Falcon

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Since time immemorial, the ever inquisitive human Psyche has been captivated by the idea of being air borne. Be it the flight of Icarus or that of the Montgolfier, the ever so strong desire to make objects fly has gone a long way to inspire the unthinkable. Falcon at Techfest 2009 promises to be one such platform which all you flight mechanics enthusiasts are sure to love.

1. Problem Statement

Design and construct a powered, remote controlled glider that will be powered, for the first one minute, by an electric motor and then glide in air without throttle and land on a pre-defined position.

Prizes worth INR 42,000 to be won.

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Registration for Falcon has started. Click here to register.

To view the discussions on this competition, Click here

For further queries contact:

Vaibhav Desai

Manager, Xcelerate
Techfest 2009
+91 98336 65246
vaibhav[at]techfest[dot]org

2.1 Launching Zone

1. Participants will have to hand-launch their glider from within the launching zone.
2. The gliders can be launched in any direction.
3. The launching zone would be a circle of 4.5m radius.

2.2 Landing Zone

1. The landing zone and the launch zone are the concentric circles. A flag will mark the site of landing. A circle of 15metre radius will be made to help the participants see the landing/launch zone.
2. A windsock will be provided to give the participants an idea of wind conditions at the venue. The competition will be in an open area and there might be some variations in wind conditions. Participants are required to take these factors into consideration while fabricating their glider.
3. It should be noted that there are trees in the vicinity. Refer to Figures 2 to 5 and schematics to understand the geography of arena.

The following are the panaromic views of the arena from different directions:

View the Glider Specifications »

3.1 Glider Specifications

1. A glider is defined as an object that has exactly 3 forces of flight, namely lift, drag and weight (gravity).
   Note: Parachutes and Paragliders do not qualify as gliders since they do no have lift. Also aircrafts lighter than air are not considered as gliders and hence will not be allowed.
   However, in a power glider, the initial thrust is to be provided by an electric motor.
2. Use of launching mechanisms is prohibited. The glider should be hand launched.
3. The potential difference, between any two points on the machine, must be lower than or equal to 12V (recommended voltages 7.2V, 7.4V, 8.4V, 9.6V, 11.4V or 12V) at any point of time during the competition.
4. Use of IC engines is prohibited. Only electrical motors are allowed (either brushed or brushless).
5. There are no restrictions on the size of the glider. Though it is recommended to have a wingspan of not more than 1.5 meters.
6. The participants are free to use any materials of their choice. However the use of Balsa wood or Foam (sun board) or sun pack is advisable. Balsa wood is light and easy to handle and to fabricate, hence is a good choice.
7. Thrust cannot be provided to the glider after the first minute of flight.
8. Participants must make all parts of the gliders themselves. Usage of Ready-to-Fly (RTF) and Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) kits are strictly prohibited. However, the kit comprising of unassembled cut-pieces of balsa wood (refer to Figures 2 and 3) is allowed since it requires skilled work to be done upon it and one can assemble it to his or her advantage. Also use of readymade actuators/motors, remote controls and propellers is allowed.
   Note: Any team violating the above rule will be disqualified immediately.
   The figures below are only for demonstration purpose
   
   

   Courtesy: www.raidentech.com	Courtesy: www.skybench.com
   Figure 2: ARF Kit - NOT ALLOWED	Figure 3: Unassembled balsa cut pieces - ALLOWED

   
   
9. Use of Gyroscope (Gyro) is prohibited.

View the Rules »

4.1 Competition Rules

1. Participants will hand launch their glider from the launching zone. Once airborne, the glider will be allowed to use the powered motors to attain height in 1 minute, after which the power to the motor of the glider will be switched off. The participants will then control their gliders using a remote control so that it glides in air and then lands as close to centre of landing zone i.e. the flag post as possible.
2. The 1 min for a hand launch glider will start when the glider leaves the hand of the participant. In this 1 minute time the participant can control the throttle of the motor so that the glider gains height.
3. Each team will be given 2 runs. A run is defined when the glider leaves the launching zone. Best of the two runs will be considered for final scores.
   Note: The runs will not be consecutive and participants will have sufficient time for making any small changes in their glider if required.
4. The participants will be allowed 3 chances to launch the glider in every run i.e. if the glider doesn't fall out of the launching zone in an attempt to launch it, then they can re-launch their glider. However, only a total of 3 launch opportunities will be allowed in each run.
5. Time of flight is defined as the time starting from the moment the glider is released from the hands of the participants up to the moment when glider comes to a halt.
6. No additional points will be awarded after 3 minutes of time of flight.
7. The participants must devise a mechanism to kill the power supply to their glider. This mechanism must be demonstrated before the start of the flight. The run of the participant will be disqualified if the throttle runs after the 1st min.
8. Landing distance is the distance from the flag post to the nose of the glider. This distance will be measured from the position where glider finally comes to a halt. Nose will be defined as the front 3inch portion of the fuselage.
9. No part of the glider can detach itself while it is in flight. The glider must fly as a single entity.
10. If during landing the fuselage of the glider breaks the run will be disqualified.
11. The points system is as follows:
    
    • Points for landing:
      P1 = 100 - 10z. Where 'z' is the zone given by the following table.
      
