Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 08:37:21 -0500
Subject: DBF Q&A #3
2004 DBF Q&A #3
12 Nov 03



Q: The rules state that we need to use 2-liter plastic "soda" bottles for our flight line water supply.  Do we have to use actual store bought soda bottles or can we make our own replicas?  Also can modify the bottles to support our selected aircraft re-fill approach?

A: You must use "real" soda bottles.  You may not modify the "bottle" portion, but you may add features to the "cap" to pump or vent them or to connect them to an external (to the aircraft) re-filling system. 

You must be able to easily and quickly remove any pump/vent/other mechanism from the bottles so the flight line judges can weigh just the bottle portion with the water in it before the flights, and similarly weigh the bottle and any remaining water at the end of the flights.  (You must also be able to demonstrate that no water remains trapped in your re-filling assembly at the end of the flights.)

Addendum to the "no pressurized bottles" rule.  You may use an air pump (hand or powered) to pump the water from the bottle as long as it operates in a one-to-one mode, ie. when you apply a pump stroke it expels an equivalent water volume.  You must not "pre-pump" the bottle, as that would be classed as a "pressurized supply" system.



-Greg
Gregory S. Page
ITT AES B210
2560 Huntington Ave
Alexandria, VA 22303
202-404-1251
202-767-6194 FAX

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