VSC 2K4 Sweet Sweep

LAST EDITED ON Mar-20-04 AT 10:13 PM (CDT)
 
The unusual sighting of the year...

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NO, it's not broken. A trip to VSC would not be complete without a surprise sighting of an unusual piece of aeronautical design. Last year it was Charlie Bruce's recreation of Don Yearout's 1947 Flying Star. This year it was not a stunt ship, strickly speaking. Out on the far grass was the Sweet Sweep, a mid fifties combat design featuring, well, swept wings.

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Complete with art deco trim and trick fences, the Sweet Sweep is all 1950's jet styling. That's only an FP-25 tucked in to the wing root, but this ship is one hot little number.

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Just before it gets exciting for the pilot. Word is there is a larger version of this design that was intended to do for stunt what the Sweet Sweep did for combat. Or something like that. A larger version of this with gear and a Fox .35 would be a sight for swept eyes.

Cy

LAST EDITED ON Mar-21-04 AT 01:00 AM (CDT)
 
Cool airplane. I read here (SSW) that the Sweet Sweep was outlawed from combat, apparently due to the wing fences, which would keep the streamer from sliding off the wing spanwise. I don't get it...now, they use a foam LE to do the same thing. Steve

>Cool airplane. I read here (SSW) that the Sweet Sweep was outlawed from combat, apparently
>due to the wing fences, which would keep the streamer from sliding off the wing spanwise.
>I don't get it...now, they use a foam LE to do the same thing.
>
I missed seeing that bit of misinformation here. The fences were illegal almost as far back as the event started, though. I never saw any Sweet Sweeps used in competition that had the fences, and the plane itself was never "outlawed". But compared to Wooten's various designs, in particular, it was comparatively hard (and slow) to build; it was also fragile in the tail end.

They did outfly a lot of the smaller planes, like the original Half Fast, the Nuthin' and the next Wooten plane after that (I have the plans, but its name has escaped through one of the leaks in my mnemory), but the large flying planks such as the Nobody & the Strawn Brothers' Streamer Creamers would turn inside it fairly easily, negating much of the slight speed advantage.

.

Kiwi

Word
>is there is a larger version of this design that was
>intended to do for stunt what the Sweet Sweep did for
>combat. Or something like that. A larger version of this
>with gear and a Fox .35 would be a sight for swept eyes.

I believe it's called The King Sweep...looks like a b52/f86 hybrid.
When I get home, I can validate the name and what magazine the article
is in... Tony

ps: Bare has plans to the Sweet Sweep.

> Word
>>is there is a larger version of this design that was
>>intended to do for stunt what the Sweet Sweep did for
>>combat. Or something like that. A larger version of this
>>with gear and a Fox .35 would be a sight for swept eyes.
>
>
>I believe it's called The King Sweep...looks like a b52/f86
>hybrid.
>When I get home, I can validate the name and what magazine
>the article
>is in... Tony
>
>ps: Bare has plans to the Sweet Sweep.
Sure enough, it is the King Sweep by Larry Grogan the September 1959 Flying Models.

LAST EDITED ON Mar-21-04 AT 12:36 PM (CDT)
 
Here are a couple of pics from the '59 issue. You should be able to build from the plans in the mag.

The Sweet Sweep is Bob Lipscombs plane, and I've had the chance to see it fly a couple of times.... nice. After he gets it going doing the bladder bit, it rocks.

Well, that pretty much lays down the challenge.

Who's going to bring a King Sweep to Tucson next year around this time?

Cy

If anyone wants to build the King Sweep, I will make copies from a master made for me by Dick Gleason shortly before he died. $10.00. I never heard of anyone other than Morton/Grogan building one of these.

Mack Henry is in the process of building a King Sweep.
It is in the covering stage at this time
Maybe he will grace us with some pictures of it when finished.

So here's a photo from the "Seen at the Nationals" feature of the November 1956 Model Airplane News.

Just think, almost 50 years old...

Cy