2004 NEAT Fair
by John Worth
Fourth annual gathering turned into a "hydro-electric" event
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 and 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 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, and more. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured in this disastrous situation.
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 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 airplanes with prototype micro outrunner-type 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 capability. Noteworthy about such motors is that they have great torque, which means 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. For aircraft that weigh a couple of ounces or more, there seems to be 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 5x3 propeller—something considered impossible only a few months earlier.
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 these motors may be regarded as turbine-like, with high rpm and no friction-causing brushes and commutators. These power plants spin freely on ball bearings and produce great power with high-revving, small propellers.
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 previous-generation cells. It also means that Li-Poly cells can now be used for higher-power projects that were previously thought 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 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 park- and 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, including:
- Jean-Marie Piednoir (France)
- Jean Nicoud (Switzerland)
- Rick Ruijsink (Netherlands)
- Petter Muren (Norway)
- Mark Denham (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 infrared 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 improvised gathering places included:
- hotel lobbies and ballrooms (Days Inn in Liberty was a notable example)
- a diner in Roscoe
- the Downsville school gym (converted into an emergency shelter)
- Walton High School
The Downsville situation was interesting because the school had been converted overnight into an emergency shelter for local people who had to evacuate their homes and for visitors such as 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 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 reunions and the 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
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
