the number one priority of all contest participants. The Speedfest organizers have gone to great lengths to keep the event safe for participants and spectators. Please carefully note the following:

Speedfest is conducted under compliance with FAA AC 91-57. As such it is an AMA event. Contestants are expected to conduct themselves, and operate their aircraft in accordance to the AMA Safety Code. (the following link contains all AMA documents including the Safety Code: http://www.modelaircraft.org/documents.aspx)

AMA racing rules require every person beyond the spectator line (including officials), to properly wear a helmet approved by OSHA, DOT, ANSI, SNELL,NOCSAE or other recognized organization that certifies safety equipment. There is a very wide variety of helmets that meet these criteria.

Flight crew handling the aircraft during a mission, or when performing engine runups, must wear safety glasses.

Flight Crew: The Flight Crew may consist of a maximum of 6 team members. All must verify current AMA membership at the event:

Pilot: The person flying the aircraft

Caller: Stands by the pilot to call turns.

Recovery: Only recovery crew and contest officials may go recover aircraft

Flagmen: (Optional) May stand near turn marker judges if desired.
Starter/Timer: (Optional) India class teams may have a member assist with starting the engine on the runway, and runup prior to start. Alpha class may use an extra person as a timer or plane handler if desired.

Any level of flight autonomy must be compliant with AMA rules (See http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/560.pdf)

When a team number is called for a flight, only flight crew may enter the field beyond the spectator area.

All aircraft to be flown must go through an airworthiness inspection outlined below.

For teams not familiar with AMA contest airworthiness inspections, it is recommended that an experienced RC pilot or AMA Contest Director assist the team with an airworthiness inspection prior to travelling to the Speedfest in order to reduce the chances of a delay requiring repairs or modifications.

Teams must sign an AMA Pylon racing waiver form (AMA document #320). The waiver will be provided to teams after entry has been confirmed.

All team members, who attend the event should be AMA members. It is the opinion of the organizers that all team members, not just pilots, must be committed to the AMA safety code when designing, building, and flying, unmanned aircraft.

Each team must bring a small, class ABC fire extinguisher for their work area.

Engines or motors must not be started in the teams pit area. There will be designated areas for engine runup and testing.

For electric planes, the propulsion system must have an arming shunt, breaking the main connection between the batteries and the speed controller. The shunt must be easily accessible, and visible from the outside of the plane. The arming shunt will be inserted during the startup time while aircraft are on the starting line, and removed before handling the aircraft. There are no restrictions on the design of the shunt, and it may be as simple as a wire with two connectors.

General Aircraft Requirements

Engine shutoff
Every aircraft shall be equipped with a positive means of shutting off the engine in flight. The throttle or shutoff mechanism shall be activated by a dedicated, operable servo or electronic speed controller and shall not affect the aircraft flight path. Regardless of the method used, shutoff must occur immediately.

Landing Gear
For all classes, no part of the aircraft may be jettisoned or fall off, including, landing gear which must stay with the aircraft at all times. For example, no “dollies” or sleds.

Spinner or prop nut.
On all aircraft, the front end of the engine crankshaft or motor shaft shall be covered with a spinner or safety nut.

Propeller
Metal propellers are prohibited in all classes. The following modifications may be made without penalty to India class propellers:
a. One blade may be sanded on the top (front) side only for balancing.
b. One side of the hub may be sanded for balancing.
c. The shaft hole may be enlarged, but only as much as necessary to fit the engine crankshaft. The enlarged hole shall be concentric with the original hole.
d. Edges and tips may be sanded, but only as much as necessary to remove sharp molding flash.
e. Tips may be painted for visibility and safety.

Team Numbers
Each team will mark their aircraft with a team number. Letters and numbers shall be clearly legible and sized at least 1 inch tall if possible, and located either on the top of a wing or on a visible portion of the fuselage. The number will consist of the following:

1) The letter representing the aircraft class (B, E, or A) followed by a "dash"
2) A two letter identifier for the state or country
3) A "1" or a "2". Institutions that bring 1 team, use the number "1"
4) A two or three letter identifier for the institution

For example: E-AZ1UA

Preflight Airworthiness Inspection of Aircraft
During registration, all aircraft shall undergo a safety inspection. Safety inspections will be conducted using the same team queue numbers discussed above.
Safety inspectors will be simply checking the following:

Push/pull rods or cables, control horns, and servo leads shall be installed in such a way that they will not become disconnected in flight. Clevises must have a "keeper mechanism."
All screws holding the engine to the mount and the mount to the firewall shall be in place and secure.
For India class: The radio receiver and battery pack shall be surrounded by soft foam rubber or other vibration-dampening material and adequately protected against contamination by engine exhaust, raw fuel, or fuel residue.
Control surfaces shall be firm on the hinge line without excessive play.
Servos shall be mounted securely with little play.
Pushrods shall have only one threaded end that is free to turn.
Wings, if removable, shall be securely attached to the fuselage by some mechanical means such as bolts.
The aircraft shall be free of obvious indications of structural damage which may compromise safety.
Alpha aircraft must have an external arming shunt discussed in the Safety Requirements section.
Spinner or prop nut used to secure propeller.

Radio Gear:
Only 2.4 GHz spread spectrum radios will be allowed. A standard radio range check will be conducted.

Fail-Safe:
Aircraft receivers must be programmed with a fail safe system which will cut off engine power if signal is lost or interrupted. Operation of this feature must be demonstrated.

Repairs:
Any aircraft that has been damaged after a safety inspection or has a known history of problems shall not be permitted to fly until it has been satisfactorily repaired and re-inspected. Materials used for repair may come from any source.

