Model Airplane News . 1976 .

[Air Ministry .]

RIGHT ,

Centuries back I recall ( we presume ) a small G A of the Hallmark in M. A. N. , which would have to be 76 or the 6 months preceeding .

as I recall  it had 60 , in. For the SPAN .

as its stated as variously 56 , 58 & 50 ! ( a typo for 60 ?? ) in other mags with picture , WE are trying to obtain The G A ,
as presumeably the chap had a RULER or Tape Measure .

WHY ,

" Gene Schaffer built a modified version , took it to the F.A.I.s in Europe, placed high and greatly contributed to bringing home the team championship "

Getting on to half way down on the right , there . Below.



Going from proportions , angles etc etc , and translateing them over the drg below ( now full size ) to many things match
to be entirely coincedance . Despite other ' Interpretations ' of things . 



THUS , as the M.A.N. sketch is dimensioned , Im asking anyone who has  these about that time , to have a look and
see if they can locate it .

Particularly the wing & tailplane span , hinge to hinge ? , and nose length . are of concern. even if you cant computerise the picture .
also exact length of that Big Art ST 46 type muffler would be of much use .

Angles of dangles etc & soforth transcripe from this to that . Regards . Matt Spencer .



Is Bill Simons still right side up , and accessable ? .

[wwwarbird]

 The above query(?) might as well be in Chinese. 

[Dave Harmon]

The above query(?) might as well be in Chinese. 

I turned my monitor upside down and it didn't read any better so I thought it was just me spazzing out.
I had to read something else just to verify I was not fading to black.....

[Brett Buck]

RIGHT ,

Centuries back I recall ( we presume ) a small G A of the Hallmark in M. A. N. , which would have to be 76 or the 6 months preceeding .

as I recall  it had 60 , in. For the SPAN .

as its stated as variously 56 , 58 & 50 ! ( a typo for 60 ?? ) in other mags with picture , WE are trying to obtain The G A ,
as presumeably the chap had a RULER or Tape Measure .

WHY ,

" Gene Schaffer built a modified version , took it to the F.A.I.s in Europe, placed high and greatly contributed to bringing home the team championship "

Getting on to half way down on the right , there . Below.


Going from proportions , angles etc etc , and translateing them over the drg below ( now full size ) to many things match
to be entirely coincedance . Despite other ' Interpretations ' of things . 


THUS , as the M.A.N. sketch is dimensioned , Im asking anyone who has  these about that time , to have a look and
see if they can locate it .

Particularly the wing & tailplane span , hinge to hinge ? , and nose length . are of concern. even if you cant computerise the picture .
also exact length of that Big Art ST 46 type muffler would be of much use .

Angles of dangles etc & soforth transcripe from this to that . Regards . Matt Spencer .

Is Bill Simons still right side up , and accessable ? .

   Matt, honestly, and with no malice, you really need to be a little less, er, creative with your posts, because I (and apparently everyone else) cannot make even a little bit of sense out of it. If you have heard the term "too clever by half", it appears - again, not trying to be insulting - your posts seems to be "too clever by a factor of 1000". We may all seem very dull and ordinary for you, but if you want to communicate, something is going to have to change, and it's not going to be the rest of us developing a decryptor to figure it out.

     By the way, I lied a bit above, think what you refer to as a " G A " means a "general arrangement" drawing, and perhaps the rest means you want a dimensioned drawing of the Hallmark. I think that was published in Stunt News and full-size plans may be available from PAMPA products. Bobby Hunt would know, I think he was behind the publication.

   If that is not what you meant, then sorry, but I cannot figure it out otherwise.

     Brett

[Chris McMillin]

Matt,
Three years ago the Japanese flyer Hiki built and flew a Hallmark at VSC so he should have everything you want for it. Perhaps if you contacted Kaz Manato he could put you in touch or have information himself?
Chris...

