2014 DBF Rules - 2013/14 Rules and Vehicle Design

Oct 29, 2026

2013/14 DBF rules for the Cessna Aircraft Company/Raytheon Missile Systems Student Design/Build/Fly Competition define how university student teams must design, fabricate, and demonstrate an unmanned electric powered radio controlled aircraft that satisfies an assigned mission profile. Requirements and performance objectives are updated each contest year, emphasizing innovation and equal compliance with the current rules package, 2014 FAQ, and 2014 Q&A. The document sets judging based on demonstrated flight mission performance, a maximum 100-point written Design Report, and Rated Aircraft Cost (RAC), with FINAL scores 7 working days after the contest.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

2013/14 Rules and Vehicle Design

Competition Overview and Eligibility

Design and Performance Updates

Rules, FAQ, and Compliance

Prizes and Judging

Team Requirements and Entry Limits

Contest Site and Schedule

DBF Rules Page 1 of 10 30aug13 2013/14 Rules and Vehicle Design Draft Rules : 31 Aug 2013 Latest Update : 31 Oct 2013 Entry Deadline: 31 Oct 2013 The contest rules may be augmented/supplemented at any time during the competition through the Q&A process. Summary: The AIAA through the Applied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, Design Engineering and Flight Test Technical Committees and the AIAA Foundation invites all university students to participate in the Cessna Aircraft Company/Raytheon Missile SystemsStudent Design/Build/Fly Competition. The contest will provide a real-world aircraft design experience for engineering students by giving them the opportunity to validate their analytic studies. Student teams will design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio controlled aircraft that can best meet the specified mission profile. The goal is a balanced design possessing good demonstrated flight handling qualities and practical and affordable manufacturing requirements while providing a high vehicle performance. To encourage innovation and maintain a fresh design challenge for each new year, the design requirements and performance objectives will be updated for each new contest year. The changes will provide new design requirements and opportunities, while allowing for application of technology developed by the teams from prior years. Check the rules package carefully as items and approaches that were legal in past years may not be legal for this contest year. Only the contents of this Rules package, the 2014 FAQ, and 2014 Q&A documents hold bearing on the requirements and/or allowances for the current contest year. It is the responsibility of the teams to know and follow all provided rules, the FAQ, and all contest day briefings. Cash prizes are $2500 for 1st, $1500 for 2nd and $1000 for 3rd place. The winning team will be invited to present their design at an AIAA conference. The team with the best Report Score will receive a $100 prize from the Design Engineering Technical Committee. Judging: Students must design, document, fabricate, and demonstrate the aircraft they determine to be capable of achieving the highest score on the specified mission profile(s). Flight scores will be based on the demonstrated mission performance obtained during the contest. Each team must also submit a written Design Report. A maximum of 100 points will be awarded for the team design report. The overall team score is a combination of the Design Report score, Flight score and Rated Aircraft Cost (RAC) . The team with the highest overall team score will be declared the winner. Scores will be FINAL 7 working days after the completion of the contest. This period will allow for review of the scores in a timely fashion following the contest. All submitted reports are the property of AIAA, Cessna and Raytheon and may be published or reproduced at their discretion. Contest Site: Host for the competition will be Cessna Aircraft Co. The fly-off is planned to be held at the Pawnee East Field in Wichita, KS. Details on the contest site and schedule will be sent to registered teams early in the fly-off calendar year. You can check on historical weather conditions at [www.weatherbase.com](www.weatherbase.com) or [www.weatherunderground.com](www.weatherunderground.com). Teams are advised to check with their airlines on what materials they will be allowed to bring both to and from the contest site. [http://www.aiaadbf.org/2014](http://www.aiaadbf.org/2014) files/2014 rules 31Oct.html 9/23/2015 DBF Rules Page 2 of 10 Hazmat items like paints, thinners and glues may need to be purchased locally and PROPERLY disposed of following the contest. Team Requirements: All team members (except for a non-student pilot) must be full time students at an accredited University or College and student members of the AIAA. At least 1/3 of the team members must consist of Freshman,

FAQs

What does the competition require student teams to deliver?

Teams must design, fabricate, and demonstrate flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio controlled aircraft that best meets the specified mission profile, and they must also submit a written Design Report.

How are team scores determined and when are results finalized?

Overall team score combines the Design Report score, Flight score, and Rated Aircraft Cost (RAC). Scores are FINAL 7 working days after contest completion to allow timely review.

What are the team eligibility and team composition requirements?

All members (except a non-student pilot) must be full-time students at an accredited university or college and AIAA student members, and at least 1/3 of the team must be Freshman, Sophomores, or Juniors. The pilot must be an AMA member.

Oct 29, 2026

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