2004 NEAT Fair - 2005/03

by John Worth
Saturday morning, the campsite next to the flying field was flooded when the adjacent
river overflowed because of an overnight deluge from Hurricane Ivan.
THE STORY OF what happened at the
Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology
(NEAT) Fair at the Peaceful Valley
Campsite in Shinhopple, New York,
September 17-19 is much more than a tale
of who was there and what they flew. It
has a great deal to do with how modelers
handle a crisis.
This was the fourth annual event
organized to show and demonstrate the
latest in electric flight. Heavy rains and
floods forced the last two days of the
NEAT Fair to be canceled, but that came
after two days of flying and buying, so
many positive things happened to offset
the negatives.
The last two days resulted in many
trailers, motor homes, tents, and cars being
flooded out and/or overturned by rising
waters from the river adjacent to the flying
field/campsite. The situation prevented
many who had gotten into hotels and
cabins the night before from getting back
to the site the next morning to recover the
many items left there overnight.
Many who spent the night at the site
were unable to get away from it when they
woke up to the floods all around them;
police had closed practically all roads for
miles. However, those at the site didn’t
panic. Instead—led by event organizer
Tom Hunt and members of the host Silent
Electric Flyers of Long Island (SEFLI)
club, who were temporarily living on the
site—they pitched in to rescue equipment
and vehicles.
They managed to upright overturned
vehicles, pull cars out of the mud, drag
tents and equipment to higher ground, etc.
Amazingly, no one was seriously injured in
this disastrous situation.
In the middle of it all, when the sun
came out after a day, a night, and a
morning of solid rain, several modelers
actually did some flying to supplement
what they had done the day before. Others
managed to buy products even as the
vendors were salvaging their stock and
packing it to go home.
Although the NEAT Fair was curtailed, a
great deal happened at the event that is
worth noting. A total of 189 pilots had
registered in advance to fly, and there were
42 vendors—a good indication of the state
of the art. Electric power is relatively new
(going back roughly 20 years) compared to
internal-combustion-power activity, which
originated in the 1930s.
Smaller and lighter were the dominant
characteristics of several models that
generated excitement at the event.
Probably the most significant were the
airplanes with prototype micro outrunnertype
motors by Gary Jones at the Bob
Selman Designs booth. These tiny 7-gram
motors demonstrated great power and
performance that enabled the models in
which they were mounted to fly with great
authority.
Gordon Johnson’s slightly larger,
homemade outrunner motor in a small
staggerwing Beechcraft model showed
outstanding performance with excellent
maneuverability and aerobatic flight.
Noteworthy about such motors is that they
have great torque, which means that they
provide ample power without requiring
gear drives.
Other larger outrunner motors in bigger
models provided more evidence that this is
the wave of the future for all sizes of
electric-powered models. At least for
aircraft that weigh a couple ounces or
more, it seems as though there is much less
need for heavier geared motors swinging
big propellers. Gary Jones’s Mix 18 model
showed 3-D (vertical hovering) capability
while using only a direct-drive 5 x 3
propeller—something considered
impossible only a few months ago.
Hobby Lobby’s booth showed a number
of the larger outrunners, as did several
others. Only in the past year have such
motors become obviously popular, with
dramatic effect on the electric-power
movement.
Some have commented that such motors
may be regarded as sort of turbinelike, with
high rpm and uncompromised by frictioncausing
brushes and commutators. These
power plants spin freely on ball bearings
and produce great power with highrevving,
small propellers.
Fourth annual gathering turned into a “hydro-electric” event
The small Cloud 9 RC tent was constantly crowded by those
seeking shelter and the latest in microflight technology.
The Bergen County (NJ) Silent Flyers hosted seminars by
prominent modelers, keeping attendees spellbound for hours.
John Worth (L) with RC Gollywock and Abbott Lahti with RC
Citabria got in some flights before the rains came.
Gary Jones’s all-foam, three-channel, tailless RC has his originaldesign
micro brushless outrunner motor, elevon controls.
Norwegian Petter Muren’s inherently stable Nano Helicopter
weighs just 2.7 grams and has Infra-Red control system.
Also at the NEAT Fair were newer Lithium batteries featuring
much more current capability than was previously available.
FMA Direct’s booth showed its latest-generation Kokam Li-Poly
cells with as much as 40C capability.
They can handle much more current than before, meaning that
smaller and lighter cells could be substituted for previousgeneration
cells. It also means that Li-Poly cells can now be used
for higher-power projects that were previously thought to be
beyond Li-Poly capability.
In the realm of microflight, Bob Selman’s 7-inch-span Mini-
Dolphin, weighing just more than 7 grams (one-quarter ounce!),
used off-the-shelf, commercial RC-system components and
demonstrated impressive flight performance outdoors. It would
normally be considered strictly an indoor model.
With foam wings and sheet-balsa construction for the rest of
the aircraft, this is not a fragile little airplane. Most of us are
capable of building and flying it. I’m hoping to see the Mini-
Dolphin available in kit form by the time this issue of MA is
published.
Another outstanding aircraft at the NEAT Fair was a little
Pylon racer that was one in a series by Esprit. It is an extremely
clean design that looks like a sailplane but is much smaller and
Jean-Marie Piednoir’s 20-inch-span, all-foam, semiscale model of
a same-size Martinet bird flew realistically.
Jean-Marie’s foam flying-wing design is similar to his Martinet. It
has a pusher propeller driven by an extension shaft up front.
Bob Selman’s 7-inch-span Mini-Dolphin weighs 7 grams.
Basically an indoor model, it flew well in calm outdoor conditions.
Polk’s Modelcraft Hobbies had a great variety of models and
components for electric-powered RC on display and for sale.
Alan Mostek’s Pizza Plane has a realistic-looking paint job. It is a
flying-saucer type design that flies well.
much faster flying. The one on display at the Apogee Li-Poly
battery booth got plenty of attention for its sleek appearance and
beautiful molded construction.
There were more so-called 3-D aerobatic models at this
gathering than ever before, from many vendors. These aircraft are
best known for flying in a vertical hovering mode, with the tail
hanging down. Among the most prominent were some by E-flite;
its Tribute EP 3D ARF got attention for its small size, profile
foam construction, attractive appearance, and excellent
performance.
Aerodynamicist George Hicks’s Tribute is credited with
initiating indoor activity for 3-D models. It was previously
thought that such flying was only possible for large models with
super-powerful motors; now 3-D aerobatics is feasible for parkand
indoor-flying models as well.
Among the most unusual models at NEAT was the 20-inch
semiscale model of a Martinet bird by Jean-Marie Piednoir of
France. The little all-foam airplane weighed slightly more than 1
ounce and looked realistic up close and in the air; it’s the same
size as the bird it resembles. Only its diminutive pusher motor
mounted at the tail revealed that this was a model; otherwise, it
appears to be a stuffed bird for museum display. It was smooth
flying and highly maneuverable.
Proof of the high esteem in which the
NEAT Fair is held worldwide was the
attendance of prominent modelers from
Europe. Besides Jean-Marie, there was
Jean Nicoud from Switzerland, Rick
Ruijsink from the Netherlands, Petter
Muren from Norway, and Mark Denham
from England.
Although its full schedule of
presentations was cut short, the event
featured seminars about microflight
models. Outstanding, internationally
known speakers presented a full day of
talks and demonstrations.
Most acclaimed was Matt Keennon’s
flight inside the seminar tent—
approximately 50 feet square and 10 feet
high—filled with an audience of roughly
100 people seated and standing. Matt flew
his 14-inch biplane slowly and safely just
above their heads—an outstanding display
of skill and showmanship.
Another treat was Petter Muren
demonstrating his tiny indoor helicopter
which is controlled by an Infra-Red
system. Other in-tent demonstrations
added life to the many technical
presentations that were made while the
rain was pouring down outside. The
atmosphere inside the crowded tent was
exciting and intense—almost oblivious to
the weather.
These seminars, organized by
microflight pioneer Sergio Zigras and
hosted by the Bergen County (NJ) Silent
Flyers, were held at the NEAT Fair for the
first time in 2003. The 2004 edition was to
be bigger, with more speakers and more
hours devoted to the subject of
microflight. Even with the abbreviated
schedule, the program was extremely
popular, with hour after hour of interesting
subject matter.
Much of what happened during the NEAT
Fair weekend was unplanned, but it
contributed significantly to the overall
picture. When it became obvious that the
event schedule had to be abandoned, a
number of ad hoc activities took place
away from the site.
Groups of modelers gathered at hotels
for impromptu gabbing and flying
sessions, some did so at a diner in Roscoe,
others managed to get to the school in
Downsville, and a few inhabited the
Walton high school, where an indoor
flying event had originally been
scheduled.
The Downsville situation was
interesting because the school had been
converted overnight into an emergency
shelter for the local people who had to
evacuate their homes and visitors such as
the NEAT Fair attendees whose hotels or
other accommodations were flooded out.
The modelers made the most of the
situation; the Red Cross supplied food and
cots, and the school gym was available for
indoor flying and gabfests.
Many of those who stayed at the Days
Inn in Liberty, New York, flew 3-D and
helicopters, along with IFOs and other
models. They started in the lobby during
the day and ended up in the ballroom that
night. Many of them were vendors or
industry representatives.
Basically wherever those modelers who
had not left for home stayed Saturday
evening, they got together to keep the
NEAT Fair spirit going. The fact that they
had quiet electric airplanes made it
possible for them to fly in places that
would never permit noisy flying indoors. It
was a fitting end to a memorable weekend.
Planning for the 2005 NEAT Fair is
proceeding, undeterred by the weather
problems that Hurricane Ivan caused in
2004. The almost unanimous reaction of
those who were there was that they would
be back and that despite the problems, the
gathering was worth attending for the
reunionlike atmosphere that united so
many old friends, the information
exchanges that resulted, and the new
friendships that developed as many
worked together to overcome the chaos.
NEAT Fair 2004 is in the history books as
a crippled victim of Hurricane Ivan that has
survived. Most of those who were there have
undaunted spirits; they will return. MA
John Worth
4326 Andes Dr.
Fairfax VA 22030