Speedfest XV Alpha Class Rules

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ALPHA Class

Alpha Class for 2026 will be an aircraft design competition and exposition. Teams are invited to demonstrate their ability to quickly design, develop, and test a high-speed pylon racer. Each team will perform flight demonstrations of their prototypes, as well as host an exposition of their design to industry judges as well as spectators.

Contents:
Objectives Flight Procedures and Scoring
Event Safety Requirements
Contest Day Information
Eligibility
Entry Form Format
Deadlines
Speedfest Site
FAQ's

Objectives

Teams are invited to respond to the following Statement of Work (SOW): Speedfest XV SOW

Latest Document Revision:
Updated 1 Dec 2025:

Event 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:

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)

Every person beyond the spectator line (including officials), must 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 including; skateboarding helmets, bicycle helmets, construction hard-hats, etc.

Any flight crew member involved with starting the aircraft engine at any time (flightline or pits), Or holding the plane at runup/start, must wear official safety glasses and hearing protection (earplugs or earmuffs designed for hearing protection)

Flight Crew: Required minimum flight crew is 4 members (Pilot, Caller, and 2 Flagmen). Beyond that, the number and makeup of the flight crew is at the discretion of each team, however it may consist of a maximum of 7 team members. Functions of flight crew members may be combined if desired. All must verify current AMA membership at the event. Typical flight crew functions include:

Pilot

Caller: Stands by the pilot to call turns.

Crew Flagmen: Minimum of two. Stand near turn marker judges to indicate turn line passage
Recovery: (Optional) Only flight crew and contest officials may go recover aircraft
Starter/Timer: (Optional) Teams may have a member assist with starting the engine on the runway, and runup prior to start. The person may also serve as a timer or additional flagman.

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.

All team members, who attend the event should be AMA members. It is the opinion of the organizers that all team members, must be committed to the AMA safety code when designing, building, and flying, unmanned aircraft.

Pilots

Speedfest is not an event appropriate for novice pilots. Teams should use experienced pilots with a record of safety.
Pilot instructions:

Safety must be the primary responsibility of every pilot.
If there is some aspect of the airplane that the pilot deems unsafe, he must ensure the team takes corrective action before flight.
Pilots must follow the instructions of the safety officer during flight. If instructed to abort, or even sacrifice the airplane for safety, the pilot must do so immediately without question.
Pilots must never allow the airplane to cross a line defined by the West edge of the runway. If the line is crossed, power must be cut immediately, and a turn made away from the spectators.

Contest-Day Information

Mandatory Items to bring:

Current AMA membership cards for flight crews
Proof of flight outlined in SOW

Helmets, safety glasses, hearing protection, and gloves for Flight Crew listed above.

Registration
During the designated time on the day of the event, flight crews must register. Speedfest officials will then provide each with a flight line pass. Registration consists of the following:

Flight crews must each show proof of current AMA membership

Flight Crews, advisors, and mentors should report with their airplane to have a team photo taken.

Flight Sequence

Teams will be assigned a queue number.

Numbers will be called in sequence from 1 to n

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 an X 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 X minute window will result in forfeiting the team’s time slot in the next round. Continued violation will result in losing best score.

Eligibility

Speedfest Alpha Class team entries must be pre-approved by the Speedfest coordinators
To compete, teams must have a pilot with an AMA Turbine Waiver (for jet-based Speedfest contests)
Aircraft must have flown AMA Waiver maneuvers safely before the event, or teams will be not be allowed to participate.
Flight crew must be AMA members.

Entry Form Format

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

- Academic institution name
- Team Name
- Team Contact email
- Team Advisor email
- Team Pilot email (if Speedfest pilot not being used)

In the Subject line of your email write: “Alpha Class Speedfest Entry Request, (Team Name), (date)”

Subject line example: Alpha Class Speedfest Entry Request, ZSU Zebras, 21Sept2012

Send entries to:

Deadlines

Teams may enter at any time.
Additional deadlines are listed within the SOW.
Optional Promotional Video due no later than date listed above.

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.

FAQ's

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