This article explains what to expect at a VEX AIR Drone Competition event, from check-in through the awards ceremony, and how teams and coaches can prepare in advance.
A VEX AIR event is where students showcase everything they have practiced: flying, coding, planning, and working as a team. Over the course of the day, students fly alongside a different partner team in each match, adjust their plans as point values change from Round to Round, and talk with judges about how their team prepared. Every team leaves with more flight time, new ideas from watching and flying with other pilots, and a clearer picture of what to work on next.
This article covers how a team's day is structured, including how matches are played and scored in Rounds, how teams are ranked, how Alliances are chosen for the Finals Matches, and what to expect from inspection, judging, and safety procedures at the event.
Definitions of the terms used here are maintained in the central glossary.
This article describes a typical one-day local event. Multi-day events and events such as Signature Events follow a different agenda. For how they differ, see Types of VEX Robotics Competition Events.
Before Arrival
Before attending a VEX AIR Competition event, coaches should review the event information on events.vex.com, including the location, agenda, and judging format.
Teams should also make sure their drone and controller firmware is up to date and that their team number is set in the controller. (For steps on how to do this, see Updating VEX AIR's Firmware and Renaming the VEX AIR Drone Controller.) Reviewing the VEX AIR Inspection Checklist before the event is the easiest way to arrive ready to pass inspection.
What to Bring
Teams should bring their complete VEX AIR Competition Drone Kit, eye protection for every Flight Team Member who will be at the field, and their Mission Notebook if they want to be considered for judged awards. Teams have access to power at their pits and should plan to charge batteries and controllers throughout the day.
Safety at VEX AIR Events
Safety comes first at every VEX AIR event. With drones flying throughout the venue, everyone at the event, including students, coaches, and spectators, plays a part in keeping each other safe. Every student is supervised by an adult for the whole event.
Throughout the event, everyone should:
- Fly drones only at a competition field, never in the pits
- Stay outside marked flight areas and safety zones unless they are flying
- Stay aware of their surroundings, since drones may be flying nearby
- Follow the instructions of the Head Referee and event staff
At the field, there are a few extra precautions. Flight Team Members wear eye protection, wear the controller lanyard whenever the drone is out of Propeller Lock (Prop Lock), keep their hands off any drone until all drones are in Prop Lock, and stay off the field. If a drone cannot be reached safely from outside the field at any point, event staff will retrieve it.
Every match is also run through the Field Control System. Referees and event staff use this to start and stop each match and, when needed for safety, to hold drones in a hover or use the emergency stop (E-Stop). This is why teams pair their controller with the Field Control System before every match.
For full safety expectations, see the VEX AIR Drone Competition Safety Policy.
Event Day Overview
VEX AIR events are created and managed through events.vex.com, and any information about them can be found there.
A typical event day moves through three stages:
- Pre-Matches: Events start with check-in, inspection, and an Event Meeting.
- Qualification/Skills Matches: Most of the day is spent in Qualification Matches, played in Rounds with different Scoring Systems, while Drone Skills Matches and judging interviews happen alongside them.
- Finals Matches and Awards: After the last Round, the top teams form Alliances for the Finals Matches, and the day ends with an awards ceremony.
Between matches, teams spend time in their pits charging batteries, talking through their plan for the next match, and keeping an eye on the displays for the current Scoring System and upcoming matches. Teams also watch other matches to scout how other teams fly. Scouting helps teams plan with upcoming partners and prepare for Alliance Selection. Students may also head to the skills fields or be called for an interview.
Check-In
When they arrive at an event, coaches should stop by the check-in desk to confirm arrival and gather any additional information that has not already been shared, such as their pit location.
Inspection
After checking in, teams bring their drone and controller to the inspection table. An inspector checks that the drone meets the rules on the VEX AIR Inspection Checklist. If anything needs to change, the team can fix it and return to be re-inspected before competing.
Once a team has passed inspection, they can settle into their pit, start charging batteries, or use any open skills fields before the Event Meeting.
Event Meeting
After all teams have checked in and been inspected, the Event Partner and Head Referee hold an Event Meeting to go over the agenda for the day. They review important rules, safety procedures, and answer questions. Teams will learn where everything is located, where they are allowed to fly, how queuing and pairing work, and how they can participate in Drone Skills Matches.
For the full competition game rules, see the VEX AIR Drone Competition Pick & Drop Game Manual.
Qualification Matches
Qualification Matches make up most of the event day. Teams should know their match schedule and arrive at the pairing table before their next match. Event Partners will communicate the match schedules once all teams have checked in and been inspected.