      

      Distance range in metres	Zone (z)
      Within 1.5m	0
      1.5m - 3m	1
      3m - 4.5m	2
      4.5m - 6m	3
      6m - 7.5m	4
      7.5m - 9m	5
      9m - 10.5m	6
      10.5m - 12m	7
      12m - 13.5m	8
      13.5m - 15m	9
      Outside 15m	10

      The landing score will be zero if the glider's nose lies outside 15 metres when it halts.
    
    
    • Points for time of flight:
      P2 = [no. of seconds in flight - 60] or 120 whichever is less.
      The participant will get 0 points if the flight time is less than 1 minute.
      The maximum time of flight for which points are awarded is 3 minutes i.e. a maximum of 120 points. No additional points will be awarded if the time of flight exceeds 180 seconds. Also, if the flight is unable to last for 1 minute then he will get 0 flight points as well as 0 landing points.
    
    
    • Net points = P1 + P2
      Participant with maximum net points will be declared as winner.
    
    
12. The score will be taken for both the runs and the best run score will be used for judging.
13. In case of a tie, the team with maximum average score (average of the two runs) will be declared as winner. If average scores are also same, the one with maximum average time of flight wins.

4.2 General Rules

1. The teams must adhere to the spirit of healthy competition. The teams must not damage the opponent's aircraft in any way. Judges reserve the right to disqualify any team indulging in misbehaviour.
2. Any team that is not ready at the time specified will be disqualified from the competition automatically.
3. The aircraft would be checked for its safety before the event and would be discarded if found unsafe for other participants and spectators.
4. The organizers reserve all rights to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit. Change in any rule, if any, will be highlighted on the website.

4.3 Team Specifications

A team must consist of a maximum of 4 members. Students from different educational institutes can form a team.

4.4 Eligibility

All students with a valid identity card of their respective educational institutes are eligible to participate in Falcon at Techfest 2009.

4.5 Video Submission

Participants have to submit a video of the working model before the competition. This video will be used to shortlist teams for the competition. Only short listed teams will be eligible to participate in Falcon at Techfest 2009. For teams requiring accommodation, the last date of submitting the video is 20th December 2008. For teams not requiring accommodation, the last date is 31st December 2008.

1. The video should be an unedited clip, at least 1 minute long, showing the glider take off initially and then gliding in air and then land.
2. In the video, one of the participants from the team must demonstrate that he has some basic flying skill.
3. The participants need to show their glider, the basic functions of their remote control, fly the glider with which he will be participating in the event and demonstrate its launch/take off, flight and landing.
4. The clip should be preferably in AVI or MPEG format. If any other unusual format is used, please attach appropriate video plug-ins to ensure that the organizers can run the video properly.
5. It is not necessary to explain the mechanisms in video.
6. The CD has to be couriered in a single envelope to the postal address of Techfest:
   Techfest 2009
   Students' Gymkhana
   IIT Bombay, Powai
   Mumbai - 400076.
7. An email will be sent to the team leader confirming the reception of the entry.
8. Techfest 2009 is not responsible for any postal/courier delays, so participants are encouraged to send their entries well in advance to ensure receipt before the last date.

The video submission is mandatory for all participants due to safety concerns. All participants who are able to show their basic flying skills in the video will be allowed to participate in the finals at Techfest 2009. The result of every team will be uploaded on the website. Techfest takes the responsibility that no information will be made available to any third party.

4.6 Certificate Policy

1. Certificate of Excellence will be given to all the winners.
2. Certificates of Participation will be given to all the teams that will participate in the event, but not to the teams which get disqualified due to disobeying any of the competition rules.

4.7 Registration

Registration for Falcon has started. Click here to register.

4.8 Accommodation

• Due to the limited accommodation facilities, teams will be short listed for accommodation based on the following abstract provided by the team. Please note that even if your abstract does not get short listed, you are still eligible to participate in the competition.
• All participants who want accommodation at IIT Bombay during Techfest should fill the abstract form and rename the .doc file as "<Team_no>.doc" and email the form to falcon[at]techfest[dot]org. The abstract should reach us latest by 2359 hrs on 15th December 2008. No more requests for accommodation will be entertained thereafter.
• Click here to download the abstract format.
• Accommodation registrations have started. To register for accommodation, click here.

4.9 Important dates

1. Last date for registration for participant who don't require accommodation at IIT Bombay is 25th December, 2008. Participants need not send the abstract if they don't want the accommodation.
2. Last date for submitting the abstract for participants who require accommodation at IIT Bombay is 15th December, 2008.
3. Last date of registrations for the participants who wish to avail accommodation at IIT Bombay is 15th December, 2008.

View the Resources »

5.1 Resources

To download the Falcon tutorial, click here.

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