THE 2008 NEAT [Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology] Fair was
held September 12-14 near Downsville, New York. This has always
been one of my favorite modeling events. Where else can you see
electric-powered models of all sizes and types flying against the
beautiful backdrop of the Catskill Mountains?
My NEAT Fair experience begins a few days before the event
officially starts. Every year I get together with a few friends who are en
route to the event. We share our latest creations, do some hangar
flying, and have fun.
We normally leave for the NEAT Fair site on Thursday (setup day)
to do some flying. Ironically, this is when we do most of our outdoor
flying with our micromodels. The sun was shining, the wind was calm,
and we put in some good flights.
The micro seminars this year were held on Friday in the Bergen
County Silent Flyers’ tent. As in the past, they were well attended. I
talked about my favorite modeling subject: micro scale models and
building techniques.
Nick Leichty discussed the many new, innovative products he is
developing for his company, Micro Flyer Radio. The product that most
interested me was a new .6-gram servo. It is a rotary type that has good
speed and performance.
Nick is also working on some new
subgram receivers. They will be available in a
servo or actuator type and be compatible with
900 MHz systems.
I am looking forward to building a fourchannel
micro scale model with one of Nick’s
new receivers and .6-gram servos. Now we
can have an ultra-light, full-house scale or
aerobatic model with positive control. Please
visit Nick’s Web site for more information.
Rick Ruijsink came from the Netherlands
to speak about his new DelFly Micro
ornithopter. His 3.78-inch-span model carries
an onboard camera with a video downlink.
The three-channel aircraft uses a 900 MHz
Hip Hop receiver, Plantraco HingeActs for
elevator and rudder control, and weighs only
3.07 grams.
Rick was awarded the NEAT Fair
Technical Achievement award for his efforts.
He developed the MicroMag RC system
many years ago. It was the smallest and most
lightweight of its time, and it paved the way
for the new, lighter RC systems we are using
today.
Petter Muren of Norway discussed his
great line of micro RC helicopters. His latest
design, a neat micro ornithopter, may be
headed for production.
Bob Selman from BSD Micro RC talked
about his company’s new products. He has
some great kits and is one of our best micro
RC suppliers.
Indoor flying at the NEAT Fair was Saturday
September 13, at Downsville Central School.
Gordon Johnson and the Boston Micronauts
club started this event several years ago.
Because of the club’s efforts, the gathering
has quickly grown into one of the best
gatherings of the year for micro RC
enthusiasts.
NEAT Fair report from the inside and outside
January 2009 93
Micro-Flying Joe Malinchak | [email protected]
Robert Guillot’s amazing 3.8-inch-wingspan Ord Hume 7
has a custom-built BL motor and weighs only 1.1 grams.
Keith Swanson scratch-built this 36-inchwingspan
Demoiselle. The pilot figure moves
with the flight controls.
Matt Keennon’s Bell AH-1G Cobra weighs 37 grams. It features Walkera 4#3
components, custom .05-gram servos, and a scratch-built foam body.
01sig3.QXD 11/21/08 3:14 PM Page 93
94 MODEL AVIATION
Rick Ruijsink won the NEAT Fair’s
Technical Achievement award with his
3.07-gram DelFly Micro ornithopter.
Jin Choe built his 13-inch-span SBD Dauntless using Durobatics foam and a Plantraco
system. He also constructed the 10-inch Sopwith Triplane.
Nick Leichty’s 13-gram, 10-inch-span AcroBat features his new
.6-gram servos and flies beautifully.
Bob Selman’s Thistle uses a prototype .6-gram motor from DC
Enterprises and is powered with a FULLRIVER 30 mAh cell.
Unfortunately, Gordon and his club were
not able to run the event this year. I was asked
to take over, and with the help of the Boston
Micronauts, the Bergen County Silent Flyers,
the event pilots, and my wife, we were able to
keep the indoor portion going.
The flying started at 1 p.m. The
Downsville School allowed us to start flying
earlier, which gave the pilots plenty of time to
test their models. It was great to have the extra
time to visit with friends and do some casual
flying before the halftime show.
Bob Selman flew his nice-flying, all-balsa,
5.5-gram Thistle that used a new .6-gram
brushless motor from DC Enterprises. Bob
made a special converter so he could use the
BL motor with a normal brushed output
receiver. I was impressed by the model’s
performance. He used a FULLRIVER 30 cell
with this new power source.
Mike Cross flew his neat 9-inch-span, 18-
gram Skyray. The model features a custombuilt
20mm ducted-fan unit. Mike was kind
enough to let me fly his airplane, and it
performed beautifully with good high- and
low-speed performance.
The halftime show has always been a
favorite for pilots and spectators. It allows all
registered pilots to demonstrate their latest
creations to the audience without the
distraction of other airplanes flying. SKS
Video Productions was there to capture some
of the great demonstrations for its DVD
release of the event.
Matt Keennon flew his beautiful Bell AH-
1G Cobra helicopter. He converted the
Walkera 4#3 into the great-flying, 37-gram
scale model. The body is made from Depron
and bead foam. To reduce the weight of the
aircraft, Matt used custom .05-gram linear
servos and a 1S3P 90 FULLRIVER battery
pack (one cell, 270 mAh).
Robert Guillot flew his amazing 3.8-inchspan
Ord Hume 7. This model is made from
foam milled to .012 inch. It uses a Rabbit Hip
Hop receiver and features a custom-built BL
motor (3 x 2mm magnet, 38 ohms, 175
milligrams). The airplane weighs only 1.1
grams and flies beautifully.
Nick Leichty flew his 13-gram, 10-inchspan
AcroBat. It uses a four-channel Hip Hop
01sig3.QXD 11/21/08 3:17 PM Page 94
servos. Nick let me fly his airplane, and it was
a pleasure. The lightweight aircraft flew
smoothly and precisely through every
aerobatic maneuver.
Team members from Horizon Hobby flew
with us for the first time. They demonstrated
the new ParkZone Vapor and the new E-flite
Blade mCX helicopter. Both are exceptional
products. I will have a review of them in an
upcoming column.
Cindy Malinchak wrote the following report
about this year’s NEAT Fair.
“What an honor it was hosting this year’s
NEAT event with my husband, Joe. As usual,
we had many of the finest RC modelers in the
world. We separated time slots between
lightweight, micro aircraft and open flying, so
there was plenty of airtime and everyone was
pleased with the outcome.
“Jin Choe, from Virginia, was a new face
in the crowd, bringing some interesting scale
models. His 13-inch-wingspan Dauntless
Dive Bomber was constructed from
Durobatics foam, and flew beautifully. This
24-gram airplane uses the Plantraco threechannel
radio, and a GWJ drive with a 7mm
blue motor. He also had a 10-inch-wingspan
Sopwith Triplane that weighs 26 grams, and
uses a GWJ 7mm drive orange motor. Nice
job, Jin.
“I was impressed by a beautiful seven-
wing model scratch-built by Stuart Natof,
called Triumph. What a fascinating slow flyer
it appears to be. I could watch this model fly
all day. It has a 24-inch wingspan, is covered
in 2.2 Mylar, and is constructed mostly from
carbon fiber tubing. The model uses the
ParkZone Vapor brick control system for
guidance. He also had a smaller version of the
aircraft.
“As I headed down the flightline, I noticed
this cute little pilot figure inside an airplane
turning his head and moving his body. What
detail! It was a Demoiselle, scratch-built by
Keith Swanson. Now this was one cool
airplane and it flew well. With a 36-inch
wingspan, the Demoiselle weighs 5.5 ounces,
is covered with Glad Press’n Seal wrap, and
uses the Polk’s Tracker III transmitter and
Berg receiver.
“After a wonderful evening of flying, we
look forward to seeing you all at next year’s
NEAT Fair. Have a safe and healthy year.” MA
Sources:
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
BSD Micro RC
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
Micro Flier Radio
(941) 377-9808
http://microflierradio.com
SKS Video Productions
(800) 988-6488
www.sksvideo.com
NEAT Fair
www.neatfair.org
Plantraco
(306) 955-1836
www.plantraco.com
Durobatics
(315) 264-2064
www.durobatics.com
DC Enterprises
080-26718757 (India)
www.microbrushless.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 93,94,96
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 93,94,96
THE 2008 NEAT [Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology] Fair was
held September 12-14 near Downsville, New York. This has always
been one of my favorite modeling events. Where else can you see
electric-powered models of all sizes and types flying against the
beautiful backdrop of the Catskill Mountains?