RIGHT ,

Centuries back I recall ( we presume ) a small G A of the Hallmark in M. A. N. , which would have to be 76 or the 6 months preceeding .

as I recall  it had 60 , in. For the SPAN .

as its stated as variously 56 , 58 & 50 ! ( a typo for 60 ?? ) in other mags with picture , WE are trying to obtain The G A ,
as presumeably the chap had a RULER or Tape Measure .

WHY ,

" Gene Schaffer built a modified version , took it to the F.A.I.s in Europe, placed high and greatly contributed to bringing home the team championship "

Getting on to half way down on the right , there . Below.



Going from proportions , angles etc etc , and translateing them over the drg below ( now full size ) to many things match
to be entirely coincedance . Despite other ' Interpretations ' of things . 



THUS , as the M.A.N. sketch is dimensioned , Im asking anyone who has  these about that time , to have a look and
see if they can locate it .

Particularly the wing & tailplane span , hinge to hinge ? , and nose length . are of concern. even if you cant computerise the picture .
also exact length of that Big Art ST 46 type muffler would be of much use .

Angles of dangles etc & soforth transcripe from this to that . Regards . Matt Spencer .



Is Bill Simons still right side up , and accessable ? .

[Bob Hunt]

Ah, yes, Matt marches to the beat of a different thesaurus... But, he is colorful!

I'll do my best to sort this all out for Matt.

The Hallmark was one of two ships that Gene built in the winter of 1975-1976. Gene had been flying a version of my Genesis 46 design, which was really just a Bill Simons Scorpio in different "clothes." The photos of the Flying Models magazine article of the Scorpio depicts the second 46-size model by Bill. The first was his Gemini. He flew the Gemini to fifth place at the 1973 Nats. It flew so well that he built a new 46-size model for the next year and made huge efforts to make it lighter than the Gemini. I cut and sheeted the wings for the Gemini and the Scorpio, so I'm pretty familiar with the story of those planes and the planes that they influenced.

Gene's 46-size Genesis was again just a Gemini/Scorpio variant, and with it he placed second at the 1974 Nats and sixth at the 1974 World Championships. He liked that ship, but wanted something a bit smaller that would make even better use of the ST 46 engine. Gene didn't go to the Nats in 1975, but he did go to the Team Trials in Dayton, Ohio that year. He flew a new design that was downsized from the Scorpio/Genesis type model. He called it the Statesman. It had a built-up wing, twin rudders, and was powered by an ST 46. Gene won that Team Trials, and that was the only major meet he ever did win. What a shame; he deserved to have won more in my opinion...

Gene liked the size of the Statesman, but he had built it with a rather flimsy stabilizer, and the ship would occasionally jump out of track after a corner due to the flexing stab. Gene hated that and wanted a new ship for the World Championships the next year. He came down to my shop in Middlesex, NJ, and he had with him the airfoils and dimensions he desired for his new Hallmark design. As I recall, Mike Rogers helped develop the airfoils for the Hallmark with Gene. As a brief aside, I asked Gene about the name. What did "Hallmark" mean? Gene popped and snapped a bit (you just had to know Gene to get that remark...) and said that, "The sound that an expensive car's door makes when it closes is a Hallmark." Okay then...

We made two wings that day. One was a normal balsa covered, triple-cored foam wing, and one was what Arnie and Mike Stott called a Foam-Rib wing. We cut and sheeted a wing and then cut out a large section of the balsa covered foam aft of the high point of the airfoil, leaving a trailing edge section of balsa/foam that was about an inch and a half wide, and also a center section that was fully sheeted. We used the cut out section of foam and balsa to generate ribs that would go back into the cut out area and produce what looked just like a normal built up wing. In retrospect, this may have been the beginning of the idea that led to the Lost-Foam wing system development many years later.

Gene finished both of those ships over that winter, and he test flew the built-up-looking variant first. Gene - always the innovator in paint design - wanted to try a "lace" type paint job, but he got way too heavy handed with the spray gun and the result was a ship that looked like it was covered in a burlap bag. He took a lot of ribbing about that paint job, and that ship mysteriously disappeared soon after. In fairness, Gene did not like the way it flew anyway.

The Hallmark was an excellent flying ship immediately. Gene used a Grish 10 x 6 nylon three-blade prop on it and spun the ST 46 up to a fairly high RPM. We much later learned that the Grish 10 x 6 was actually closer to a 10 x 4 pitch prop, and it approximated the runs that we got from the pipe ships a few years later. It flew with a one-speed look and had great authority in the wind. With that ship Gene again placed second at the 1976 Nats, and also a very credible sixth at the 1976 World Championships.

I wrote a tongue-in-cheek piece about the Hallmark’s appearance at the 1976 Nats in my new book about my Genesis series of models (soon to be finished and available…). I think it’s appropriate to insert that story here…

I was in the appearance judging line at the main hangar along with my flying buddy, guitar teacher, stunt guru, and oft-time bloodletting ping-pong match partner, Gene Schaffer. Gene was putting the finishing touches on buffing the wax job on his stunning Hallmark. Those of you who remember Gene well might also remember his distinctive method of buffing; he’d hold the rag still in one hand, and move the airplane vigorously up and down with the other, all the while making serious popping and snapping noises. He was a trip.
Everything was going well. The line was moving pretty quickly, and Event Director supreme, Bart Klapinski (That’s pronounced, Kla-pin-ski, not Ka-plin-ski. I’ll bet you always wanted to write that someplace, didn’t you Barton?), was dutifully scrutinizing every detail of every model and jotting down scores. Gene was ahead of me in line, standing still, while his airplane, held in his left hand, was busy logging lots of miles (you just had to know Gene…). Suddenly Gene let out a yelp. None of us thought much of that; Gene did that all the time. This time, however there was a real reason. Gene noticed that the little pilot figure in his Hallmark had busted loose and was sitting facing the back of the model (In retrospect that may have actually been one of the Williams Brothers’ smarter products).
Gene panicked and left the processing line. He went to a corner of the hangar and began pounding on the top block of the Hallmark in a vain effort to get the pilot to turn around. I’m serious here; Gene was hitting the top block with so much force that we were all sure that he’d break the model in half! With a little coaching (restraining?) from a few of us, he finally relented and got back in line. Now, the Hallmark was a beautifully finished model, resplendent with absolutely spiffy simulated flush rivets. To achieve this look, Gene took a piece of sharpened brass tubing, heated it, and then actually melted through the finish and very slightly into the balsa sheeting. There were hundreds of these little circles all over the Hallmark. We were all sure that one day the ship would fold along one of those lines of rivets due to stress cracks in the balsa, and we even got a pool going, betting on when it would happen. It never did happen, and I don’t remember who got the money from the pool.
Bart, never known to miss a thing on a model, made some kind of comment about the little pilot’s faith, or lack thereof, in Gene’s flying ability, and gave him 17 appearance points. That was a great score that year, but Les McDonald and I tied with 18 points, and Al Rabe beat all three of us with 19 points. We’ll never know just how dearly that stupid pilot cost Gene that year. Anyway, we got on to flying the next morning.
 

Gene flew the Hallmark in the 1977 Team Trails in Fort Gillem, GA the next year. He missed making the team that year. Little did any of us know that Gene’s last flight at that contest was the last time he would ever fly. Gene deserved a better fate in CL Stunt than the one he got. I have never seen a better “stick man” than Gene…

Gene rarely drew plans for his models. The one design of his that that got published - the Stunt Machine - was drawn up by a draftsman who wasn’t cognizant of such things as moment arms and airfoils, and so it was very flawed, and Gene didn’t catch the mistakes until after it had been published. I think that left a bad taste in his mouth about publishing, and he never again let any of his designs be published. There were no formal plans for the original Hallmark. Gene just built it by measuring out the dimensions on the actual wood. As I remember he kept the 10-inch nose length and the 16-inch hinge line-to-hinge line dimensions, but used a 56-inch span wing. I have no idea what happened to the original foam templates that were used to cut that wing. Mike Rogers may have those airfoils, and I will try to contact him to see if they can be found. (Brief edit here: I called Mike today and he does not have those airfoils. Rats...)