Alliances
In every Qualification Match, two teams are randomly paired as an Alliance. Both drones fly at the same time, and the two teams collaborate and share one score. Each team flies with different partners throughout the day, so communicating with each new partner before the match is part of the experience.
Rounds and Scoring Systems
Qualification Matches are played in groups called Rounds. Each Round uses one of six Scoring Systems, labeled A through F. What counts as Scored stays the same, but the point values change. The Scoring System is revealed when each Round starts and is shown on displays around the venue for the rest of that Round.
Because point values change, a plan that works well in one Round may not be the best plan in the next. For example, a Ring Tunnel Pass is worth 5 points under Scoring System A but 10 points under Scoring System E. Teams that check the Scoring System and adjust their plan before each match can take advantage of these changes. For all point values, see Table SC-1 in the game manual.
What Happens During a Match
Every VEX AIR Competition Match follows the same basic flow:
- Pairing. Teams go to the pairing table to pair their controller with the Field Control System. Teams pair before every match, then stay close to the field so they are ready when called. While waiting for their match, teams complete the Pre-Flight Checklist and review the Fit to Fly requirements.
- Match Queued. Up to two students per team (the Flight Team Members) step into their Flight Station, and each team places its drone on its Field Platform in Prop Lock.
- Fly. When the Head Referee signals, the three-minute match begins. The two drones work together to score points by moving scoring objects into goals, flying through the Ring Tunnel, and landing on a Field Platform.
- Timeout. The first time both drones are in Prop Lock, the clock stops for a Timeout so teams can retrieve their drones and make quick changes, like swapping a module or battery. Timeouts pause the match clock for up to 60 seconds.
- End of the match. When time runs out, any drone still flying holds in a hover until the Head Referee instructs pilots to land it.
- Scoring. Referees score the field. After scoring is complete, teams confirm the score, and wait until the Head Referee gives the all clear to leave the field.
If Flight Team Members have a question about the score, they can talk with the Head Referee right after the match.
Rankings
Teams are ranked by their average Qualification Match score. For example, a team that scores 40, 55, 30, and 63 in four matches has an average score of 47. If a team misses a match, it receives a score of 0 for that match, which lowers its average, so it is important to attend every match. At least 4 Qualification Matches per team are required at a qualifying event. If some teams get an extra Match, that Match does not count toward rankings.
Drone Skills Matches
Drone Skills Matches run alongside Qualification Matches on separate Skills Fields. In a Skills Match, a drone flies alone for 90 seconds with no Timeout. Teams can play up to three Piloting Skills Matches, where students fly the drone, and up to three Autonomous Skills Matches, where the drone flies using the team's code.
Skills Matches always use Scoring System A. A team's best Piloting Skills score and best Autonomous Skills score are added together for the Skills rankings. For full rules, see Section 4 of the game manual.
Interviews
If the event includes judging, every team will have the opportunity to interview with the judges. Teams can be called for a brief interview at any point before the Finals Matches. Judges want to hear students explain how they plan their flights, what they have tried, and how they adjust their strategy for different Scoring Systems. Interviews are fairly short, but teams should tell judges about any upcoming matches so they do not miss them.
A Mission Notebook is not required to compete, but it is required for a team to be considered for the Excellence Award or a Mission Planning Award.
Lunch
Events will likely have a break for lunch built into their agenda. Coaches should know the start and end times of this break so teams can eat without missing any matches, and should check the event's lunch options before arriving so students can be prepared.
Alliance Selection
After the last Qualification Match, the top-ranked teams form Alliances of two teams for the Finals Matches. Each team sends one student representative, the Alliance Captain. In ranking order, each Alliance Captain invites another team to join them, and the invited team can accept or decline.
About half of the teams at an event advance to the Finals Matches. For the full Alliance Selection process, see Section 6 of the game manual.
Finals Matches
The Finals Matches begin soon after Alliance Selection. A new Scoring System is picked at random for all Finals Matches. Each Alliance flies one Finals Match, starting with the lowest-seeded Alliance and ending with the top-seeded Alliance. The Alliance with the highest score wins the Teamwork Champions Award.
Awards
After all matches have ended, the Event Partner holds an awards ceremony. VEX AIR events may present performance awards, such as Teamwork Champions and Skills Champion awards, and judged awards, such as the Excellence Award and Mission Planning Award. The awards offered depend on the event. For details on each award, see VEX AIR Award Descriptions.
Coaches should make sure all teams are present at the ceremony in case they receive an award, and to congratulate other teams.