3.2 Autonomous Flight
UAS that can fly autonomously are cheaper to operate, which means organizations can leverage more UAS at the same cost, which means better performance and more missions. Autonomy also keeps the UAS airborne during connectivity loss, a very likely occurrence in real world environments.
3.2.1 Takeoff and Landing
Takeoff and landing may be performed autonomously or manually - with additional points given for UAS capable of fully autonomous takeoffs and landings.
A takeoff is considered successful once the UAS is above 50ft AGL and has travelled outside of the immediate airspace surrounding the runway. A landing is considered successful if the UAS touches down without any damage to the UAS and surrounding environment.
In order for a takeoff and landing to be considered fully autonomous, only a singular command can be issued by the Safety Pilot or GCS Operator to commence the respective action. Any intervention past a singular button press or command will be up the the judge's discretion and may result in the takeoff/landing attempt being viewed as not autonomous.
3.2.2 Waypoints
Teams will be given a sequence of waypoints (UTM coordinates and altitudes) that must be flown autonomously and the UAS must get within 50ft of each waypoint. This sequence of waypoints represents a singular lap, may be up to 3 miles in length, and include up to 15 positions. Upon every takeoff, teams must immediately fly a singular lap of the waypoint path before attempting other tasks to simulate navigating to the operating area. A full lap must be re-flown between each air drop attempt, simulating trips between operating areas. Teams may opt to land at any point to reload payloads (no refueling allowed), so long that the UAS navigates through an entire waypoint lap after each subsequent takeoff. Four full waypoint laps will be required to conduct all five deliveries, thus the total waypoint distance flown by the UAS may be up to 12 miles.
An example of a mission flow that conducts four air drops with an intermediary landing for reload would be as follows:
Takeoff
Fly Waypoint Lap (Up to 3 Miles)
Conduct Air Drop
Fly Waypoint Lap (Up to 3 Miles)
Conduct Air Drop
Land to Re-Load Payloads
Takeoff
Fly Waypoint Lap (Up to 3 Miles)
Conduct Air Drop
Fly Waypoint Lap (Up to 3 Miles)
Conduct Air Drop
Land
Remove UAS from Runway Relinquish Airspace
3.2.3 Autonomous Flight Scoring
A maximum of 50 points will be given out for Autonomous Flight. 20 points will given to UAS that takeoff and land at least once (manual or autonomous) - with an additional of 30 points given if all takeoff/landings throughout the Mission Demonstration are done fully autonomously
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