NEAT Fair 2014/02

Author: Thayer Syme

Edition: Model Aviation - 2014/02
Page Numbers: 21,22,23,24,25

NEAT Fair 2014/02

by Thayer Syme

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. With 407 registered pilots at NEAT 2013, it is clear 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. The 2013 event included plenty of flyable weather, mixed with wind and rain, which kept spectator numbers and possibly on-site 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 shared the airspace with today’s latest ARF and RTF prebuilt fliers. Warbirds and civilian designs—modern and vintage—peppered the lineup, and 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 pilots looking for the perfect next project or accessories needed to maintain airplanes already on the field. A large swap shop 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 releases from vendors and sponsors, meticulously crafted one-off models, and sometimes examples of plain, goofy fun.

The Saturday midday show began with a presentation by Bob Brown, AMA president, and Dave Mathewson, AMA executive director. Along with several current AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame members, they 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 the moment with his son and grandson, who are also active aeromodelers.

Perhaps the most unique model at NEAT 2013 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 create a 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—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 in 2013 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 II fighters. David’s Fokker D.VIII is a 1/3-scale, 30-pound model featuring a fully detailed cockpit, plywood-sheeted wing, printed lozenge fabric, and the right period look. He spent 2½ years on this gorgeous model, working from a Glenn Torrance kit. Spurred on by his son, Ralph Perrone of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, finally declared his Royal Air Force S.E.5a finished. Ralph’s 1/4-scale, 80-inch vintage biplane weighs 17 pounds, is powered with an AXI 5330 outrunner motor, Castle Creations HV-110 ESC, and a Polyquest 12S 5,000 mAh LiPo pack, and 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), which I conceived. This was not an actual race but a celebration featuring some of the colorful pageantry from that popular period of aviation. NFARS was intended to 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. 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!

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 barbecue, and seemingly everything in between. The delectable offerings are augmented by countless other intoxicating aromas 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 with all the best events, the NEAT Fair takes on the feel of a family reunion—drawing you back to visit 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.

—Thayer Syme [email protected]

SOURCES:

NEAT Fair — www.neatfair.org
Peaceful Valley Campground — (607) 363-2211, www.nypeacefulvalley.com

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

NEAT Fair 2014/02

Author: Thayer Syme

NEAT Fair 2014/02

2013 Highlights

SPONSORS AND VENDORS

The (N)EAT Fair

SOURCES: