Airgineers 3S Class User manual
3S Class Rules
2
GENERAL RULES
G1. When interpreting the rules of Airgineers, please remember that common sense always applies
G2. Each team must have two people present in the Pilots Box – one Pilot and one Spotter
a. The Pilot must sit in the Pilot’s Seat whilst the race is in progress
b. The Spotter must stay in the Spotter’s Station behind the Pilot for whom they are spotting
G3. The Pilot may only control their Drone from FPV (First Person View) using appropriate FPV Goggles. Pilots are not
permitted to control their Drone from a LOS (Line Of Sight) perspective
G4. The Transmitter may only be touched by the Pilot during the race except to Disarm in case of emergency
G5. Prior to the Race starting, each Drone may be placed on a Launch Pad by a Team Member
a. Drones must be Disarmed when they are being placed and must remain Disarmed until an Event Offi cial states
that it is safe to Arm
b. Any Drones that are Armed prior to an Event Offi cial stating that it is safe to Arm may be Disqualifi ed from
the Race
G6. The Organisers and Event Offi cials can request that any or all Drones are Disarmed at any point during the Race
a. Organisers and Event Offi cials reserve the right to intervene and Disarm any drones at any time if for any
reason they feel it is necessary to do so
G7. No Team Members are permitted to enter the Live Area at any point during a Race
DRONE RULES
D1. Each Drone may have a maximum of 4 Motors
D2. The Transmitter and Receiver for all fl ight controls must operate on the 2.4Ghz frequency range
D3. Each Drone must be fi tted with an FPV camera and VTX operating on the 5.8GHz frequency range
a. VTX should be capable of 40 channels with a frequency range of approximately 5.658GHz to 5.917GHz (known as
Race Band)
b. VTX should not be set to a power output of greater than 25mW
D4. Each Drone and all onboard electronics must be powered by a maximum of one lithium polymer battery pack with a
rated voltage not greater than 11.1V
a. The only on-board equipment that may be powered by a separate battery is an action camera such as GoPro
or similar. These cameras must be powered by their own internal battery
250mm
250mm
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D5. The maximum length and width dimension of 250mm is taken diagonally between the centres of a front and rear
motor and does not include propellers. There is no maximum height.
D6. Propellers must not exceed 5” (127mm) diameter
a. Propellers must be plastic
b. There is no limit to the number of blades that each propeller can have
c. There are no restrictions on the pitch of the propeller
D7. Only one Drone design may be used by a team at any given Event and must be used for all types of Races.
a. It is expected that damage may be sustained throughout the course of an event so any parts including
Frames, Propellers, Motors, Flight Controllers, Cameras, VTX etc. May be changed or replaced. However,
these must be identical to these with which the Drone passed Inspection.
D8. All Drones must be able to be Disarmed via a single switch on the Transmitter. This switch must be clearly
identifi ed with a red marker such as heat-shrink tubing or red PVC tape tightly wrapped to the switch actuator
D9. Drones must be fi tted with a failsafe that cuts power to all motors in the event of loss off signal between the
Transmitter and the Drone
4
SAFETY RULES
S1. If at any time a Drone or the actions of the Team responsible for that Drone are deemed to be unsafe or behaving
in an unsafe manner, the off ending Team’s Drone may be Disarmed by the Event Offi cials and the Team may be
disqualifi ed from the Race. Serious breaches of safety of any kind may result in disqualifi cation from the Event
S2. Any Team Members entering the Live Area at any time must wear suitable eye protection
S3. Lithium Polymer batteries may only be charged when all the following criteria are satisfi ed:
a. Charging takes place in the designated Charging Zone(s) which will be defi ned by the Event Organisers in the
briefi ng
b. Batteries are contained in a suitable fi reproof LiPo safe bag whilst being charged
Failure to comply with this rule will be considered a breach of Safety Rule 1
S4. Drones may only be connected to a battery when in a designated Live Area
S5. VTX may only be powered up when your Team is about to participate in a Race – powering a VTX at any other time
may result in interference for another team currently participating in a race and will be considered a breach of S1
S6. Teams must be familiar with the Abort Signal for the event. This is typically an air horn and will be demonstrated in
the briefi ng. If this signal is given at any point during and event, Pilots must land their Drones immediately and await
further instructions from an Event Offi cial
Airgineers 3S Class Races are conducted in a Time Trial format in which each team takes turn to set a solo timed run
around a circuit which is marked out by a series of Gates and Turn Flags. Pilots must navigate around the course
passing through each Gate in the correct order and in the correct direction, passing on the outside of each turn fl ag.
Depending on the length of the course, Pilots may need to complete 1 or more laps in each Race.
All Teams will have an equal number of timed attempts over the duration of the Event. The winner is the team that
completes the required number of laps in the fastest time.
