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INDIA Class

Speedfest is an exciting, high-speed aircraft design competition which is intended to foster enthusiasm for aviation, and unmanned aircraft design.  There are two flight classes:   Alpha Class is the Advanced class which is for collegiate-level teams.  India Class is the Invitational class.  It is open to high-school level teams and teams with similar skill level, 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:
Mission Requirements and Design Constraints
Flight Procedures and Scoring
Safety Requirements
General Aircraft Requirements
Contest Day Information
Eligibility
Entry Request
Deadlines
Contest Site



Mission Requirements





Airplane Kits Provided

Teams will be provided with the following:

Speed Deamon | J&H Aerospace (jhaerospace.com)

    Design Constraints


Flight Procedures and Scoring


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Score:

Scoring is based on distance traveled (flags) within two minutes, on a course with 2 turn markers spaced 400ft. apart.  One point is awarded for each turn line reached (including the first).


Awards:

The Speedfest organizers will present 10 India Class awards.  Criteria shown in parentheses:
There will also be a Speedfest Educator of the Year award presented by the NASA Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium.   The award will consist of $300 of STEM aerospace-related supplies, and a polo shirt.

Tiebreakers: 




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:


Safety notice:   Electric-powered aircraft have different safety concerns than the IC engined airplanes used in past Speedfest competitions. Competitors should take great care in handling or working with the airplanes since it is possible for the motor to spin up to full speed instantly when a battery is connected.  This can be due to an electronic speed controller (ESC) malfunction, or improper attention to detail when connecting the battery or transmitter.   Always keep face, hands, fingers, and tools clear of, and behind the propeller whenever a battery is connected.  At Speedfest, all aircraft handlers are required to wear safety cut-resistant gloves (see below) and eye protection when handling aircraft.  Teams are also encouraged to do this also when they are working on their airplanes at home. Pilots

General Aircraft Requirements

Propeller
Only propellers designed for electric-powered aircraft are allowed.  Note that running the motor continuously with a prop larger than 9 inches in diameter, will cause the motor to degrade and eventually burn out.. 

Radio Gear:
Only 2.4 GHz spread spectrum radios will be allowed.  A standard radio range check should be conducted at the Speedfest airfield by the mentor or teacher, who will then verify pass, to the technical inspection judges.  

Covering and Visibility:
High visibility is important for the team flaggers as well as for the judges to be able to award points.  Inability for judges to identify planes in the air has been a cause for loss in points.  Each team will be assigned a high-visibility "neon" color along with a team number.   At least the outer 6 inches of the wing tips (top and bottom), as well as the entire vertical tail must be this color, and uninterrupted by any other graphics or numbering.  Permanent Adhesive Vinyl sheets or colored waterproof duct tape are good choices for this.  The remaining parts of the airplane are up to the discretion of the teams, but teams must design schemes that make them distinct from a distance . Some examples are shown below.  





Team Numbering
Each team will mark their airplane with their team number which will be assigned by the Speedfest organizers.  Each airplane must be numbered on the port wing (left side as viewed from sitting in the cockpit) top AND bottom of the wing.  Numbers must be as large as possible.  The numbers must not be on the outer 6 inches of the wing tips or on the vertical tail.   The numbers are used in the pit area and by judges as the teams enter the field in order to identify teams.


Preflight Airworthiness Inspection of Aircraft
Prior to competition, all aircraft shall undergo a safety inspection.  Safety inspections will be conducted on a first come, first served basis. Teams are encouraged to go through safety inspections on the Friday afternoon of Speedfest so as to not miss any flight opportunities.

The overall quality of construction must be considered safe and airworthy. Safety inspectors will be checking the following:

  1. All flight batteries must have a female XT60 connector on the battery side: 
  2. Batteries must be strapped or otherwise mechanically held in place.  Tape is not acceptable.  Velcro is only acceptable if it completely straps around the battery and mechanically secures to structure.
  3. Aircraft must have the ESC-to-battery XT60 connectors external to the aircraft at all times, in order to safely arm and disarm the aircraft.
  4. Push/pull rods or cables and control horns, shall be installed in such a way that they will not become disconnected in flight. Clevises must have a "keeper mechanism" such as a locking clevis or fuel tubing.   Adjustable control linkages that use set screws or friction are not acceptable.  
  5. Control surfaces shall be firm on the hinge line without excessive play.
  6. Servos shall be mounted securely with little play.
  7. Any servo wire extensions used must have connections secured with a servo lead lock (electrical tape or shrink wrap is permitted).
  8. All screws holding the motor to the mount and the mount to the firewall shall be secure.
  9. Check that transmitter used has a fail-safe set to throttle cut-off, and can indicate voltage low condition.
  10. Wings, if removable, shall be securely attached to the fuselage by some mechanical means such as bolts.
  11. The aircraft shall be structurally sound as well as free of structural damage which may compromise safety.
  12. Range check verification with mentor or teacher
  13. Team Flags and safety gear will be checked
  14. Proof of prior flight.  Teams must demonstrate proof of prior flight.  This may be done using pictures or video evidence. Proof of flight must be demonstrated prior to noon on the Friday preceeding contest day, or the team will not be allowed to compete. 
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 all aircraft entered comply with the Design Constraints.  This will include inspection and measurements of the airframe and motor for compliance.



Contest-Day Information
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 Sequence

Speedfest Team Promotional Video Award

All India class teams are required to create a Team Promotional Video.   Videos can promote: their team, airplane, school, Speedfest, or any combination of these in an entertaining and informative way.  The videos can be as simple as an introduction to the team taken with a smart phone camera, to as complicated as a fully edited promotional music video.

Guidelines:
Teams will send the YouTube link to their videos to the SpeedfestAero email address (see entry section below) no later than 7pm CST Monday, April 22, and the winner will be chosen by "Likes".   There are no restrictions on who may vote.  Votes will be accumulated from until Speedfest contest day.  The penalty for a team not submitting the link to their video by the deadline, is loss of their best heat score on contest day.



Eligibility


Entry Request

Teams that would like to be considered for an invitation to compete in Speedfest  should do the following:  The team advisor (not the mentor) shall send an email with the following information:

-  Academic institution name
-  Team Advisor name
-  Team Advisor email
-  Team Mentor name
-  Team Mentor email
-  Number of teams requested
-  Number of students per team

In the Subject line of your email write:  “India Class Speedfest Invitation Request, (Institution Name), (date)”

Subject line example:  India Class Speedfest Entry Request, SHS Lancers, 21Sept2022


Send entries to:  

                           


Deadlines



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 Takeoff Event
The NASA OKSG will be hosting a Speedfest India Class 2023-2024 “Take Off” educator event on Saturday, November 11th from 9AM to 5PM at the NASA OKSG STEM Engagement Center (SEC) on the OSU campus. This is a FREE event for educators who have already entered a middle school/high school team into this year’s Speedfest. During this event, participating educators will learn the rules/requirements for Speedfest, build their own plane using the plane kit, get a sneak peak into one of the NASA OKSG Speedfest Curriculum lessons, and practice using the flight simulator software with the toggle for your remote controller. Those educators who participate in the “Take Off” event in its entirety, will have the opportunity to apply for grants which will provide their team with a transmitter/receiver and a joystick/RC airplane simulator software and will receive access to the Speedfest Curriculum. Lunch will be provided. Registration is first-come, first-serve registrations. A registration link for this event is below:

Here is the new link for the registration: