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SEFF 2014 THE ANNUAL "ENERGIZED" FUN FLY AT HODGES’ AIRFIELD By Staff
PEOPLE There is something singularly unique about the Southeast Electric Flight Festival. It is the people! It starts with the people that host the event. They are, without question, some of the nicest folks you’ll find anywhere. From Mac Hodges to Matt Klos to the flight line bosses, everyone at SEFF is genuinely welcoming and friendly. The hosts make it so that pilots can get lots of flying time, but without any of the hassle that might otherwise spoil the fun. It is why pilots come back year after year, and why new pilots attend the event each year. To underscore just how generous and giving these folks are to the RC community, you can start with the airfield. Mac has spent much time and money over the years to improve his airfield, including adding a floatfly pond at the southeast end of the runway. He has leveled the runway; paved all the areas that were once dirt; added parking areas, bathrooms, and showers; and even opened his former hobby shop as a meeting area for pilots. Additionally, the entire length of the runway is kept mowed to near perfection, so that just about
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any kind of airplane can be flown from it. To say Mac’s flying site is one of the best in the country is not overstating the facts. VENDORS SEFF also welcomes distributors and vendors. They attend SEFF to show what’s new or improved, so attendees get to see many new airplanes flown and shown. And, they get to talk to the people that know the products best. I’d venture to say that attending can be as much about learning about new products and seeing them in action as it is about the flying. Some of the vendors also do how-to demonstrations, which in the case of radio programming and airplane setup can be worth the trip. Note that SEFF’s primary sponsors are Horizon Hobby, Castle Creations, Hobbico, Thunder Power, Hitec RCD, Hobby King, and this magazine. And check this out: any company can be a sponsor! All they need do is contribute $75 in goods to the event’s raffle. How cool is that? So, believe me when I tell you each of the vendors is there to help the attendees have a good time no matter the pilots’ preferences. It is just the way it works at SEFF. Plus, the raffle prize pool is huge! MEDIA When it comes to SEFF, the media is there in force as well. From this magazine to RCGroups. com, RCUniverse.com, HobbyKing. com, Model Airplane News, Fly RC, and now even the guys from
the website FliteTest.com are there capturing the action. Consequently, pilots get themselves and their airplanes featured every day from one media source or another, with many reporters posting photos and/ or videos of the event every night on their respective websites or blogs. It is just fun for pilots and the RC community to get an ongoing look at what is happening at SEFF. PILOTS What really separates SEFF from any other RC electric-powered aircraft event in the world is the pilots. They demonstrate not only their piloting skills, but their camaraderie with the RC community. Consequently, almost without exception, the pilots are inviting and welcoming, even while deep in concentration as they pilot, program, or set up an aircraft. As a result, from one end of the airfield to the next, there is something to be learned no matter one’s skill level or piloting preference. PHOTOS Now, let’s let the pictures tell the SEFF 2014 story. You can see more of the action by going to our Tumblr site: rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com.
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014 marked the twelfth year for the Fayette Flyers of Georgia to host the Southeast Electric Festival. As in the past eleven years, the event was hosted at Mac Hodges’ airfield in Americus, GA — from April 7 thru 13, which actually makes the event SEFF Week 2014. The event director was Matt Klos.
Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 Horizonhobby.com
E-flite’s Beast 60e ARF is captured in knife-edge flight. It uses a Power 60B motor, a 6S 4400-mAh LiPo battery, and Spektrum AR635 AS3X receiver.
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Hangar 9’s P-47 60 ARF is another well-designed and built WWII warbird from Horizon. Here the airplane is doing a high-speed pass for the crowd.
The Hangar 9 P-47 is controlled by a Spektrum DX18 and an AR635 AS3X receiver. The 47 uses a 6S 5000-mAh battery and Spektrum servos.
David Payne is piloting the Hangar 9 P-47. It is powered by an E-flite Power 60B outrunner motor. Notice this one is equipped with retracts and drop tanks.
Derik Rinehart flew a nicely weathered and detailed 31.5-in. wingspan FMS P-51. It uses a 4250 540 Kv motor and a Turnigy 70-amp ESC.
Derik’s P-51 turns a 14x8 four-blade propeller. It gets power from a Turnigy 3600-mAh 40C LiPo pack. The model is stock except for the ESC.
