"The Best Ever!"
The 1993 KEYSTONE Radio Control Electric Fly was held September 18–19, and to paraphrase many attendees as they left the field on Sunday, "It was the best ever!"
This was its fourteenth consecutive running, and this prestigious fun-fly has been established as the largest electric gathering in the nation, and possibly in the world. Folks attended from all over the country as well as from Canada and Great Britain. One hundred and sixty-one modelers registered, and Frequency Control logged approximately 600 flights.
Overview and weather
The weather was less than ideal, with plenty of water — rain. What is truly amazing is that rain could not dampen the electric spirit. With off-and-on light rain before the weekend and on Saturday, there was some understandable concern for the meet's success. As it turned out, however, the weather just didn't matter. Indeed, more than a few transmitter antennas were seen probing from underneath umbrellas because of rain or the threat thereof. Except for a few several-minute-long periods on Saturday, there were always planes in the sky.
The Friday pre-meet crowd — those who can't wait for the scheduled days and always come early — did lots of informal flying, also under rain-threatening conditions. It's become routine to see many folks flying on these Friday afternoons while the field is being prepared. Many visitors actually joined KRC in the field setup. It seems to be all part of the electric spirit. Sunday's weather — sun and some light breeze — properly rewarded those who stayed over and those who came for the day.
Location and Friday Night Fly
Traditionally, the KRC meet is a formal, two-day AMA-sanctioned affair held at a field borrowed from the Bucks-Lehigh Aero-Sportsmen (Buc-Le) of Quakertown, Pennsylvania — about an hour north of Philadelphia. This spacious field, over 900 feet long, was once again filled both days. This year there were more people. It was also heavily populated Friday evening, due to the informal Friday Night Fly, organized in cooperation with KRC and Buc-Le by Larry Sribnick of SR Batteries.
The Night Fly served as a "pre-meet meet" for many modelers who show up a day early. Larry registered 22 participants at the Night Fly, an activity which fit perfectly between some showers. Flying began at dark and lasted about two hours. Pilots flew one at a time to the delight of the large crowd, estimated at over 100 persons.
Some Night Fly participants had no previous night-flying experience, while others were well-seasoned. Several electrics were fully equipped with built-in lighting systems, while others had taped-on chemical light sticks, graciously provided by Larry. While the majority flew more docile Old-Timer and sailplane configurations, there were some spirited performers. The planes were both hand-launched and ROG, and everyone seemed to have a great time. The reception to this activity was so positive that plans are underway for an even bigger and better Night Fly in 1994.
Seminars, demonstrations, and contests
Historically, the KRC Electric Fly offers nearly continuous open flying with some special activities mixed in, including simple competitive events and demonstrations. This year, seminars on battery care and motor maintenance were conducted by Larry Sribnick, and there was an impressive 2,000-watt motor demonstration that drew a lot of attention.
Also offered, and exceedingly popular, was the All-Up Last-Down (AULD) contest, jointly sponsored by KRC and Sonic-Tronics with cash prizes through third place. Other competitive activity included the Twenty Loops contest and Best Scale.
Notable contest results:
- AULD: Saturday winner — Doug Holland (Raleigh, North Carolina); Sunday winner — John McCullough (Raleigh, North Carolina).
- Twenty Loops: Ron Bates (Bath, Pennsylvania) won Saturday with a best time of 408 seconds.
- Best Scale: Steven Stratt (New York City) again captured Best Scale.
Raffles and prizes
In the past, selected KRC members custom-built four fully equipped, ready-to-fly electrics for the daily Electric Fly raffles. Saturday's planes included a DSC Vengeance sailplane and a scratch-built SIMPLEX Old-Timer. Sunday's models were a Midwest Electric Hots and a scratch-built REVOLT. All were equipped with Futaba electric radios. Ahead of the meet, the author test-flew all four and reports that there should be four very happy people right now.
Beyond the complete electrics, each day's raffles included many additional prizes, including kits, chargers, speed controls, building supplies, discount certificates, and much more. This meet gave away four planes and a great deal of additional equipment.
There was also a special raffle to benefit the AMA's National Flying Site. The prize was an AVEOX brushless motor and motor controller, donated by AVEOX president David Palumbo. This special raffle proved extremely popular and netted over $800 for the AMA.
At regular intervals each day there were door prizes on the field, and at the close of the meet on Sunday a Grand Surprise Door Prize was awarded to a registered participant: another AVEOX motor and controller, also provided by Mr. Palumbo.
Awards and recognition
The Saturday Dinner Social was extra special. Following a homemade, family-style dinner, nearly 200 attendees watched KRC President Bob Lane and Mr. Palumbo hand the benefit check to AMA's District III Associate Vice President Bud Klopp. AMA Vice President Joe Beshar then presented KRC with AMA's highest club recognition award: the Gold Leader Club plaque. Additionally, each KRC member received a special AMA pin commemorating their membership in a Gold Leader Club. After these ceremonies there were many more door prizes.
Parking, field restoration, and community response
One unfortunate aspect associated with the weather was that the muddy parking lot appeared to be slightly damaged by the large number of vehicles. This unexpected difficulty was met head-on when KRC asked for voluntary support to help cover restoration costs. Visitor response was immediate and generous, and KRC wishes to thank everyone who helped. Enough funds were collected so that the host Buc-Le organization can adequately cover their field losses.
This responsiveness clearly indicates how electric folks really feel about the meet. This could be very important to the continuance of the KRC Electric Fly, since there are no known facilities in the area that could accommodate this huge annual gathering.
Plans for 1994 (15th Anniversary)
Because two days often feel insufficient, and 1994 will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the KRC Electric Fly, early discussions are underway to expand meet activity in special ways. Industry leader Larry Sribnick has proposed establishing an all-day Friday electric show and seminar at a nearby motel facility.
Early thinking suggests that both industry and private electric experts would show products and give seminars and demonstrations. Candidate topics include battery maintenance, soldering, motor operation, system installation, electric model design, and more. Other Fifteenth Year Celebration plans are being developed by KRC, so keep an eye on this column and on the 1994 meet mailer for details.
Photo and videotape contest
KRC is seeking photographs and/or videotape from the 1993 meet that portray the essence of KRC. Everyone is invited to submit selections to President Bob Lane — 1980 Hickory Drive, Harleysville, PA 19438 — for judging by KRC officers. The deadline is March 15, 1994. If the photos are reproducible, they may be used in a future column. (All entries become the property of KRC.)
Closing
The Keystone Radio Control Club is, in many ways, like any other RC club. On the other hand, the KRC Electric Fly is really something else; it is you. KRC may be the host, but you make the meet. With your participation, the KRC Electric Fly would be unheard of. The KRC officers and members wish to acknowledge the hundreds who participated, the thousands of spectators, and the huge number of industry folks who have steadfastly "fueled" this gathering over the years to make this meet the biggest and best electric meet anywhere. A sincere thank you to all.
Please enclose a SASE with any correspondence for which you'd like a reply.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