Years later an attempt was made by Allen Brickhaus to replicate the Hallmark, but it was only a guess on the airfoils and on the actual shapes of the rudder and spats. The resulting model that was published as the Hallmark was not an accurate replica. It may have been close, but it was not an exact one-to-one copy of Gene’s ship.

I hope the above sheds a bit of light on the Hallmark story for you Matt.

Bob Hunt

[Serge_Krauss]

I love reading Bob's stuff; what a great writer/editor and contributor to the CL legacy. Thanks, Bob for the color and the history. I also like Matt's posts, but then I don't have to understand everything. Ha! Matt has produced some of the most interesting models and nibbles at the extremes of design, as well as enjoying the scale aspects. He's brought enjoyment along with occasional frustration.

SK

[Brett Buck]

I love reading Bob's stuff; what a great writer/editor and contributor to the CL legacy. Thanks, Bob for the color and the history. I also like Matt's posts, but then I don't have to understand everything. Ha! Matt has produced some of the most interesting models and nibbles at the extremes of design, as well as enjoying the scale aspects. He's brought enjoyment along with occasional frustration.

    There are a large number of "interesting" people in modeling. To be honest, based on real-life interactions and phone calls with modelers over the last 45 years (rocketry and CL stunt), I am a bit surprised that we don't have more problem communicating. It's very clear that being articulate and being worth paying attention to are two different things - we have plenty of people who clearly aren't masters of the English language who are definitely worth listening to, and a few (mercifully) who are perfectly competent in communication, but when you examine the content, you wish there was an IQ test you had to pass to talk on a phone or type things into the internet. Matt is an extreme example of the former, clearly very interesting but very difficult to decipher.

    And, just as a general observation, the sort of low-level technical communication we usually have here is definitely a skill and an art. Many people tend to try to be Michelangelo and sometimes forget or give the skill part short shrift. Recall that perfection is not achieved when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. The guys who are really exceptional magazine writers (Hunt and Dirty Dan are particular standouts, Al Rabe and Ted Fancher in the same ballpark) usually manage to convey their point AND make it interesting. But it if also very clear that being really good at model airplanes doesn't guarantee you are a good communicator.

    Brett

[john e. holliday]

Yes Matt is one of the unique ones in model aviation.  Yes Mat I will get started on your plane one of these years.  Also Bobby I want to be first on the list for your book when it is done.   I my self do not communicate too well at times and have up set a few people.  Imagine guys if we moved to the southern hemisphere like New Zealand and/or Australia would those people under stand some of our speech?   Any Matt keep it coming and you too Bobby as I do read it all.

[Gary Dowler]

   Matt, honestly, and with no malice, you really need to be a little less, er, creative with your posts, because I (and apparently everyone else) cannot make even a little bit of sense out of it. If you have heard the term "too clever by half", it appears - again, not trying to be insulting - your posts seems to be "too clever by a factor of 1000". We may all seem very dull and ordinary for you, but if you want to communicate, something is going to have to change, and it's not going to be the rest of us developing a decryptor to figure it out.

     By the way, I lied a bit above, think what you refer to as a " G A " means a "general arrangement" drawing, and perhaps the rest means you want a dimensioned drawing of the Hallmark. I think that was published in Stunt News and full-size plans may be available from PAMPA products. Bobby Hunt would know, I think he was behind the publication.

   If that is not what you meant, then sorry, but I cannot figure it out otherwise.

