Lou's summary is tremendous - in a few words he put the relative importance of everything in perspective. Well done.

Dick - I consider you my friend (if ever we are at the same place let's meet - I will want a discount if I can ever afford your models) and have worked in a wind tunnel (aero rep running the test) and can tell you that at Mcair we didn't waste money on WAGs or SWAGs. Maybe in 1912 but when we went into the F-15 tests with an airfoil the group of guys in charge of it had worked with programs, experience, other test results and a great deal of intuition to come up with a proposal for the wing airfoils. They had to sell it to the management with pressure curves and expected results. It was a carefully considered engineering approach.

Dick we only exclude WAGs when they are presented as being better than a carefully scientifically designed approach. The guy who says his WAG is better than the engineered airfoil is like a lightening rod, he is going to get the attention of everyone who has ever done it as a science and as a living.

It would be similiar to a dentist hearing that a guy used a dremel tool and epoxy to fix his tooth. It might work but gives you the willies.