Flying robots?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

Interesting. The International Aerial Robotics Competition (in 2007 and 2008, at least) took a different approach to safety.

Competitors were permitted to fly in much closer proximity to buildings, people and other equipment, because the challenge involved identifying and delivering payloads into a building. Nevertheless, there were certain areas designated as a restricted, and only event staff and vehicle crews were allowed in.
[...]
All vehicles were required to be "rendered ballistic" upon command, for safety. Is that what SAE Aero Design mandates?

There's a difference between flying and having the ground repel you.

Helicopters (rotary-wing aircraft) are generally more maneuverable than airplanes (fixed-wing aircraft). This allows them to fly into tighter spaces than almost any airplane. There is no comparison between the maneuverability of a 45 kg helo that is designed to fly at 45 kg (little/no payload) and that of a 10-20 lb plane that's carrying up to 4x its own weight, and is rather underpowered. The helo will win a maneuverability contest every time given that both pilots know what they're doing.

Aero Design is all about the payload. (OK, unless you're Micro Class--then you get the box-packing, unpacking, and launching challenges added...) IARC is not.

SAE's mandate is that you do what the Air Boss tells you. If he isn't saying anything, maintain your horizontal 360 degree circuit route (and don't try any aerobatics). If he's telling you to bring the plane down, kill the engine and go nose down (or whatever you need to do to crash on command), right now! I've seen planes come close to the pits/spectators. It's not fun trying to dodge planes that are wandering on their empty-weight flight. I've done that. (Yeah, high-lift planes with nothing to lift except themselves... slightly crazy flight paths can result.)

The only people allowed on the runway are the flight crew and some media (off-runway but still close), as well as judges. Team members are in the pit area, by the fence (and, with AMA as well as SAE, you do not fly over the pits). Spectators, as I mentioned, are behind that fence.