     Brett

Wow, I thought it was just me and some mental impairment that was keeping me from understanding a word of that post. I guess it wasn't just me..... whew, I feel better now!! Lol

[Steve Thompson]

I like Matt's contributions here, particularly the pictures he comes up with.

I have never failed to understand him.  You just gotta channel your inner Yoda.

[Robert Zambelli]

Bob Hunt Wrote: "Gene flew the Hallmark in the 1977 Team Trails in Fort Gillem, GA the next year. He missed making the team that year. Little did any of us know that Gene’s last flight at that contest was the last time he would ever fly. Gene deserved a better fate in CL Stunt than the one he got. I have never seen a better “stick man” than Gene…".

I met Gene in 1974 as I recall, but never saw him again.
He was an incredible flyer.
What happened? Why was the Fort Gillem flight his last?
What "fate" did he get?

Bob Z.

[Fredvon4]

Not intending to bust Matt Spencer out but I will

I had written something in a thread on a engine I had... He PMed me and I am old enough to NOT remember my "IN passing post" about the engine

His quirky unique writing style totally flummoxed me

eventually we got it sorted and it was actually funny in a sick kind of way

Some days, if the topic interest me I try hard to decipher what Matt said.... other times ... like some other posters here on SH.  I just move to the next topic

[FLOYD CARTER]

The original post was written by someone who had been promoted to ADMIRAL!  This is a slightly higher rank than Uncle Sam ever bestowed on me.  I must assume that anyone having Admiral rank would have something important to say.

[wwwarbird]

   Matt, honestly, and with no malice, you really need to be a little less, er, creative with your posts, because I (and apparently everyone else) cannot make even a little bit of sense out of it. If you have heard the term "too clever by half", it appears - again, not trying to be insulting - your posts seems to be "too clever by a factor of 1000". We may all seem very dull and ordinary for you, but if you want to communicate, something is going to have to change, and it's not going to be the rest of us developing a decryptor to figure it out.

 Thank you Brett, well put and something I've also tried to convey to Matt before. Matt's posts always appear interesting but all I can ever do is enjoy the photos, very rarely being able to make any sense of the rest.

[Air Ministry .]

Right, well then . Where were we . . . .

YES , the ' Little Sketch / General Arangement , dimensioned Drg. is what I am after / wish to VIEW .

The Scorpio There has a 11 1/2 - Root , 9 1/2 Tip Chord ( Mainplane not inc flaps )

The Remark quoted , re Schaffer / Scorpio Variant = Hallmark , depending on taken literally - or more broadly . . .

Using about TEN differant pictures of the Hallmark , pencils , rules , grids etc . . . essentially
throw onn a 3/4 top block fwd , aft of canopy the rear deck as dead on ( minus dorsal fillet )
The Rudder is the exact same height , lower sides angle matches through to engine bay , etc etc .

as an aside , B ill seems to have slipped with the template / dimension at the wing root ,
giving about 1/32 drop / assymetry - on the templates And Fuse Side View .
But as it was drawn from a template ? or with a curve , it dials back in , once figured .
Also the root template matches the fuse side , not the C/L . In Plan .
Then if the TE was 1/4 not 3/8 , the plan matches templates .
With 6 & 8 inch to spar from rear , and 3 in spar to L E . bar on the curve the 3 in is inner edges .
As He shows 3" sheet . You'd probly need the plan in front of you to follow this .

As for ' getting to com-plicated 

BUT , , The Idea is to get a EXACT plan . If Simons Statement is correct ,
from here , as from Bob's Articals / Writeings , Simons & Schaefer were good mates / buddies , at the Time  -
Joint / Cross Development seem not unusual or unlikely . Such as Shareing Drawings .

AS STATED , give the Scopio Drg a does of Twink , throw the canopy at T E , Round The Rudder , and it matches .
Whereas the PAMPA one seems decidedly out . half the rudder hight , canopy off etc .

Apparently the ORIGINAL AEROPLANE ( Hallmark ) Still Exists , but havnt got a reply from aledged Holder of it .

THUS any FACTUAL information , such as are those wing letters std 2 1/4 in tall , or 2 1/2 . or 2 ,
using prportions angles etc , base dimensions can be figured . particularly as most got to 1/2" redilly , 1/4 more rarely , 1/8 more so still .
So ' things start to emerge ' archeologically    once a few things are established .

==================================================================================

Id aleways been under the impresion it was 60 span , 60 Oz. the max a ST 46 would comfortably carry .
( Tho mine doesnt mind 65 Oz and 64 span , in the wind it does . or wont . )

SO The Drawing I recall would save a awfull lot of conjecture .

Bob ( Hunt ) Do you carry notebooks , or have labled templates - tho presuming the name came AFTER construction

the likelyhood of the template having Hallmark postscribed would mean notable attention to order . 
no offence intended .

Theres a few personal recollections with individuals ' leaping out of the ethers ' in ' the dream time ' back then regarding this plane ,

hence the inclination to do one ' Authentic .'
                                              ------------

As the Sketch in M A N is the only reasonably dimensioned eveidance im aware of available , Ve Vish to get to zee bottom of zee case ! 

 

p.s. will try post a photo of the amended plan tomorrow, but the camera seems to go over the 1000 pixle thing . and controls not
 Voice ACTIVATED .

[Air Ministry .]

The Differances  from this pampa plan Built Version should be obvious to the untrained eye .



Theres a replicer MV up the road , and Egli Vin . But M V was M V , not somones shed . Vincents are another story .
many parts ommisions and distortions in regard to this .



I worked for the was Kiwi H R D Vincent importer . Who went to the trouble of two weeks to 2 am building this engine .
After having personally had the Heads , Cams , Mag & Carbs built under his beady eye in England .
the chap who checked the points & tappets , did not ' tune the engine ' or did he .

To Claim He Did was Absurd, and an insult to Perry . still had the 50 Q M Hydroplane motor , and another we overhauled
in a stock wideline Dommie with deep red wine & cream 60s custom paint , back in 81 .

Matt,
Three years ago the Japanese flyer Hiki built and flew a Hallmark at VSC so he should have everything you want for it. Perhaps if you contacted Kaz Manato he could put you in touch or have information himself?
Chris...

Thanks .Yep , think He is over here for the Nats , Mar/April .

However I do not believe the current PAMPA plan actually represents the model in the photograph acurately !  ( Duck for cover Icon . )

Theyre welcome to this , when done .( from full size Scorpio plan . Yep Gemini is predecesor . but tossed it -wont digress There . )

Yep G. A. in the Colonies has usually refered to General Arrangement . except perhaps to Botanists  & Paleontologists .

Yep John , Figured where That Drg. ( Mine ) is Out .  Doing one at 65 for the ST 66/76 . The Fuse is ' on the shelf '
all jigged staraight while the epoxy cures . Released on my return.
The Sides are scored TE to Tail LE .  VERTICAL* for the inch or so above  . Gonna throw awl the stiff stuff in as shown for Sailing Weather .
* The Formers Sides are parrallel / Vertical there . sorta like a T/R Crutch . Above the Wing Ceterline .


SO ANYONE WITH ANY PHOTOGRAPHS OF ANYWHERE ON / OF the HALLMARK , or Authenticated Documentary Data , please lemme know .

Willseeifthe picture willgoontomorrow . 

from a anonymous source .

Guys like Scott (?) Elliot, Bill Hummel, Windy and a few others worked on the Hallmark plan from Schaffer's drawings and his existing model

So Where is it , And What Info .

Needs to be Specific to Hallmark , or where is the Genuine Aeroplane , please .

[Bob Hunt]

Okay, Matt, I'm going to take one more swipe at this.

