MY BERKELEY CUSTOM CAVALIER
Photo provided by Sherwood Heggen | heggensm@frontier.com
SHERWOOD HEGGEN (Wyoming, Minnesota) submitted a “Viewfinder” about his Berkeley Custom Cavalier. He wrote:
“During my nearly 70 years of model building, I would occasionally see a picture of an Old-Timer model in a model magazine. The simple yet apparent craftsmanship needed to build one attracted my attention. I was destined to build one for myself one day.
“Then I came upon a set of plans for a Good Brothers Big Guff and built it as a copy of the original. What a delightful experience to fly something that flew as it would have in the late 1930s. At a club auction, I purchased an 84-inch Quaker in poor condition. I rebuilt, recovered, and enjoyed this great model from the late 1930s for its marvelous flying qualities.
“At a flying event, I was talking about gliders and such with an acquaintance. I mentioned that I had gained an interest in Old-Timers. He stated that he had a Berkeley Custom Cavalier kit in mostly
original condition. Talk soon turned to an exchange of money for the kit, and I had a treasure from the past to build.
“To share the build with other Old-Timer modelers, I did a build log on RCGroups under the ‘Vintage and Old-Timers Designs’ forum. I entered it in their building contest for that period that related to the Custom Cavalier type of model. Detailed pictures and descriptions filled the thread, and over a six-month period, the Custom Cavalier was finished. The readers of this forum voted the Custom Cavalier as the winner of the contest. There was no prize—just recognition. The actual prize was my joy of owning and flying this beautiful flying machine.
“It was an interesting, difficult airplane to build, with an oval-shaped, strip-planked fuselage. The stabilizer and rudder are comprised of approximately 200 pieces. The wing is elegantly double-tapered. The plans showed ailerons, which were included in the build, but they were found to be useless in flight because of their small size, a lot of dihedral, and low center of gravity. The ailerons were mixed with rudder, creating positive control. Elevator control was also included.
“With a Saito 80 engine for power, it takes to the air with an impressive climb. At altitude, powering back to 1/3 throttle, it shows its docile nature with slow flybys and graceful turns. Landings are an event of suddenly realizing that the wing is no longer holding it in the air.
“The Custom Cavalier, for me as the pilot or for those just watching, is an experience of seeing grace and beauty on the wing. It is definitely a keeper.”
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