My NEAT Fair experience begins a few days before the event
officially starts. Every year I get together with a few friends who are en
route to the event. We share our latest creations, do some hangar
flying, and have fun.
We normally leave for the NEAT Fair site on Thursday (setup day)
to do some flying. Ironically, this is when we do most of our outdoor
flying with our micromodels. The sun was shining, the wind was calm,
and we put in some good flights.
The micro seminars this year were held on Friday in the Bergen
County Silent Flyers’ tent. As in the past, they were well attended. I
talked about my favorite modeling subject: micro scale models and
building techniques.
Nick Leichty discussed the many new, innovative products he is
developing for his company, Micro Flyer Radio. The product that most
interested me was a new .6-gram servo. It is a rotary type that has good
speed and performance.
Nick is also working on some new
subgram receivers. They will be available in a
servo or actuator type and be compatible with
900 MHz systems.
I am looking forward to building a fourchannel
micro scale model with one of Nick’s
new receivers and .6-gram servos. Now we
can have an ultra-light, full-house scale or
aerobatic model with positive control. Please
visit Nick’s Web site for more information.
Rick Ruijsink came from the Netherlands
to speak about his new DelFly Micro
ornithopter. His 3.78-inch-span model carries
an onboard camera with a video downlink.
The three-channel aircraft uses a 900 MHz
Hip Hop receiver, Plantraco HingeActs for
elevator and rudder control, and weighs only
3.07 grams.
Rick was awarded the NEAT Fair
Technical Achievement award for his efforts.
He developed the MicroMag RC system
many years ago. It was the smallest and most
lightweight of its time, and it paved the way
for the new, lighter RC systems we are using
today.
Petter Muren of Norway discussed his
great line of micro RC helicopters. His latest
design, a neat micro ornithopter, may be
headed for production.
Bob Selman from BSD Micro RC talked
about his company’s new products. He has
some great kits and is one of our best micro
RC suppliers.
Indoor flying at the NEAT Fair was Saturday
September 13, at Downsville Central School.
Gordon Johnson and the Boston Micronauts
club started this event several years ago.
Because of the club’s efforts, the gathering
has quickly grown into one of the best
gatherings of the year for micro RC
enthusiasts.
NEAT Fair report from the inside and outside
January 2009 93
Micro-Flying Joe Malinchak | [email protected]
Robert Guillot’s amazing 3.8-inch-wingspan Ord Hume 7
has a custom-built BL motor and weighs only 1.1 grams.
Keith Swanson scratch-built this 36-inchwingspan
Demoiselle. The pilot figure moves
with the flight controls.
Matt Keennon’s Bell AH-1G Cobra weighs 37 grams. It features Walkera 4#3
components, custom .05-gram servos, and a scratch-built foam body.
01sig3.QXD 11/21/08 3:14 PM Page 93
94 MODEL AVIATION
Rick Ruijsink won the NEAT Fair’s
Technical Achievement award with his
3.07-gram DelFly Micro ornithopter.
Jin Choe built his 13-inch-span SBD Dauntless using Durobatics foam and a Plantraco
system. He also constructed the 10-inch Sopwith Triplane.
Nick Leichty’s 13-gram, 10-inch-span AcroBat features his new
.6-gram servos and flies beautifully.
Bob Selman’s Thistle uses a prototype .6-gram motor from DC
Enterprises and is powered with a FULLRIVER 30 mAh cell.
Unfortunately, Gordon and his club were
not able to run the event this year. I was asked
to take over, and with the help of the Boston
Micronauts, the Bergen County Silent Flyers,
the event pilots, and my wife, we were able to
keep the indoor portion going.
The flying started at 1 p.m. The
Downsville School allowed us to start flying
earlier, which gave the pilots plenty of time to
test their models. It was great to have the extra
time to visit with friends and do some casual
flying before the halftime show.
