Tony Fiore with his 11-pound Jerry’s Big Boy. It has a 30-cell
Aveox 1817-2Y with Planeta 3.7:1 turning 18 x 12 propeller.
February 2001 65
Jacob Dantonio (Harrison City PA) with dad’s scratch-built 1⁄3-scale Acro 260E, which weighs 30 pounds and spans 96 inches.
The 2000 NEAT site had 1,200 feet of pilot line and more flying
space in the bottom of a natural mountainous ‘aero-bowl”!
n Bob Kopski
The NEAT fair
is destined to become
the mecca for
Electric modelers
he first Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology fair (NEAT)
was held September 22-24, 2000 at the Peaceful Valley
Campsite in Downsville NY.
This site is in a corner of the Catskill Mountains, along the east
branch of the Delaware River. It is located just off Route 30,
approximately 10 miles north of the intersection of NY Routes 17
and 30 (Exit 90). It was very easy to find. (You will want these
details for next year!)
The area in general is “outdoorsy,” with small towns and
motels/cabins spread along Route 17. One nearby location is
described as the “trout fishing capital of the world.”
Since this is a generally mountainous setting, one naturally
wonders where one might fly there. Not to worry!
The region has much to offer as a family vacation site (keep that
in mind for next year). There were families with kids on-site, which
is always nice to see.
66 M ODEL AVIATION
Eight-year-old Jessica Goodman (Chalfont PA) with her Party,
built with dad Jeffery’s help. Has GWS motor/prop, 7 x 110 pack.
Ernie Heyworth of Horseheads NY (see foam-board model, 11/00
MA) with PINK-E original, powered by toy motor.
Crowd-pleasing Twingo, a twin Wingo, carried an RC parachutist aloft. Two pilots and transmitters were needed, and it worked great!
Jim Ryan’s (Cincinnati OH) “Gaggle of WW II Warbirds” won
Best of Show. All are made from foam, balsa, and fiberglass.
The NEAT meet, presented by the Silent Electric Fliers of Long
Island club (SEFLI), was intended as a “revival,” a “follow-on,” and
a “continuation of the spirit” of the well-known KRC Electric Fly.
The KRC meet was discontinued, much to the dismay of many,
after an 18-year reign as the top Electric meet anywhere.
The good news is that the first-ever NEAT fair was one terrific
E-meet, and it achieved the goal of a rebirth! And it will continue in
the future!
Since I was intimately associated with “The KRC” throughout its
tenure, I can categorically declare that the 2000 NEAT gathering
was a whopping meet-in-kind.
This affair is certainly a candidate for “Greatest Electric Show on
Earth.” It had all the makings—superb and enthusiastic
management, a great site, huge attendance, hundreds of Electrics,
good frequency and flight station control, extensive industry
support, and vendor participation.
It also featured raffle prizes, a prevailing atmosphere of
friendliness and fun, many examples of Electric craftsmanship,
creativity, achievement, showmanship, on-site camping, food and
rest facilities, and even early signs of overcrowding!
This gathering outdid its predecessor in at least one important
way: it was a three-day flying affair.
The “overcrowding” statement is a bit of a stretch. This first-ever
field layout was nearly full with the 195 registrants and hundreds of
other attendees, but meet management is already adjusting it for
next year.
The 1,200-foot flightline, arranged roughly in the middle of a
half-mile-long span of campgrounds and alongside the 100- x 600-
foot runway, is not the limit of the site—it’s the first attempt at
setting it up.
That is fortunate, because as the NEAT word spreads, interest
will spread; I expect a quantum jump in attendance next year.
One clever aspect of the field layout was the designated
spectator area. It was a sort of spectator promenade between the
pit area and the active runway area. The arrangement made it
February 2001 67
Ed Brimo (Matthews NC) with the eight-year-old Aero Lectric he
won in 1992 KRC raffle, which was built by the author.
Keith Shaw (Ann Arbor MI), Astro 01-powered Formula I Estrellita
(“young rising star”). Spans 24 inches, is 101⁄2 ounces.
Laddie Mikulasko’s (Dundas, Ontario) Best of Show Canadian
Bug is all-balsa, 44 inches, with Speed 400 and 2:1 gears.
Photos by the author Graphic Design by Jill Ann Cavanaugh
February 2001 69
easy to view everything on the ground
and in the air.
Vendors were placed in an area off a far
end of the active field; this location
effectively maximized freedom on and
around the pilot areas, and presented plenty
of space for the “goodies” part of the meet.
The concessions and rest facilities were
similarly located, and this collective
grouping worked very well.
The names most associated with the meet
organization and management include Tom
Hunt, Bob Aberle, and Joe Beshar, who are
well-known and respected leaders within
modeldom.
Although I can’t name them all, there
were many hardworking behind-the-scenes
people from SEFLI; such a large and
successful undertaking couldn’t have
happened without them. SEFLI can take
great pride in this accomplishment.
The field lies in a gorgeous setting. Picture
a huge, smooth, grassy flying field that
forms the base of an enormous natural
bowl—the sides of which are majestic
mountains.
This high-rise earthen perimeter was a
bit intimidating at first, but in reality it was
plenty far away. Pilots flew “in tight” at
first, as if feeling bound, then gradually
opened up as they realized the actual
distance.
The mountains and the setting as a
whole formed a spacious, awesome, and
austere site, with an encompassing
quietness consistent with the nature of
Electric flying.
Meet activity was essentially casual, with
an “open fly” nearly all the time, and there
were a few periods of demonstration
flying.
There were times of stiff wind and/or
small amounts of precipitation during the
three days, and early mornings and early
evenings had their own kind of chill. But
overall, there was an abundance of flight
opportunity and a nearly steady line behind
the 10 flight stations.
Although there were a few mishaps
during the weekend, such incidents were
minimal for a gathering this size.
Competitive events were limited to
judgment determinations, and they did not
interfere with general flying.
The awards included Best of Show,
which went to Jim Ryan for his “Gaggle
of WW II Warbirds,” powered by Speed
400s. Jim is the modeler behind Ryan
Aircraft, and he manufacturers these as
quality kits.
The Best of Show award was donated by
the National Electric Aircraft Council
(NEAC)—the National Special Interest
Group that represents Electric fliers at
AMA.
Jim won the Charlie Spear Award at the
Mid-America meet in July, for his efforts in
advancing Electric-powered flight.
The Best Sport Model award went to
well-known, often-published, and very
friendly Canadian Laddie Mikulasko for his
imaginative Canadian Bug. This whimsical
Speed 400- powered creation flew
surprisingly well, and it was a sight in the
sky! I really enjoyed it.
The Best Scale Model award went to
meticulous master craftsman and perennial
Precision Scale modeler Steven Stratt for his
Junkers J2. Steven was a routine Scale
contender and a frequent winner during the
KRC years.
The Best Technical Achievement went to
Dave ‘Turbo” Dantonio for his Acro
260E—a massive 30-pound, 72-cell, morethan-
2-kilowatt flying machine. He built his
own monster belt drive that tied two Astro
60s to a shaft common with the 24 x 14
propeller.
I think Dave was able to accomplish
this because he was ably assisted by his
three-year-old son Jacob, who looked like
he could pilot this model himself—from
inside!
I was told that The Best Crash award
went to Merchon Cottrell for an
unidentifiable object (afterward)!
As has been the strong trend in recent years,
the most-represented model at NEAT was
the “small” Electric.
The meet was dominated by the Speed
400 and smaller power system category—as
far as numbers go.
However, the biggest performance and
accomplishment impressions were made by
the numerous large and powerful Electrics,
which included some overwhelming scale
work.
This gathering brought out plenty of
everything Electric, and no matter what your
interest, you could find it there.
Meet management’s early estimate was
500 aircraft, which were brought by
attendees from roughly half the states and
numerous countries.
I spent much of the weekend walking the
lengthy pilot and vendor areas. There was
much to be seen, and the three days was
insufficient to cover all I would have liked
in detail.
Everyone was friendly and
conversational, although pausing for a
picture in their intended path was sometimes
disruptive. Many of the photos herein were
taken that way.
However, all that walking and talking
had its price; I ran out of “personal charge,”
and I didn’t want to stay on-site for the dusk
and dark activities, which included informal
night-flying. How paradoxical—I built a
new night-flier for the weekend!
My pedestrian travels had some
particularly nice moments. While talking to
Ed Brimo of North Carolina about his three
warbirds, it came out that he mostly flew an
older Midwest Aero Lectric (which was out
of sight at the time). Ed told me he won it in
the KRC 1992 raffle.
