X-Sender: gspage@ccs (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.2.0.58 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 12:27:38 -0500 To: aiaadbf@amber.aae.uiuc.edu, bobp@aiaa.org, brichardet@cessna.textron.com, dlevy@cessna.textron.com, bovais@nrl.navy.mil, m-selig@uiuc.edu, youngdo@mail.northgrum.com, john.c.vassberg@boeing.com, WathenTT@navair.navy.mil, jchapman@thegrid.net, duquetmm@clarkson.edu, sus1502@csvax.egr.csuohio.edu, David.Larrabee@po-box.esu.edu, jasonz@astrid.cad.gatech.edu, biglar@mit.edu, ruckbj@muohio.edu, muharrembarun@yahoo.com, e106214@metu.edu.tr, coskuno@ae.metu.edu.tr, craft@ae.metu.edu.tr, uav@ae.metu.edu.tr, connjos@wentz7.reslife.okstate.edu, swulf@aol.com, 7dam@qlink.queensu.ca, 7dmy@qlink.queensu.ca, aiaa@ecs.syr.edu, 077484388@iol.it, aiaa@engr.arizona.edu, tonylau@ucla.edu, amye@ucsd.edu, mcbrayer@mail.ucf.edu, sebasail@aol.com, merret@uiuc.edu, ey-lee@uiuc.edu, mowgli@unm.edu, fwalchak@corteziii.com, ron@spock.usc.edu, msk@mail.utexas.edu, id7955@trotter.usma.edu, yishen@eng.buffalo.edu, slpq2@cc.usu.edu, rguiler@aol.com From: Greg Page Subject: DBF Q&A #7 In-Reply-To: <8625688E.005B4226.00@wicSMTP01.learjet.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed X-UIDL: 918665dded811587256c0f033fd7b81a DBF Q&A #7. I would like to remind all teams, especially ones new to the competition this year, to read the entire FAQ on the contest web site. Many of the questions below are answered in more detail there. Q: Our batteries arrived from the distributer without manufactures lables on them. Will this be a problem? Do we need to find new batteries with lables? A: Personally I haven't seen cells or packs without labels. The best thing to do in this case would seem to be to ask the supplier to provide you with a statement of origin for the batteries, and bring this with you to the competition. You could also return them and ask they send them back with appropriate labels if you wish. Q: Our bottles are high density polythene, but are a dark brown non-transparent. Will this need to be changed? A: All the polyethylene bottles I've seen or in catalogs are a milky clear plastic. If you can document they are indeed polyethylene then they are legal. Again, a statement of origin or invoice documenting them would be helpful for the judges at the tech inspection. Q: We would like to use a box to hold the water bottles to make loading and unloading easier. Is this permitted or can we only remove the bottles themselves from the airplane? A: This was considered a "confidential" idea going in to last years competition, but as teams who participated last year have already seen the idea of some type of "speed loader", I feel it is fair to bring it out in the open to all teams (new entries) this year. Yes, a "device" to speed loading and/or contain the bottles in place in the aircraft is allowed as long as it flys with the airplane. Q: Can we use an arrester wire across the runway to stop the plane on landing? A: No. Q: How would the structural test be conducted for a multi-wing configuration? Will the airplane be lifted by one wing or ???? Q: If the airplane CG does not lie within the wing tip chord how will the lift test be conducted? A: Again, there is more on this in the FAQ. We will use the same approach as in past years. For a bi- or tri- wing configuration you may lift from both (all) wings. To assure even loading to both (all) wings you may use a non-flying inter plain strut during the lift. If the cg is outside the wing tip chord, a third lift point at either the nose or tail will be used holding only enough weight to balance the aircraft. Q: The rules say the flight team is compesed of five people (pilot, spotter, 3 ground handlers). Where will these people be located when the airplane is in flight? Will the spotter be next to our pilot? A: This is detailed quite a bit more in the FAQ. The pilot and spotter will be the only people allowed on the runway during the flight. The "pit crew" will be in a designated box, nominally at the edge of the runway, and will be signaled by the judges when they may leave the box to begin servicing the payload. The aircraft must come to a complete stop, and the motors be "safed" with the arming switch/fuse prior to beginning the payload change. Q: Will there be provisions for charging our batteries on the flight line or will the teams have to provide chagred batteries before the competition begins? Will we need extra battery packs? A: There will be power available for battery charging in the pits. You must bring your own chargers. The batteries must be charged and installed before entering the airplane into the queue to await your flight time. You must change out or recharge the batteries back in the pits before bringing the aircraft back to the line for your next flight attempt. Remember, new this year is the requirement for multiple flights, as the scoring is the best three flights, so a quick turnaround time will be a factor. Q: How large will the distance from the flight line to the runway be? Will ground time loading and unloading be counted against flight time? When will our ground crew be allowed to first touch the airplane after landing? A: Nominally the "box" for the pit crew will be 50 to 75 feet from the start/stop line. Time for the flight starts when the motor is started for the first take-off, and continues until the allotted time is used, or the aircraft can no longer make a flight. More information on the flight procedures is in the rules and the FAQ. -Greg Gregory S. Page Formula 402 email: gregory.s.page@nrl.navy.mil Contest email: Include DBF in the subject line Contest web page: http://amber.aae.uiuc.edu/~aiaadbf