Frequently Asked Questions
A Q&A session will be held for teams on November 19, 2020 from 3 - 4 PM EST. To submit a question, visit the Q&A submission form. Questions are due by 11:59 PM EST on November 12th, 2020.
To be invited to the Q&A session, submit an Expression of Interest prior to November 12, 2020.
- FAA Challenge Q&A Session Webinar Slides
- FAA Challenge Q&A Session Audio
- FAA Challenge Q&A Session Summary Document (Including questions asked on-call)
2022 FAA Challenge Q&A Session Summary Document
Click on each question to expand.
I attend a university outside of the United States. Can I still apply to the FAA Challenge?
Eligibility is limited to students from colleges and universities in the United States. Additionally, all team members, including all faculty advisors and students, must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
Are international students eligible to participate in the FAA Challenge?
No, international students are not eligible to participate in this Challenge. Team members must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Please refer to the Eligibility section in the Challenge Guidelines for a list of all eligibility requirements.
Can Green Card holders participate?
Yes. Team members, including all faculty advisors and students, must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
Will a point of contact be allocated to our team to work with throughout the Challenge?
Teams are welcome to contact us at FAAChallenge@nianet.org throughout the Challenge. We will answer any questions you may have. If a question is technical in nature, we will forward it to our Steering Committee to review and provide a response. To maintain fairness, teams are not permitted to correspond directly with the Steering Committee members.
Does my EOI concept description need to match the proposal submission? What if we decide to change our idea after the EOI? Do we have to submit a proposal if we submit an EOI?
We understand that EOI’s are due early in the development process and teams will still be in the process of fleshing out many of the details of their concepts. We fully expect that teams’ concepts will change and evolve between the EOI and Proposal submissions, as in-depth research and analysis is conducted. Teams have the flexibility to change ideas as they work over the course of the semester, and the idea submitted in the EOI does not need to match the proposal submission.
EOIs are non-binding. If a team submits an EOI and then later decides not to participate in the competition, no further action is required.
Who retains ownership of the Challenge solutions?
All submissions remain the property of the team.
My team intends to commercialize our idea. Can we still submit it to the Challenge? Will there be any issues with commercialization or ownership of our idea?
Yes, you can still submit it to the Challenge. However, your ideas will be presented in summary at a public conference during the FAA Challenge Forum. Teams will retain full ownership of their ideas.
Does the FAA have IRB Requirements?
For most submissions, this will not be required. If your proposal includes collecting data on human subjects in a study, or putting people medically at-risk, then you would need to submit your study for IRB review through your university after you are selected as a finalist for the FAA Challenge. If IRB review is required, the FAA will need to receive a copy of the approval along with the final Technical Paper.
What AV capabilities will be available for teams' final Oral Presentations/Tech Demos?
AV Capabilities will include a projector and a screen for Oral Presentations/Tech Demos. Teams will submit oral presentation files via the online submission form, and program staff will pre-load presentations onto a laptop. There will also be a slide advancer and outlets available for teams.
If your team requires any additional capabilities beyond this, please email the FAA Challenge Program Team.
Who will be present for the final Oral Presentations/Tech Demos?
The entire FAA Challenge Steering Committee will be present, as well as the other two competing teams’ members and NIA staff. There may also be other FAA/DoT representatives interested in viewing presentations in the room.
Are there current standards and regulations in place from the FAA for the use of UV-C fixtures on aircraft? Please let us know if there is a guideline or reference we can be directed to.
The FAA is currently using guidance provided by the FDA, found here, and the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, found here.
We do remind you that this challenge is an opportunity for your team to define a NEW solution that the FAA could/may use in the future! Don’t limit yourselves to what would work in today’s environment. Consider it a blank canvas!
Can a student who has been actively engaged in the project but wasn't listed on the Project Plan Proposal as a member of the team be included in the Technical Paper (final report) for the Challenge?
Yes, you can absolutely include another student on your team and list them on your Technical Paper submission. We would like to recognize the participation of ALL students, especially those who have been actively engaged in the team’s project.
Are abstract solutions (concepts rooted in delivering a software product/model) acceptable and encouraged as compared to concepts of a physical nature?
Yes, abstract solutions are acceptable. No one solution model is encouraged over another. Any tangible solution that follows abstract innovation must also convey the time frame set for real world implementation (i.e., 1 year, 3 years, 10 years, 50 years, etc.) with the supporting data that must meet the competition criteria.
Which is preferred: a complete product that is an iteration of an existing product or a proof-of-concept prototype of a totally new idea?
There is no preference. The challenge allows for diverse creativity flows of either new ideas or enhancement of existing concepts. Being able to confirm the function and capability regardless of if the product is new or existing would aid in the project research and development.
Does this concept require physical components? If not, may software diagrams/flow charts replace the drawings/concept mock-ups as demonstration materials?
There is no requirement for physical components. The demonstration should use the best methods (deemed by your team) to showcase your concept.
Can demonstration of the concept be done through simulation rather than a physical prototype?
Yes, absolutely! Where physical development and testing is limited, simulations must present similar adversities in comparison to physical prototypes, which include but not limited to weather, people, traffic, etc.
Is this program more of a feasibility study rather than producing a physical prototype?
No. This program is looking for turn-key solutions that are based on the issues that are being addressed.
Is the prize money supposed to be used to further develop the concept?
Prize distribution is entirely up to the selected schools. Students and advisors should abide by their school’s policy for distributions or the use of acquired funds. If it’s acceptable and you would like to use the funds to further develop your concept, go for it!
Are there past proposals that were or are open source that we can inform our approach?
“Originality is a consideration.” You can view all the Challenge Finalists’ Presentations, Technical Papers, and Digital Posters through the Archives webpage on the Challenge website. However, public information should be considered as informative but not taken as a pre-approved approach.
If our team is working with startups, what would be the best way to document our work without compromising IP?
All protected information should be clearly marked in the Proposal (following the Challenge Guidelines listed in #18 of the Rules, Terms, and Conditions).
If we want to include a video, animation, or simulation, should we just put the public/unlisted video link under Section II of the Project Description?
Yes, please include any video, animations, or simulations in Section II. Remember, teams must be the original creators of the work. Please refer to the Proposal Guidelines on the 2022 Deliverable Submissions webpage.
Is there a specific citation style that we must use in the Project Plan Proposal and Technical Paper?
No, there is no specific citation style you must use.
Are we just turning in a paper that describes the idea we have, or are we supposed to also have some form of implementation of that idea?
Proposals should be as complete as possible and include methods of implementation. This includes how construction and operations will impact safety, employees, passengers, vehicular traffic, etc. For full details about the Proposal, please visit the 2022 Deliverable Submissions webpage on the Challenge website.
General Aviation Category: Are there any existing protocols that should be followed? I.e., communication message format, etc.
No, not necessarily. However, there are scoring items related to practicality that should be considered. Please review the Final Scoring Matrix for further details.
General Aviation Category: Is there anything related to flight certification of on-board software that should be considered?
Industry best practice software development and coding should be considered as guidance.
Emerging Operations Category: Do emerging operations have to involve safety in the NAS, or can safety to the general public also be a topic of interest?
Yes, making the general public safe as a part of emerging operations or safer with respect to any NAS operation would be an acceptable topic of interest.
Emerging Operations Category: Does the risk assessment refer to the risks incurred by conducting the project or the risks associated with implementing the produced solution in a “2050 airport”?
The risk assessment refers to implementing the produced solution by identifying hazards, analyzing and evaluating the risk, controlling the risk, etc.
Emerging Operations Category: Are there any interoperability considerations with existing or emerging system frameworks?
Yes. Please check the 2022 Resources webpage for any material our Steering Committee thinks might be helpful for this Challenge.
Emerging Operations Category: Is there any opportunity to interview key stakeholders of these technologies (pertaining to our proposal) that could be helpful in deriving our methodology?
Any and all research you can perform as a part of your proposal development should be both informative and helpful. It is the team’s mission to make that happen via developing partnerships. We do not pre-arrange any interviews between any potential academic and industry partners.
Emerging Operations Category: Are demonstrations using synthetic data or methods to reduce time complexity acceptable? I.e., using a subset of flying zones or a cap on UAV population, etc.
Yes, many Human Factors Studies begin with a simpler complexity/fidelity and become more robust as the understanding of the study advances.
Please direct inquiries to the FAA Challenge Program team at faachallenge@nianet.org.
The FAA Challenge is managed by the National Institute of Aerospace on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration