Author: Joe Malinchak
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 93,94,96
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NEAT Fair report from the inside and outside

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.

Micro seminars

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 Flier Radio. The product that most interested me was a new 0.6-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 four-channel micro scale model with one of Nick’s new receivers and 0.6-gram servos. Now we can have an ultra-light, full-house scale or aerobatic model with positive control. Please visit Nick’s website for more information: http://microflieradio.com

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 — Downsville Central School

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 events of the year for micro RC enthusiasts.

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.

Highlights from indoor flying and notable models:

  • Bob Selman flew his nice-flying, all-balsa, 5.5-gram Thistle that used a new 0.6-gram brushless motor from DC Enterprises. Bob made a special converter so he could use the brushless motor with a normal brushed-output receiver. I was impressed by the model's performance. He used a FULLRIVER 30-cell battery with this new power source.
  • Mike Cross flew his neat 9-inch-span, 18-gram Skyray. The model features a custom-built 20 mm ducted-fan unit. Mike was kind enough to let me fly his airplane, and it performed beautifully with good high- and low-speed performance.
  • 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 0.05-gram linear servos and a 1S3P 90 FULLRIVER battery pack (one cell, 270 mAh).
  • Robert Guillot flew his amazing 3.8-inch-span Ord Hume 7. This model is made from foam milled to 0.012 inch. It uses a Rabbit Hip Hop receiver and features a custom-built brushless motor (3 x 2 mm magnet, 38 ohms, 175 milligrams). The airplane weighs only 1.1 grams and flies beautifully.
  • Nick Leichty flew his 13-gram, 10-inch-span AcroBat. It uses a four-channel Hip Hop servo receiver and features his new 0.6-gram 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.

Halftime show

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.

Other participants and equipment

  • Rick Ruijsink — DelFly Micro ornithopter (3.78-inch span, 3.07 grams)
  • Nick Leichty — new 0.6-gram rotary servos; subgram receivers; 13-gram AcroBat
  • Petter Muren — micro RC helicopters and a possible production ornithopter
  • Bob Selman (BSD Micro RC) — Thistle and company products
  • Horizon Hobby team — ParkZone Vapor, E-flite Blade mCX

Report from Cindy Malinchak

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 three-channel radio, and a GWJ drive with a 7 mm blue motor. He also had a 10-inch-wingspan Sopwith Triplane that weighs 26 grams, and uses a GWJ 7 mm 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 highline, 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

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.