Hi all:
That black model was the one Gene built in 1967, and it is indeed the one from which the Caprice was stolen, er, ah, developed... He never actually named that plane, but locally we all just called it the "Blackbird."
Gene re-finished that ship in 1969 for the Nats in Willow Grove. He did it in a beautiful candy orange scheme. The trouble is, there was some sort of contamination in the paint, and he had to strip it at the eleventh hour and quickly repaint it again! This time he did it in a "marble" scheme. I've made that saga a side bar piece in my Caprice book. I'll go see if I can lift the text and paste it in here. BTB...
Okay I'm back with the goods. Here is the story, and I'm also attaching a photo that I took at the 1969 Nats of that ship in its final paint scheme. Here goes:
The two photos on this page are actually pictures of the same model in two different paint schemes, and it is the very airplane that actually inspired the Caprice.
This model was never really given a name, but it became known unofficially as the “Blackbird.” Gene built this ship in the winter of 1966 and flew it in competition from 1967 thru 1969.
It is shown in the photo below painted in its original scheme of black with red and gold trim.
A few weeks prior to the 1969 Nats Gene decided to refinish the well-flown Blackbird so that it would garner a few more appearance points. He applied a stunning candy orange paint job, but when the clear top coat was sprayed on, the model took on a strange green haze when viewed from certain angles.
Apparently there was a chemical reaction between the tinted clear used to achieve the candy effect and the top coat. Another finish had to be applied in a hurry!
Gene, with very little time left, decided on an unusual approach. He sprayed the model black and then masked and sprayed a narrow white band around the edges of the wing and tail surfaces. He then dipped a piece of course steel wool in orange dope and dabbed the black areas with it (See photo at upper left). He did the same on the white banded areas with black dope. This gave the effect that the model was made from marble!
Okay, there's the story on the finish of that ship. The photo that Ty posted of that ship in the black,red and gold scheme is the other photo referenced in the above piece. Again, I'm attaching the shot of it in the Marble 1969 scheme.
As long as this subject came up, let me paste in here a story that leads up to the day those New Bedford photos posted by Ty were taken. In it is referenced my Candy Red Nobler, and one of Ty's photos is of that exact plane on the day mentioned in the story! (I just love this stuff!)
So, bear with me as we go back to 1967...
Caprice
Chapter Three
“Secret Moments”
In the spring of 1966 I finished my “Simonized” Nobler. Bill Simons had built about a gazillion Noblers over the years, and had found areas that he felt could benefit from some further engineering. In fact, when I bought my “Green Box” Nobler kit to start building my first real competition stunter, Bill told me to remove the wing ribs and the “D” Tube spar pieces from the kit box and throw everything else away – except the landing gear wire if I was going to build the model with the standard gear placement.
I decided that I wanted a wing gear model, and so the gear wire followed almost all that high-priced, die-cut balsa into the trashcan (I did keep the leading edge and trailing edge sheeting). I’m sure glad my Dad never found out that I threw away almost all of that kit!
Bill told me to start with new 1/8-inch balsa sides – without the lightening holes that kit sides had - and new formers that didn’t protrude upward from the sides to form the basis for the aft turtle deck. He told me that I would be using carved and hollowed blocks for all of the fuselage shapes and the cowl. Ditto for the wingtips, they would each be made from two pieces of balsa block, carved & hollowed. It was clear that Bill had made a few of these and had found ways to make them stronger, faster and easier. He told me to substitute ¼ inch sheet balsa for the built-up stabilizer and elevators supplied in the kit, and make a built-up and sheeted rudder as well.
I followed Bill’s directions to the letter, and the result was the first really pretty Stunt model that I owned. I painted it in Candy Apple Red with black and white trim, and it was my pride and joy. Bill flew the first test flight, and pronounced it a good ship. I remember it weighed in at about 44 ounces, which was not too bad for a first try at a contest-finished model. I powered it with a Fox .35 Anniversary Special (The one with the gold anodizing) and a Top Flite 10 x 6 prop. With that model, and Bill’s coaching, I began to fly at a competitive level – at least in the Senior Stunt division.
There was a famous contest that was held each year in New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the New Bedford Airport, and I wanted to go. Bill Simons had a previous engagement and couldn’t make the trip. I was of driving age at that point, and I convinced my father to allow me to take the family car and go alone to that meet. I would have to leave late on Saturday night and drive over two hundred miles, grab a little sleep in the car, then compete all day long, and drive home on Sunday night. That he let me attempt this is amazing, but I think he knew how anxious I was to prove myself against all comers in my age bracket. Dad always did fully support my modeling interests.
That drive was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my young life. It was an adventure really. I had not gone anywhere outside of our immediate area alone, and certainly nowhere of any distance at night in the car. There were lots of new feelings running around in my head during that trip, and I remember really liking the mystery of night driving on a secluded New England highway. In fact, I really believe that is why I prefer long distance night driving to this day. Those who know me well also know of this penchant for leaving for home after a full day’s flying and driving thru the night. They just think I’m weird.
On that trip I learned the joys of channel surfing on AM radio to find just the right driving tune, and of course the time honored practice of singing along at the top of my lungs. (I know, I won’t quit my day job.) I also liked looking in the rear view mirror and seeing my gleaming red Nobler strapped in and waiting. That was my first hit of the gunfighter mentality. I was going into someone else’s territory to do battle. Great stuff!
I arrived at the airport in the wee hours of Sunday morning, and almost immediately dropped into a deep sleep lying on the front seat of the car. I was exhausted. I guess I slept for about three or four hours and was awakened by the sound of a model airplane engine. Someone was getting in an early practice flight.
I got up, went into the airport to use the facilities, and get a cup of coffee. When I went back outside, I saw that a number of contestants had arrived. Among them were Gene Schaffer, who had brought along his wife, Sue. Gene had this absolutely gorgeous, gleaming red Firebird, and out of it he pulled his latest sleek stunter. This was the model that was to inspire the Caprice design. As much as I had liked the model that I put the ding in, this one was even more stunning and well proportioned. I had gotten to know Gene a bit by this time, and had even visited him alone once at his new home in Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey. I was getting braver…
Gene asked if I would like to practice with him, and I quickly accepted. That was an honor! We were told that we couldn’t practice on the actual contest site for a while yet, but we could practice on an adjacent ball field. Trees on one side bordered that field, and it was quite tight. I wasn’t too sure that there was enough room to fly there. Gene suggested that I go first...
In retrospect it might have been a good idea to walk the lines, with the model attached, around the circle to the tree line to insure that there was enough room. But we didn’t… I fired up, signaled for a launch, and took off. I made it a full lap before the outside wingtip hit a branch that was overhanging the circle. I backed up as much as I could, and flew the tank out carefully to prevent another mishap. When I landed I ran to inspect the ship. Only a small rip was found in the top of the last outer wing rib bay, and a small piece of scotch tape fixed it up well enough to continue flying that day. But, alas, my pristine winged weapon now had a scar. I was a bit miffed. Gene opted to wait to practice until the main contest site was opened…
All went well that day for both of us; I won the Senior Stunt event, and Gene won in Open. And, just like always, when Gene flew, the entire contest came to a halt to watch him. Amazing, simply amazing.
I think Gene could tell that I was pretty tired after the contest, and suggested that I follow him on the way home, as we both took the same route for most of the way. I remember being so sleepy that I could hardly focus on the road. I know I weaved around a bunch. After about an hour on the road, Gene signaled me to pull off at an exit. He pulled into a fairly expensive looking restaurant parking lot. I was on a very strict budget that weekend; in fact I was down to about five bucks!
Gene and Sue said they needed to eat, and that I should join them. I started to make some lame excuse about needing to get back on the road, but Gene told me to shut up and come with them. He also said that he was buying! Wow! This was great. One of my Stunt heroes was taking me to dinner!
Gene said that we needed to celebrate our “team” win and fairly demanded that I order a steak. It was pretty much at that moment that I knew I had been accepted into the competitive East Coast Stunt scene. In retrospect I think that his offer of dinner was also his way of apologizing for the tree strike earlier that day; I think he felt in some way at fault for that. I was starting to see through Gene’s tough, gruff exterior and was finding a kind and gentle soul there. It was the start of a very long, meaningful and fun friendship.
My Nobler was a really good flying model, but it didn’t present or fly like Gene’s “Blackbird” (So named by me because Gene didn’t name his models in those days. And he did paint all of his models in base black for about five years). I really wanted a model that would drive through wind and turbulence like Gene’s did, and one with which I could get that great looking corner.
I asked Gene at dinner that evening if I could have the plans for his model so I could build one. He informed me very matter-of-factly that there were no plans for the ship. He went on to tell me that all of the dimensions for his models were in his head! Not being one to take a hint, I pressed on. Could I have those dimensions? Gene let out a nervous laugh, popped and twitched a bit and then looked me straight in the eye. He didn’t say anything for quite a few moments, and was very still and serene. (I later learned that when Gene was serious and focused he could overcome the nervous condition. This was certainly the case when he flew!) Then he smiled very sincerely and said yes.
What followed was a very serious discussion of my intentions. He would only give those dimensions to me if I would assure him that I was going to build the ship just as he instructed. I still get chills when I think about that discussion. I promised, of course, to follow his every direction, and not make a move without consulting him.
He asked the waitress for a pen, ripped a section of the paper placemat, and began listing all of the dimensions on it for me. He told me what wing design to order from Foam Flite, and then he gave me the “Secret Moments,” which, according to him were the real reason for his models’ great performance. He was very stern and direct when he uttered those dimensions. It was as if he were giving me some priceless map to a hidden treasure.
Those moment arm dimensions are forever etched in my memory from that day, and I might forget a lot of things, but never those numbers! Nose Moment: 9 3/8 inches; Tail Moment: 14 3/4 inches. Doesn’t sound all that impressive now, but I felt somehow blessed when he uttered them and wrote them down for me.
Along with the Secret Moments came a solemn oath to not tell anyone else. Of course, Gene released this information to general distribution himself some years later, so I guess it’s all right for me to relate it again here.
Pressing my luck, I asked him if I could change the wing tip, tail tip and wheel spat shapes to suit my own taste. Surprisingly that didn’t seem to bother him at all. In fact, I think he liked the idea. And so when I returned home I began working on the model that was to eventually become the Caprice. Wow, what a trip!
Okay, the above piece ties a lot of this up nicely, I think, including an explantion of why there is a piece of tape on the outside wing of my Nobler in Ty's photo!
Ah, memories...
Bob Hunt
Topic: Here is a bunch of classics from the 1967 era in New Bedford, Mass (Read 2274 times)