[EricH]

Provided that such a flying robot was powered only by the allowed motors and battery, and carried only the legal control system, and started on the floor/ in the allowed position...

...and provided that the bumper zone requirements were met...

...and provided that all size restrictions were met (including the absolute height this year)...

...And provided that you can guarantee, with 100% or greater certainty, and with the inspectors clearing you, that you do not cause an unsafe condition, in accordance with [R08] (and if I was inspecting you, I would require you to demonstrate this in operation on a closed-to-everyone-else area, under worst-case scenarios, if it was even remotely possible to do so)...

Then yes, you would be allowed to have a flying robot.

However, [R08] says that you cannot cause an unsafe condition. I would consider any robot that could go over the field border without touching it or tipping over it to be unsafe in the extreme.

Now, that leaves you with a hovercraft. Is it doable? Probably. Is it practical? Better start practicing maneuvering now, and expect to be pushed around.


A note where I'm coming from on safety: Safety is a top concern. I compete in the SAE Aero Design competition. (OP, you're in CA; if you want to relax the day after the L.A. Regional, come on out to the R/C field in Van Nuys and watch a few dozen teams of college students crashfly their heavy-lift planes.) At this competition, with full aircraft-designed systems and at least decent pilots, flying planes that are roughly 1/3 of the weight of an FRC robot in a wide-open space, spectators are behind a fence, which is behind a row of trees, roughly 50 feet away from the side of the runway. Any plane that looks like it's heading for the trees is ordered downed on the spot, and there are a number of other safety measures in place to prevent injury in case something goes SNAFU. FIRST doesn't have anywhere near the safety measures for full-fledged flight by the robots, IMO. (CARD has better safety measures, including netting around the field to "restrain" errant robots.)