I told Ed I had built the model, and
elation followed! The Aero Lectric is still in
like-new condition.
I always enjoy a conversation with
longtime friend Keith Shaw. We go “way
back”; Keith had been a KRC regular in the
early 1980s. Many modelers at NEAT were
early—and recent—KRC attendees.
Keith performed some demonstration
flights. His crowd-pleasing airplanes and
performance are highlights at any meet.
Although Keith is known mostly for his
large and powerful Scale designs, he has
joined the “small” fliers crowd with his
Astro 01-powered 1970s Formula I racer.
Probably the most touching
conversations I have are with families, and
especially with the kids. Little ones can be a
surprise source of glee!
I was speaking with Jeffery Goodman
and setting up a picture of his Quaker, when
along came his daughter Jessica. I wanted a
picture of her with dad’s airplane; when I
asked her if it was okay, she asked in return,
“why not with my plane?”
So be it, Jessica, and thank you very
much!
These kinds of encounters make even the
largest gathering feel warm and personalized.
The easygoing and gentlemanly Jim Martin
of Hobby Lobby put on a crowd-pleasing
show with the Twingo foamie and an
onboard Radio Control (RC) parachutist.
The Twingo is a two-motor version of the
very popular Wingo.
The Twingo was taken up high and
flown to the right spot over the field. Then
the parachutist was released, and it made a
guided decent to the field. This took two
pilots to orchestrate; it all worked very well,
and the crowd cheered!
Hobby Lobby has been big on Electrics
for almost as long as anyone.
Since I mentioned one popular park flier
in my column, I must note that many other
products in kind were featured at this meet.
Not only were many flown, but many were
shown in the vendor area.
Northeast Sailplane Products had
many park fliers on display in its alwayscrowded
booth (I couldn’t get close!), and
Glen Merritt of Hitec/San Diego brought
some Sky Scooter Almost Ready to Flys
(ARFs).
Hitec is promoting All Up/Last Down
and Pylon events for these models at the
2001 Silent Electric Flyers of San Diego
meet. Look for an advanced version of the
Sky Scooter in the near future.
I got some stick time on a product-tobe—
a simple two-channel, toy-like Rogallo
design that offered serious performance. It is
a foolproof, nearly crashproof design that is
very easy to fly and is all fun.
Watch for this ARF in coming months,
as pricing and distribution plans are
finalized. It’s something I’d keep in the car
for those occasions when youngsters happen
by the field—any field!
Reflecting on all the “small stuff” at NEAT,
I stand amazed at what Electric is bringing
about within our hobby.
The contemporary explosion in small RC
aircraft is an easy path to the youth market
and a genuine advance for aeromodeling.
It’s easier than ever to get an aeromodeling
start, and this opportunity could not exist
with any other power source.
Those foam toss-gliders are promoted
in shopping malls each spring; I can
imagine the day when small, quiet,
unobtrusive RC Electrics—and therefore
aeromodeling in a larger-way—are
promoted in the same manner.
It’s clear that Electric meets, such as
NEAT, have caught the attention of
increasing numbers of suppliers, and
aeromodeling in general, and have helped
quiet much of the historical negativity
toward Electric.
These meets have been the Electric
showplaces and proving grounds. They are
the interface with the rest of
aeromodeling—and with the public.
Just a few years ago, some suppliers
wouldn’t even talk Electric (I know!); now
they are Electric suppliers, because more
and more, “they have to be.”
Electric is proving itself, and the
market and the supplier base have
increased by a magnitude of orders during
the past two decades. History will have
Electric as the biggest boost to
aeromodeling since RC itself. I see
Electric as the future—I always have.
I have communicated with Tom Hunt since
NEAT 2000, and he had some postmeet
comments to share.
“ … we [SEFLI] accomplished our
objective the first year—to continue the
long-standing tradition of the KRC Electric
fly, which provided a place for Electric
modelers and vendors to mix and exchange
ideas. We hope to continue this for as many
years, as KRC did!”
From the first club-sponsored KRC
Electric Fly with three attendees in 1980
to this wonderful SEFLI/NEAT rebirth in
2000, and Electric meets everywhere in
between, it’s been one grand Electric
flight!
Keep chargin’! MA
Bob Kopski
25 West End Dr.
Lansdale PA 19446
70 M ODEL AVIATION