Bob Selman flew his nice-flying, all-balsa,
5.5-gram Thistle that used a new .6-gram
brushless motor from DC Enterprises. Bob
made a special converter so he could use the
BL motor with a normal brushed output
receiver. I was impressed by the model’s
performance. He used a FULLRIVER 30 cell
with this new power source.
Mike Cross flew his neat 9-inch-span, 18-
gram Skyray. The model features a custombuilt
20mm ducted-fan unit. Mike was kind
enough to let me fly his airplane, and it
performed beautifully with good high- and
low-speed performance.
The halftime show has always been a
favorite for pilots and spectators. It allows all
registered pilots to demonstrate their latest
creations to the audience without the
distraction of other airplanes flying. SKS
Video Productions was there to capture some
of the great demonstrations for its DVD
release of the event.
Matt Keennon flew his beautiful Bell AH-
1G Cobra helicopter. He converted the
Walkera 4#3 into the great-flying, 37-gram
scale model. The body is made from Depron
and bead foam. To reduce the weight of the
aircraft, Matt used custom .05-gram linear
servos and a 1S3P 90 FULLRIVER battery
pack (one cell, 270 mAh).
Robert Guillot flew his amazing 3.8-inchspan
Ord Hume 7. This model is made from
foam milled to .012 inch. It uses a Rabbit Hip
Hop receiver and features a custom-built BL
motor (3 x 2mm magnet, 38 ohms, 175
milligrams). The airplane weighs only 1.1
grams and flies beautifully.
Nick Leichty flew his 13-gram, 10-inchspan
AcroBat. It uses a four-channel Hip Hop
01sig3.QXD 11/21/08 3:17 PM Page 94
servos. Nick let me fly his airplane, and it was
a pleasure. The lightweight aircraft flew
smoothly and precisely through every
aerobatic maneuver.
Team members from Horizon Hobby flew
with us for the first time. They demonstrated
the new ParkZone Vapor and the new E-flite
Blade mCX helicopter. Both are exceptional
products. I will have a review of them in an
upcoming column.
Cindy Malinchak wrote the following report
about this year’s NEAT Fair.
“What an honor it was hosting this year’s
NEAT event with my husband, Joe. As usual,
we had many of the finest RC modelers in the
world. We separated time slots between
lightweight, micro aircraft and open flying, so
there was plenty of airtime and everyone was
pleased with the outcome.
“Jin Choe, from Virginia, was a new face
in the crowd, bringing some interesting scale
models. His 13-inch-wingspan Dauntless
Dive Bomber was constructed from
Durobatics foam, and flew beautifully. This
24-gram airplane uses the Plantraco threechannel
radio, and a GWJ drive with a 7mm
blue motor. He also had a 10-inch-wingspan
Sopwith Triplane that weighs 26 grams, and
uses a GWJ 7mm drive orange motor. Nice
job, Jin.
“I was impressed by a beautiful seven-
wing model scratch-built by Stuart Natof,
called Triumph. What a fascinating slow flyer
it appears to be. I could watch this model fly
all day. It has a 24-inch wingspan, is covered
in 2.2 Mylar, and is constructed mostly from
carbon fiber tubing. The model uses the
ParkZone Vapor brick control system for
guidance. He also had a smaller version of the
aircraft.
“As I headed down the flightline, I noticed
this cute little pilot figure inside an airplane
turning his head and moving his body. What
detail! It was a Demoiselle, scratch-built by
Keith Swanson. Now this was one cool
airplane and it flew well. With a 36-inch
wingspan, the Demoiselle weighs 5.5 ounces,
is covered with Glad Press’n Seal wrap, and
uses the Polk’s Tracker III transmitter and
Berg receiver.
“After a wonderful evening of flying, we
look forward to seeing you all at next year’s
NEAT Fair. Have a safe and healthy year.” MA
Sources:
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
BSD Micro RC
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
Micro Flier Radio
(941) 377-9808
http://microflierradio.com
SKS Video Productions
(800) 988-6488
www.sksvideo.com
NEAT Fair
www.neatfair.org
Plantraco
(306) 955-1836
www.plantraco.com
Durobatics
(315) 264-2064
www.durobatics.com
DC Enterprises
080-26718757 (India)
www.microbrushless.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 93,94,96
THE 2008 NEAT [Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology] Fair was
held September 12-14 near Downsville, New York. This has always
been one of my favorite modeling events. Where else can you see
electric-powered models of all sizes and types flying against the
beautiful backdrop of the Catskill Mountains?