Confirmation of class rules:
Judges will also confirm that aircraft comply with the Class Requirements for the class entered.

Additional Rules and Information

Each team will be provided at least 3 flight attempt opportunities per class entered. The best score of all attempts will be retained.

Design objectives have been created to be as straightforward as possible to minimize the chances of ambiguity, or multiple interpretations. If however, there are questions about the contest, please email the address found below in the Entry Form Format section.

Speedfest objectives and scoring have been designed to minimize the effect of weather conditions. Expect competition to continue unless winds are above 30 mph sustained, or if there is continuous rain.

Speedfest is a competition between teams, not aircraft. Therefore there are no restrictions on repairs, spare parts, replacement aircraft, etc. Repaired and replacement planes must still conform to the rules for a particular class. If an aircraft is damaged to an extent that airworthiness may be questioned, and is to be re-flown, the airplane must go through the airworthiness inspection again. Also, if a replacement plane is used, it must also go through the airworthiness inspection.

Contest-Day Information

Speedfest Officials will consist of: volunteers from the aerospace industry, universities and govt., experienced contest directors and AMA representatives.

Mandatory Items to bring:

Current AMA membership cards for flight crews

Small Class ABC Fire extinguisher (Can be purchased locally if necessary)
Helmets and safety glasses for Flight Crew listed above.

There will be limited electrical service for individual teams. A charging station will be provided where teams may connect their charging equipment.

Rules Committee will be formed for the purpose of resolving any rules questions during the Speedfest event. The committee will consist of the contest director, a representative from one of the host industries, and 3 volunteer team advisors (familiar with the Speedfest rules) taken from the competing teams. Any controversial rules interpretations, protests, or conflicts, will be resolved by the committee by a simple majority vote.

Flight Sequence

Teams will be assigned a queue number based on the date of their official entry.

Numbers will be called in sequence from 1 to n

When a team has been called to the queue, they will have 2 minutes to report to the ramada to join the queue

There are three positions in the queue:

1) Flight Line: On the runway ready to fly
2) On Deck: In the ramada
3) In the hole: In the ramada

Only teams that are called to the flight line may pass the spectator line and enter the course. They must wear the appropriate safety gear.

Alpha Class: Each team has a 10 minute window when called to the flight line. Within that window, the team must be able to set up their plane, compete, and clear the course. Failure to leave the course in the 10 minute window will result in forfeiting the teams time slot in the next round. Multiple flights may be attempted within the 10 minute window.

India Class: A three minute countdown timer will begin when teams are called to the flight line. Within that time, teams must get to their starting location on the runway, and start their airplane. When time expires, the flightline judge will clear the runway, at which time spotters may hold their airplane from the tail for runup. If a team’s airplane is not running at that time, they must immediately leave the runway. When the runway is clear, the flightline judge will call "Ready", and immediately start the race. If a plane does not make it off of the runway the flightline judge will give instructions to the team. See India Class Procedures

Optional Speedfest Team Promotional Video Award

Speedfest Teams that create promotional videos have the opportunity to be recognized at the event, and to recieve awards. Videos can promote: thier team, airplane, university, country, Speedfest, or any combination of these in an entertaining and informative way.

Guidelines:

Videos may be no more than 2 minutes in length total.
May not refer to specific competitors teams in a negative light.
May not contain material considered to be obscene by professional standards.
Royalty-free music is preferred so that we may post your video publicly. If your video contains copyrighted material, it must conform to "fair use" standards, and be postable on sites such as YouTube, Livestream, Facebook, etc.

Teams will link thier videos to the SpeedfestUSA page no later than April 20, and the winner will be chosen by electronic voting. There are no restrictions on who may vote. Votes will be accumulated from April 20, until Speedfest contest day.

Eligibility

Speedfest is open to all academic institutions of any type (2-year, 4-year, trade, postgraduate, etc.)
Team members (other than pilots), must be students of the institution. Students may be any level (undergraduate, graduate, etc.)
Speedfest pilots will be available upon request.
All team members should be current AMA members. Flight crew must be AMA members.
International teams: All team members must be members of the organization equivalent to the AMA in your country. Pilots however, must have either AMA membership, or membership in an organization that has a reciprocity agreement with AMA.

Entry Form Format

For each class entered, send a separate email with the following information in the following format:

- Team Name
- Academic institution name.
- Team Number (see Team Numbers under General Aircraft Requirements for how to select your number)
- Team Contact information
- Class to be entered

In the Subject line of your email write: “Speedfest Entry Request, (your team number), (date)”

Subject line example: Speedfest Entry Request, E-AZ1UA, 21Sept2011

Send a separate email for each class entered.

Send entries to:

To keep the Speedfest manageable and enjoyable, a limited number of entries will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

A single institution may compete with no more than two teams. If two teams are entered they may be in the same class, or different classes.

Deadlines

Rules are subject to change until September 30. After this date, rules become final.

Contest Site

Speedfest is held at the Unmanned Aircraft Flight Station (UAFS) in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
GPS Location: lat=36.1632229 lon=-96.836514
Stillwater Oklahoma is approximately 75 miles from two major airports: Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa, OK, and Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, OK.

Airfield Directions: From all directions, the best way to get to the UAFS is to drive to the intersection of Hwy 51 (E 6th st.) and N. Clay Road (bulls-eye in map below). Then take Clay road north approximately 3.2 miles. The UAFS is just north of the intersection of N. Clay Rd. and E. Airport Rd.

Speedfest Site Diagram and Course Layout