About Speedfest
"Fly wild or fly mild" - Dr. Arena
Design Build Fly, or DBF, is the largest collegiate aerospace design competition hosted by AIAA. Oklahoma State University for years competed, and across its two teams, dominated the event, scoring 1st place and 2nd or 3rd place every year. OSU was so dominant AIAA began implementing rules in an attempt to hinder OSU. To not stifle students, OSU created a local challenge, thus beginning the first Speedfest competition. The ALPHA class saw two teams of OSU students putting in countless hours to compete for victory. The INDIA class brings together high school students across the state to encourage youth to get involved in engineering at an early age.
Each year, a unique competition with new rules is created to challenge students to push the limits on aircraft design. This year, the goal was to combine two different classes of F5B motor glider and F5D pylon racers into an optimized design capable of performing both quick, high-g turns and extended glides. A qualified list of judges from government roles, academia, and aerospace industry will provide subjective scoring for a criterion based on opinion.
Statement of Work for Speedfest XV
Design Objectives
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5 consecutive minutes for a complete mission split into pylon and coasting phases. The total performance score must come from a single run.
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2 minutes of figure-eight pylon racing over a 1,000 ft course with the time starting upon passing the first flag. The pilot must fly the course as low and level as practical.
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Immediately following the 2 minutes of pylon, the pilot must kill the motor and begin the coast phase. The timer stops when the aircraft touches the ground or the pilot applies throttle. Every 10 seconds of gliding awards a point with a maximum score occurring after 3 minutes of gliding.
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Cost of each airframe has a threshold for points at $4,200 / airframe and 8 points awarded for reaching $2,500 / airframe.
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Marketing is required with a 2-minute marketing video and website.
Requirements
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Electric Propulsion system powered by standard LiPo batteries.
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Propulsion battery must be no more than 4S, and a maximum energy capacity of 20 W-hr.
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Wingspan limited to 1m.
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Aircraft must have split elevators with independent servos on separate channels.
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Must implement safety telemetry to monitor flight system voltage, and airspeed.
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Roll on ground or hand launch only.
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Control surfaces shall be linked to the servos. securely, with horn pivot holes directly over the hinge line and must be securely fixed to the surface. The horn must be structurally integrated into the surface, and the control surface must be solid.
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All servos must be metal gear type, must be mounted within a servo mount or frame, and mechanically fastened.
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All servo and other flight control electrical connections must have mechanical locks.
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No part of the aircraft may be intentionally jettisoned.
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No autopilot permitted, however gyros for stability are permitted.
Scoring
Objective | Points |
|---|---|
Unit Cost Bid | 4 - 8 |
Coast Phase | Coast Score |
Pylon Phase | Flags |
Subjective | Points |
|---|---|
Judges Choice | 0 or 3 |
Video | 0 - 5 |
Online Marketing Display | 0 - 5 |
Design Justification | 0 - 5 |
Handling Qualities | 0 - 5 |
Fit and Finish | 0 - 5 |