Hello!
Didn't post anything these past few days.
Friday was the competition day and Saturday was the award presentation day.
This competition definitely gave a me huge boost in interest in making something that can fly.

Friday
The battleground is located at the Annexe besides science center.
The air con inside is very cold!!
Many teams seems to withdrawn which left only to about less than 20 teams.
Competitors from last year were present and their presence looks very strong.

There's Black Ace from RP flying mikrokopter too. They even have their own jacket!
NUS UAV research team this year the only team going fully autonomous which was a sight to behold, watching the little craft flying on its own without pilot interference. Sadly it only completed 3 obstacles. can't imagine how many DEG or even Master? holders are working on it.

We are in CAT D, the most difficult category.
Either Fly by video, semi- autonomous, Fully autonomous.
Each of the flying mode have different multiplier on the final score, X1, X2, X4 respectively.
The Semi mode is a grey area as it wasn't stated clearly what kind of Semi they want.
Nobody flew by video this year as it is even more difficult than Semi, in my point of view.
For semi and fully, the pilot get to see their craft. While by video, pilot will be flying through video display on TV and inside a room.

During the start of competition, we told the jugde TP is going Video.
To our surprise many teams that were flying the same MK but is in semi mode.
TP team went to clarify and the organiser were finally convinced that our MK were actually SEMI!! YAY!!
We told them that MK have central stablisation which normal RC plane/heli is unable to do so.
Whereby if you were to pull down one of its arm and release it, the MK will stable itself back.
So it seems that we didn't know this were considered semi.
Actually what the jugdes wants to see in semi craft ,is the craft at least will fly by itself and the pilot will only help steering, drop ball etc.

Everything went well for Engineering Boys, Iron-Maiden neither touch the floor nor hit anything!! Well Done , Xian DE!!
The obstacles there are made from METAL and we witness many crafts just one hit and break propellers and black hawk down...
Our first attempt, we scored 95/100, completed all obstacles but miss the BULL'S EYE and landed the outer ring!!!
We have the highest score in this round.

Murphy's Law is one big killer in this competition.
During our second attempt to fly in the afternoon, there is no video signal to the TV!!!!
Just in the morning on first attempt, the video transmission was alright.
What just went wrong? And teacher says it is the last video transmitter during the final flight practise!
Tried everything thing to make the TV display something.
All thanks to samuel, he thought of the extra video transmitter that was found in a box just in the morning, even teacher was unsure why there is a extra inside the box.hmm..

This time we miss the bull's eye by 2 rings, awww.
Black Aces scored 100/100.
NUS didn't mange to complete all but good job on getting it fully auto.

Saturday
Award presentation day.
Engineering Boys
Best Presentation- GOLD
Best Performance- Bronze
Championship- 3rd place,Bronze

Sadly there is then $$$ for GOLD, but best presentation don't have $$$ just medals T.T.
This year, Black Ace 1st, Nus 2nd, we 3rd.
Happy of course, this is our first time competing with the lao jiao(old birds).
Course Manager, Mr Tang were there too.

Next Year, or rather this year October when the SAFMC 2011 challenge is announced.
Prepared for new courses and also the classic Bull's Eye target.
Hope Black Ace will compete as it will be their final year in poly and we will definitely want to have good match again.
Also NUS is able to solve their fully autonomous problems which they might the few making Fully auto in Singapore.
Maybe even stronger teams will enter this time round.