My NEAT Fair experience begins a few days before the event
officially starts. Every year I get together with a few friends who are en
route to the event. We share our latest creations, do some hangar
flying, and have fun.
We normally leave for the NEAT Fair site on Thursday (setup day)
to do some flying. Ironically, this is when we do most of our outdoor
flying with our micromodels. The sun was shining, the wind was calm,
and we put in some good flights.
The micro seminars this year were held on Friday in the Bergen
County Silent Flyers’ tent. As in the past, they were well attended. I
talked about my favorite modeling subject: micro scale models and
building techniques.
Nick Leichty discussed the many new, innovative products he is
developing for his company, Micro Flyer Radio. The product that most
interested me was a new .6-gram servo. It is a rotary type that has good
speed and performance.
Nick is also working on some new
subgram receivers. They will be available in a
servo or actuator type and be compatible with
900 MHz systems.
I am looking forward to building a fourchannel
micro scale model with one of Nick’s
new receivers and .6-gram servos. Now we
can have an ultra-light, full-house scale or
aerobatic model with positive control. Please
visit Nick’s Web site for more information.
Rick Ruijsink came from the Netherlands
to speak about his new DelFly Micro
ornithopter. His 3.78-inch-span model carries
an onboard camera with a video downlink.
The three-channel aircraft uses a 900 MHz
Hip Hop receiver, Plantraco HingeActs for
elevator and rudder control, and weighs only
3.07 grams.
Rick was awarded the NEAT Fair
Technical Achievement award for his efforts.
He developed the MicroMag RC system
many years ago. It was the smallest and most
lightweight of its time, and it paved the way
for the new, lighter RC systems we are using
today.
Petter Muren of Norway discussed his
great line of micro RC helicopters. His latest
design, a neat micro ornithopter, may be
headed for production.
Bob Selman from BSD Micro RC talked
about his company’s new products. He has
some great kits and is one of our best micro
RC suppliers.
Indoor flying at the NEAT Fair was Saturday
September 13, at Downsville Central School.
Gordon Johnson and the Boston Micronauts
club started this event several years ago.
Because of the club’s efforts, the gathering
has quickly grown into one of the best
gatherings of the year for micro RC
enthusiasts.
NEAT Fair report from the inside and outside
January 2009 93
Micro-Flying Joe Malinchak | [email protected]
Robert Guillot’s amazing 3.8-inch-wingspan Ord Hume 7
has a custom-built BL motor and weighs only 1.1 grams.
Keith Swanson scratch-built this 36-inchwingspan
Demoiselle. The pilot figure moves
with the flight controls.
Matt Keennon’s Bell AH-1G Cobra weighs 37 grams. It features Walkera 4#3
components, custom .05-gram servos, and a scratch-built foam body.
01sig3.QXD 11/21/08 3:14 PM Page 93
94 MODEL AVIATION
Rick Ruijsink won the NEAT Fair’s
Technical Achievement award with his
3.07-gram DelFly Micro ornithopter.
Jin Choe built his 13-inch-span SBD Dauntless using Durobatics foam and a Plantraco
system. He also constructed the 10-inch Sopwith Triplane.
Nick Leichty’s 13-gram, 10-inch-span AcroBat features his new
.6-gram servos and flies beautifully.
Bob Selman’s Thistle uses a prototype .6-gram motor from DC
Enterprises and is powered with a FULLRIVER 30 mAh cell.
Unfortunately, Gordon and his club were
not able to run the event this year. I was asked
to take over, and with the help of the Boston
Micronauts, the Bergen County Silent Flyers,
the event pilots, and my wife, we were able to
keep the indoor portion going.
The flying started at 1 p.m. The
Downsville School allowed us to start flying
earlier, which gave the pilots plenty of time to
test their models. It was great to have the extra
time to visit with friends and do some casual
flying before the halftime show.