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This B-25 is from FMS and sold by Diamond . It sports a 57.9-in. wingspan, uses a 1000 Kv motor, a 40-amp speed controller, and a 3S 3300-mAh LiPo.
The FMS B-25 is an excellent flying airplane, as were all of the FMS airplanes. Here the pilot is doing a low-level pass for some photos.
Steve’s Me is controlled by a DX 18 and an AR 10100 10-channel receiver. It comes with retracts. The controller is a Hacker X80Opto Pro 3D.
Steve Rojecki is flying this very unusual Me 309, which is from Hacker. Power is by a Hacker Q80 and Thunder Power 10S 5000-mAh pack.
The Me 309 sports a 86-in. wingspan and weighs in at 15 lb. It is pulled through the air by a 19x12 APC E type propeller. The model is impressive!
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David Payne was showing off the performance of the Hangar 9 DHC-2 Beaver 30cc ARF. The model sports a 110-in. wingspan and has 1485 in.2 of area.
Power for the Beaver comes from an E-flite Power 160 outrunner motor that marries to a Castle Creations Pheonix Edge 120HV ESC.
David’s model gets power from an E-flite 10S 5000mAh LiPo battery pack. The motor swings an 18 x 8 propeller, so there is plenty of thrust for steep climbs.
Steep approaches are no problem when the big flaps are hung out in the breeze. Also, this model has plenty of control authority for onewheel taxis and landings.
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Even little LMR gliders like the Multiplex EasyStar were flown in the No Excuses event, so nearly any pilot had the opportunity to participate.
This glider underscores how even a classic, built-up wooden, polyhedral glider can be competitive in the No Excuses event when fitted with a motor.
Seth Arnold did some aerotowing demonstrations flying the E-flite 4.2-m wingspan L-13 Blanik. It uses Spektrum A6260 and A5040 servos.
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The little E-flite UMX Pitts S-1S BNF Basic with AS3X Technology was flown by Seth Arnold. Here he is making a nice knife-edge pass for the camera.
The ParkZone VisionAire BNF with AS3X Technology was being demonstrated by Colton Clark. This 45-in. wingspan model is superb for learning to fly 3D.
The Pitts has a 17.1-in. wingspan. It weighs only 3.2 oz and is powered by a 180-size motor. Voltage comes from a 2S 200-mAh LiPo battery.
The ParkZone Icon A5 BNF model is a scaled-down version of the full-scale aircraft. It flies on a 52.5-in. wingspan and a 480-size outrunner motor.
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Bad things can happen when you are hovering your model over water. Apparently the ESC failed on this Extreme Flight Extra 300 EXP... Since the first SEFF, David and Kim Payne have been an integral part of the event. They work for Horizon Hobby as a designer and a publicist, respectively.
John Diniz was flying this Hangar 9 Meridian 10cc ARF. It uses an E-flite Power 46 motor, a 60-amp ESC, and a 4S 4000-mAh battery, plus Spektrum gear.
Collin Harrington was flying his E-flite Carbon-Z Cub off wheels and floats. He tells us it has tons of power when powered by a 6S 5000-mAh LiPo pack.
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In the foreground is a Blade 700X, then a Blade 550X, and next a Blade 500X. The machines flew quite close together and low to the ground for some fun.
The Blade 550X is being flown by David Payne using a DX18 Tx. The heli is fitted with a Spektrum AR7200BX Rx, H6200 servos, and a H6080G tail servo.
Blade 700X uses a Spektrum AR7200BX receiver and Spektrum H6280 servos. Power comes from an E-flite 12S 5000 -mAh LiPo battery.
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Here on the right, the Blade 700X is piloted by Seth Arnold. On the left, David Payne is piloting the Blade 550X for a little nose-tonose action.
Piloting the heli in the foreground is Seth Arnold, then it is David Payne flying the Blade 500X, and in the background, Steve Petrotto is flying a 500X too.
The SEFF event is held in the heart of the south in Americus, Georgia. If you’re looking for a great group of flyers and a fun time, SEFF 2015 is a must!
The Blade 500X was piloted by Matt Andren. It gets power from a E-flite 6S 2900-mAh LiPo pack. The receiver is a Spektrum AR7200BX.
This photo gives you a good perspective of the size Mac Hodges’ airfield. There’s lots of room for any kind of aircraft, including full-scale.
Seth Arnold was doing a bit of low-level flying so we could get some up-close and personal photos of his Blade 700X. It has a custom-painted canopy.
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