In addition to more traditional holidays scattered throughout the year, the second weekend after Labor Day has a special star on the workshop calendars of many electric RC modelers throughout the Northeast. We inevitably look back on a summer of great flying as the weather starts to cool, and at the same time, we are loading up for one of the most enjoyable events of the year: the Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology Fair.
Better known simply as the NEAT Fair, this long weekend of aeromodeling fun happens at the inviting Peaceful Valley Campground, tucked into the southwest corner of the Catskills along the scenic banks of the Delaware River’s East Branch. Four model flightlines are spread out along the manicured grass runway of a full-scale private strip, readily accommodating helicopters, larger airplanes, park flyers, and even floatplanes that are flown from an adjacent pond.
The NEAT Fair began in 2001, inspired by the 19-year run of the Keystone Radio Control club (KRC) Electric Fly in nearby Pennsylvania. The KRC event was the largest and best known of the early Electric events, but eventually outgrew its hosting club.
The Silent Electric Flyers (SEFLI) club of Long Island, New York, has long been dedicated to the advancement of electric flight, and its organization was a natural to step up and carry the torch of electric flight forward. With 407 registered pilots at NEAT 2013, it is clear that the SEFLI team has done a masterful job growing this event into its well-deserved, world-class status. NEAT continues to build on the innovative and experimental foundation of the KRC Electric Fly.
This year included plenty of flyable weather, mixed with wind and rain. This kept the spectator numbers and possibly the onsite registrations slightly down. Despite this, NEAT 2013 was a great success, with an endless variety of models of all shapes and sizes.
Numerous built-up models were found sharing the air space with today’s latest ARF and RTF prebuilt fliers. Warbirds and civilian designs—modern and vintage—peppered the lineup. And in between the scale beauties, many exciting and unusual sport fliers abounded. It would be a rare aviation enthusiast who did not readily find examples of his or her favorite aircraft along the flightline.
In addition to all of the airborne action, there were 27 vendors on-site this year, catering to those pilots looking for that perfect next project or simply looking for accessories needed to maintain the airplanes already on the field.
A large swap shop additionally allowed modelers to mix up their fleets without the hassle of trying to meet up with owners or buyers. A nice touch was that the modest 10% house fee was assessed only when money changed hands—not upon consignment, as is often the case.
2013 Highlights
The NEAT Fair is nothing, if not relaxed. This is a good, old-fashioned fun-fly and most of the weekend is dedicated to informal sport flying with only a few official events mixed in. Most notable are the display flights of the midday demonstrations. During this intermission, many unique and impressive models are showcased, including the latest and greatest releases from the vendors and sponsors, meticulously crafted one-off models, and, yes, sometimes examples of just good, old, goofy fun.
The Saturday midday show began with a presentation by Bob Brown, AMA president, and Executive Director Dave Mathewson. Along with several current AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame members, Bob presented Ted Strader of Scotia, New York, with a plaque commemorating his 2013 AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame induction. This was especially moving, because Ted was able to share this moment with his son and grandson, who are also active aeromodelers.
Perhaps the most unique model at the 2013 NEAT Fair was Lee Woodworth’s Blow Plane. Lee added a nose cone with a power system and oversized control surfaces to an inflatable pool toy to come up with this surprising flier spanning 54 inches and weighing a mere 2.8 pounds.
Serious modeling? Absolutely not, but it sure looked like fun. He put a smile on nearly everyone’s face every time he flew. Lee’s efforts also garnered a share of the Best Sport Model award. Innovation runs in the family and Lee’s son, Adam, was recognized for the other half of the award.
Many remember Adam from the 2012 NEAT Fair when he came with a giant Eurofighter shaped from pink foam. That same model returned this year fully dressed, with no apparent performance reduction from its full paint scheme.
Powered with a pair of SK3 5045-660 Kv motors driving Aeronaut 15 x 10 three-blade folding propellers, it weighs 13 pounds, spans 68 inches, and is a full 106 inches long. Despite its size, Adam’s big Eurofighter flies smoothly and slowly with full aerobatic potential.
Another father-and-son team to catch my eye was Ralph and David Perrone with their giant-scale World War I fighters. I’ve seen a few of David’s models throughout the years, and he continues to impress with his Fokker D.VIII.
This 1/3-scale, 30-pound model features a fully detailed cockpit, plywood-sheeted wing, printed lozenge fabric, and the “right” look. David spent 21/2 years on this gorgeous model, working from a Glenn Torrance kit. It shows at every turn.
Spurred on by his son, Ralph Perrone of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, finally declared his Royal Air Force (RAF) S.E.5a finished. He has been picking at this 1/4-scale project for several years. The 80-inch vintage biplane is based on William Effinger plans and weighs 17 pounds. It is powered with an AXI 5330 outrunner motor, Castle Creations HV-110 ESC, and a Polyquest 12S 5,000 mAh LiPo pack. It flies beautifully on roughly 85 watts per pound.
Concluding the demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday was a group flight of seven Golden Age air racers presented by the NEAT Fair Air Racing Society (NFARS) that I conceived. This was not an actual race, but simply a celebration featuring some of the colorful pageantry from that popular period of aviation.
NFARS was intended to help remind people that despite all of the great ARFs available today, building your own model remains practical and fun. The main design goal was to create affordable Scale models of moderate size, suitable for everyday flying by a typical sport pilot.
We targeted models spanning approximately 50 inches and weighing up to 4 pounds, with 300- to 400-watt power systems. This offered a good mix of 1/6- and 1/5-scale airplanes with excellent performance. Other potential builders may be interested to know that plans and laser-cut kits will be available for some of the designs.
In the end, six of us completed new models for the event and Tom Hunt, SEFLI president, joined us with his older Percival Mew Gull. All but one were original, scratch-built Scale models. Paul Dixon built his Daddy-O from a Stevens AeroModel kit. Yes, it is a sport model, but it looks the part and the original design provided much of the inspiration for our demo.
The entire NFARS team is grateful for the generous support of Hitec USA and Thunder Power RC. Similarly, IM Screen Printing and Tony Albence teamed up to create our fantastic T-shirts. Thank you all!
The NEAT Fair can seem overwhelming if you try to “do it all.” I was unable to attend the expanded indoor sessions because of other commitments. I regret not seeing Martin Newell’s 4.4-inch, eight-channel P-51 in flight (yes, you read that right). Fortunately, MA columnist Joe Malinchak coordinated the indoor flying and will highlight that spectacle for us.
The (N)EAT Fair
While this is ostensibly a model airplane event, many regulars joke about dropping the first letter of the name because of the quality and quantity of the food. The commercial food vendors offer homemade pancakes with real maple syrup, fall-off-the-bone barbeque, and seemingly everything in between.
It doesn’t end there. The delectable offerings are augmented by countless other intoxicating aromas from throughout the weekend. Bring along a few basics in your cooler and there is sure to be a hot grill and empty chair welcoming you. I’ve never known anyone to go lonely or hungry at the NEAT Fair.
As do all the best events, the NEAT Fair takes on the feel of a family reunion, drawing you back to visit with old friends and welcoming new ones each year. If you haven’t been yet, mark your calendar for September 12-14, 2014—the second weekend after Labor Day. Better yet, come a day or two early. Once there, you will wonder why you haven’t been coming all along.