Bob Selman flew his nice-flying, all-balsa,
5.5-gram Thistle that used a new .6-gram
brushless motor from DC Enterprises. Bob
made a special converter so he could use the
BL motor with a normal brushed output
receiver. I was impressed by the model’s
performance. He used a FULLRIVER 30 cell
with this new power source.
Mike Cross flew his neat 9-inch-span, 18-
gram Skyray. The model features a custombuilt
20mm ducted-fan unit. Mike was kind
enough to let me fly his airplane, and it
performed beautifully with good high- and
low-speed performance.
The halftime show has always been a
favorite for pilots and spectators. It allows all
registered pilots to demonstrate their latest
creations to the audience without the
distraction of other airplanes flying. SKS
Video Productions was there to capture some
of the great demonstrations for its DVD
release of the event.
Matt Keennon flew his beautiful Bell AH-
1G Cobra helicopter. He converted the
Walkera 4#3 into the great-flying, 37-gram
scale model. The body is made from Depron
and bead foam. To reduce the weight of the
aircraft, Matt used custom .05-gram linear
servos and a 1S3P 90 FULLRIVER battery
pack (one cell, 270 mAh).
Robert Guillot flew his amazing 3.8-inchspan
Ord Hume 7. This model is made from
foam milled to .012 inch. It uses a Rabbit Hip
Hop receiver and features a custom-built BL
motor (3 x 2mm magnet, 38 ohms, 175
milligrams). The airplane weighs only 1.1
grams and flies beautifully.
Nick Leichty flew his 13-gram, 10-inchspan
AcroBat. It uses a four-channel Hip Hop
01sig3.QXD 11/21/08 3:17 PM Page 94
servos. Nick let me fly his airplane, and it was
a pleasure. The lightweight aircraft flew
smoothly and precisely through every
aerobatic maneuver.
Team members from Horizon Hobby flew
with us for the first time. They demonstrated
the new ParkZone Vapor and the new E-flite
Blade mCX helicopter. Both are exceptional
products. I will have a review of them in an
upcoming column.
Cindy Malinchak wrote the following report
about this year’s NEAT Fair.
“What an honor it was hosting this year’s
NEAT event with my husband, Joe. As usual,
we had many of the finest RC modelers in the
world. We separated time slots between
lightweight, micro aircraft and open flying, so
there was plenty of airtime and everyone was
pleased with the outcome.
“Jin Choe, from Virginia, was a new face
in the crowd, bringing some interesting scale
models. His 13-inch-wingspan Dauntless
Dive Bomber was constructed from
Durobatics foam, and flew beautifully. This
24-gram airplane uses the Plantraco threechannel
radio, and a GWJ drive with a 7mm
blue motor. He also had a 10-inch-wingspan
Sopwith Triplane that weighs 26 grams, and
uses a GWJ 7mm drive orange motor. Nice
job, Jin.
“I was impressed by a beautiful seven-
wing model scratch-built by Stuart Natof,
called Triumph. What a fascinating slow flyer
it appears to be. I could watch this model fly
all day. It has a 24-inch wingspan, is covered
in 2.2 Mylar, and is constructed mostly from
carbon fiber tubing. The model uses the
ParkZone Vapor brick control system for
guidance. He also had a smaller version of the
aircraft.
“As I headed down the flightline, I noticed
this cute little pilot figure inside an airplane
turning his head and moving his body. What
detail! It was a Demoiselle, scratch-built by
Keith Swanson. Now this was one cool
airplane and it flew well. With a 36-inch
wingspan, the Demoiselle weighs 5.5 ounces,
is covered with Glad Press’n Seal wrap, and
uses the Polk’s Tracker III transmitter and
Berg receiver.
“After a wonderful evening of flying, we
look forward to seeing you all at next year’s
NEAT Fair. Have a safe and healthy year.” MA
Sources:
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
BSD Micro RC
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
Micro Flier Radio
(941) 377-9808
http://microflierradio.com
SKS Video Productions
(800) 988-6488
www.sksvideo.com
NEAT Fair
www.neatfair.org
Plantraco
(306) 955-1836
www.plantraco.com
Durobatics
(315) 264-2064
www.durobatics.com
DC Enterprises
080-26718757 (India)
www.microbrushless.com