5
EXAMPLE 3S OUTDOOR COURSE
Launch
Pad
The example course shown is typical
of the type of layout used at Airgineers
competitions. The exact layout will be
determined by the event organisers but
will usually consist of 4 or 5 Gates and
a number of turn fl ags.
Pilots start the Race from the Launch Pad
and join the course before completing the
required number of laps
Starting a race
R1. At the beginning of each Race, the Drone must be placed so that it is fully within the boundary of the Launch
Pad and so that no part of the Drone is touching the ground surrounding the Launch Pad
R2. Once the Drone is correctly positioned and the Pilot and Spotter are in the Pilots Box, the Race will be started
with the following procedure
a. The Event Offi cial signals it is safe to Arm the Drone with the command “Arm your drone”
b. After a short pause, the start of the race is signalled by a sound such as an air-horn or monosyllable
voice command such as “Go” given by the Event Offi cial
R3. In the event of a false start, the Event Offi cials will allow one restart. A second false start will result in the team
forfeiting that run. Teams will not be permitted to change batteries before a restart.
Flight Occurances
R4. In the event that the Pilot misses a Gate or fl ag during a run, they permitted to fl y back and attempt to pass
through it correctly before continuing to the next Gate. Failure to pass through all Gates in the correct order will
mean that the time for that lap is not valid.
R5. If the Pilot crashes during the course of a run, they may try to get back in the air and continue the attempt if
they are in a position to do so.
R6. If the Pilot is not able to get back in the air, the Drone should be Disarmed and the attempt will be terminated
R7. If the Event Offi cials determine that the Drone has sustained damage that makes it unsafe, the Pilot will be
instructed to land and the attempt will be terminated
Completion of a Race
R8. After successfully completing an attempt, Pilots must land within the confi nes of the Live Area, Disarm their
Drone and await instruction from an Event Offi cial before retrieving the Drone
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Disqualifi cation
R9. A Team may be disqualifi ed from a Race if
a. More than one false start is committed
b. The Drone exits the Live Zone at any time whilst in fl ight
c. The Pilot is fl ying too high so that the Event Offi cials cannot adequately judge if the course
is being completed
d. The Pilot engages in any fl ying that the Event Offi cials consider to be dangerous
Video Signal Issues
R10. The Event Organisers will attempt to optimise the course to avoid FPV video reception issues. However,
sometimes issues may occur.
a. Refl ights will only be issued if the Event Offi cials are convinced that the issue was caused by an
identifi able and avoidable external cause
b. Interference caused by the environment, competitors own equipment, member of the public etc.
will not justify a refl ight
c. In the case of an issue that prevents Event Offi cials to adequately judge if the course has been
successfully completed, a re-fl ight may be granted
Glossary
Abort Signal A safety instruction which means any Drones in fl ight must land immediately
Armed A drone status where power is connected and drone can respond to control inputs
Camera A camera on the Drone that forms part of the FPV system
Charging Zone An area designated by the Event Offi cials for the safe charging of Lithium Polymer batteries
Disarmed A drone status where power is connected but the motors are not turning and where all other control inputs are disabled
Disqualifi ed A team that is Disqualifi ed from a Race or Match will not receive any points or times for that Race or Match. Teams that are
disqualifi ed from an Event will not be able to compete in any further Races or Matches or recieve any awards at that Event.
Drone A multi-rotor model
Event Offi cial A member of the team responsible for the running of an Airgineers event
Failsafe A system that prevents the Drone from continuing to fl y in the event of control signal failure
Flight Controller An electronic system mounted on a Drone consisting of sensors and processors to aid fl ight control
FPV First Person View
FPV Goggles A device that incorporates a screen and video reciever for the purpose of receiving a FPV video feed from a Drone
Frame The structural chassis of a Drone
Gate A structure used for marking out the route of a circuit
Inspection The process whereby a Drone is approved by the Event Offi cials to compete at an Airgineers event
Launch Pad The space from which a Drone must take off from at the start of a Race or Match
Live Area An controlled area designated for the fl ying of Drones
LOS Line of Sight
Motor Any type of electric motor which is in any way connected to the propulsion system of a Drone
Organisers The Airgineers team
Pilot The Team Member who will control the Drone for a given Race or Match
Pilots Box The designated area when Pilots are positioned whilst a Race or Match is in progress
Propellors A propellor or rotor that provides propulsion for moving the Drone
Race A head-to-head between 2 or more Drones or a time trial around a defi ned circuit
Reciever A device on a Drone for receiving radio control signals from the Transmitter
Spotter A person designated by each Pilot to monitor their Drone and it's surroundings from LOS whilst the Pilot is fl ying FPV
Student A person who is aged 16 years or younger at the time of the event
Team Member A person who meets the defi nition of Student and is part of a team competiting at an Airgineers event
Transmitter A device used by the Pilot to send radio control signals to their Drone
Turn Flag A structure used for marking out the route of a circuit
VTX Video Transmitter - part of the FPV system that transmits a video signal
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