How seeing just how beautiful Mike Haverly's beautiful new swept wing Classical FREEDOM flew the pattern last week end at the Narrows proved again that conservative sweep seems to have little adverse effects.
While my life long aerodynamic engineering friend Gary Letsinger and I watched Mike carve out that beautiful pattern last Sat. at the Narrow with his new swept winged FREEDOM...I GOTTA SAY REALLY MADE AN IMPRESSION on both of us.
Not unlike Peeing into the wind....Memories flooded back to my demented mind the article that Dave Gierke published in the 1973 issue of Flying Models.... His swept wing  NORTHERN EAGLE.
I couldn't  stop thinking about Mikes beautiful model and how beautiful and unique that swept wing of his FREEDOM looked in flight.
After returning home I couldn't help myself...

I pulled down my musty old magazines and found this article by Gierke quite interesting reading again. I couldn't put it down.

Although Dave Gierke never flew this beautiful R/C CLPA CROSS OVER EXOTIC MACHINE himself (humm? Dave Gierke, a NEWBEE?) never flew this beautiful concept R/C art due in part because Bernie Paul of Ass.Hobby Mfg. made Dave "an offer in $$$$ he couldn't refuse" at that years BIG TOLEDO SHOW.
 Also sealing the deal was the gifted R/C pattern master flyer Ralph Perillo proved to everyone that this Eagle flew exceptional well in the HIGH WINDS...at the Toledo flight demos.

I scanned the magazine plan form...and doodled some BRAINLESS-STORMIN' session thoughts over the top in red.
Again, as usual and true to form, Dave's article also has some really great finishing tips.
By chance..this same magazine has Dick Mathis's Excalibur 2 profile model with also some interesting reading.
Check out this attached doodle and scan of Gierkes...TOLEDO DREAM CROSS OVER MACHINE.

Does that Northern Eagle have a laminar flow air foil??? Would that work in CLPA?? 

Which reminds me...Gary Letsinger last week end...razzed n' jazzed Mike about the aerodynamic principles and historical aspects  of highly swept wings in full sized aircraft?

However....after folks see just how precisely Mikes new FREEDOM flies...sure-Shirley' gonna makes some eye balls pop...especially when they see how BEAUTIFUL that unique model looks in flight.

Basically, it's the wing that's different. It's a different, thicker airfoil with a sheeted leading edge. Strange to me as the original is a very potent triple threat design as it is. I don't believe there's any real advantage to going with the later, none classic legal later version. 

Don Hutchinson's swept-wing F-86 flew great.

Northern Eagle, awesome Donaldo!!! Thanks for the reminder on the model and the magazine in which it was published. I think it'll be a great Pattern design that needs to be built and flown. I think I will, and try to paint, detail and finish it just like Dave did (yeah, right!).
Chris...

That Whitely has such possessed hands. Also has had some really outstandingly beautiful models...that fly as great as the look.
Just got an E mail from Parker....telling me that he heard some pretty funny stories about my NARROWS FRIGHT FLIGHT TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET