That B&W photo was taken at Delta park in 1968. This Crusader was a Shark 45 wing and tail...but the tail moment arm was shortened, as well as the nose, if I remember and this model was one of his most successful stunt machines. I have owned two standard Shark 45's and as much as I love Lew's Sharks...
I can assure you that Joe's Crusader, although a tad heavy on the weight scales, it didn't FLY HEAVY. (I am only guessing this was due in part for the shortened length of the body. It was very important with that long body of the Shark to avoid that "tell-tail bar-bell effect if you didn't take extreme care to keep the body weight in check
However, I still think that Lew's body design was one of the best thought out formats. I had the opportunity to fly The Chizler...which to me, in flight, not only kinda had that Shark 45 look but on a smaller sale. I think that Dick Mathis was right on the money with that beautiful little light weight model that he flew at the LA nats. The plus factor was that super light model...pulled by one of the greatest running Gold Series Fox 35's ever.
I think that both Jim Silhavy that day...and along with Daddy Bear, were a bit ENVUS of just how beautifully that Chizler of Mathis's flew. However Mathis...a genius model builder and most of all, his flying skills were really dialed in.
If you can find that Chizler article...that is one of those article magazines that has soooooooooooooooooooo many golden nuggets of knowledge and tips on what it takes to build and fly such a successful model.
ALL THIS ASIDE...JOE DILL, AND THAT CRUSADER...WAS TRULY ONE HECK OF A GREAT COMBINATION, plus Joe Dill could pick up the handle of just about anybody's stunt model and fly a winning pattern with it....AND WOULD FLY IT BETTER THAN EVEN THE OWNERS OF THOSE MODELS.
GADS! HE TOOK THAT AVENGER MODEL OF MINE.....and flew it with such grace, precision and skill.
I litterally felt so humbled...that I almost felt like taking a shovel and that plane out into my backyard---and bury it!