----- Original Message ----From: George MacArthur To:kbrackins@vtol.org To: Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 10:42 AM Subject: RE: Recent correspondence
Hi Kay,
Thank you for inquiring with the committee. With all due respect, the issues I raised are not minor. A flight boundary that is inconsistent and introduces an element of chance and no landing rules whatsoever in a helicopter engineering competition violates the spirit of precision that is the hallmark of all good engineering. The rules have been adequate for thirty-two years only because teams are just now coming close enough to win the prize. With so much at stake, there are no good reasons for allowing even one ambiguity to stand unresolved. Specifying a circle instead of a square and some sized landing zone so the portion of flight after 60 seconds including landing can be objectively verified as controlled is not rocket science. It is not enough that the committee claim to be tracking ambiguities. If they are aware of them, they should fix them. After all, they are engineers.
Sincerely, George MacArthur