1: The model of Gene's that Bill Simons was referring to in the Scorpio article is Gene's .46-size Genesis, which was just a Scorpio with different "clothes" on it. He was NOT referring to the Hallmark. The Hallmark was a much smaller ship and it was built over the winter of 1975-76. Gene's Genesis 46 was used at the 1974 World Championships. The Hallmark was flown by Gene at the 1976 World Championships.

2: Yes, the "replica" that Eliott Scott, Bill Hummel, and Allen Brickhaus worked to bring to print was just a "guess" on their part. They did not have the original wing templates to work from, nor did they have the actual model from which to take any measurements. I called Bill yesterday and confirmed all this. There was no "original" drawing from which to work.

3: The original - and only - Hallmark was destroyed almost immediately upon Gene's return from the 1977 FAI Team Trials. Trust me, that's a fact! The details of that incident will be included in my upcoming book about the Genesis series of models, as it is a related story.

4: I used to have those templates - about a million years ago... - but they are gone now. Long story and basically irrelevant. I currently have about 400 sets of templates for wings for models of many types, but not the Hallmark anymore I'm sad to say.

5: Bill Simons was alive last time I checked, but he has had many very bad years health wise and does not remember virtually any of the past. I went to visit him in an assisted living facility and he didn't even recognize me at first. Took him several minutes and lots of chatting before the light came on. Then he got this huge smile on his face and gave me a big hug. Bill and I were extremely close and flew together virtually every day for many years. He was the Best Man at my wedding, and my best friend for many years. It pains me greatly to see the state he's in now.

6: I spoke with Mike Rogers yesterday. Mike was also a very good friend of Gene's and they flew together a lot at Flushing Meadows Park in New York. Bill Simons and I could not get to Flushing Meadows every week, so Mike was blessing to Gene and helped him a lot. Mike and I went over the Hallmark story and we both agree on the details: That ship was much smaller than the Scorpio and shared no aerodynamics with it. That ship was built over the winter of 1975-76 and was used by Gene at the Nats that year, where he placed second to some hippie kid from New Jersey who was flying a rudderless model... He placed sixth at the 1976 World Championships with the Hallmark and helped the US team capture the team gold.

7: It's clear to me that only way to even get close to accurately replicating the Hallmark is with some sort of program that can work from a known dimension on a photo and then extrapolate the rest of the dimensions. Even then the original airfoils will be virtually impossible to duplicate.

8: Bill, Gene, and I were extremely close friends and flying partners in that era. I cut all the wings for Gene and for Bill from about 1969 on. I cut the Stunt Machine wing, the Air Boss wing, and the Hallmark wing for Gene, and the Gemini wing and the Scorpio wing (among many others) for Bill. We were pretty much inseparable in those days and we did a lot of stuff other than modeling together. Gene and I played a lot of guitar together and Gene, Bill, and I played marathon ping-pong tournaments at my parent's home in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. Sometimes those tournaments would last 12 hours or more! I'm only mentioning this because you need to understand that if anyone would know the full story behind the Hallmark, it would be me. And, there is more to the story, but out of respect for Gene's memory I won't be passing along all that I know about this subject for reasons that will remain my own.

9: I wish you well in your quest to build an accurate Hallmark. The thought to do the same has crossed my mind several times. I say that because I was the last person to fly the Hallmark. Gene asked me to fly it for him after the Team Trials in 1977. I had made the team and he didn't. He told me he wanted to see it just once from the outside of the circle. You may or may not be aware that I very often flew Gene's models Note to those who may not know this: Gene set up his models to fly clockwise as he was left handed.). I attached the up line of the handle to the down leadout of the model and attached the down line to the up leadout. To my hand it felt just like flying my own model in the inverted position. I was able to fly many patterns with his models in this manner and never once had any problems. The Hallmark was not lost on the flight I took with it. But, I came away from that flight with great respect for just how well that ship flew. I should have built one for myself at that time, but I had other pressing modeling duties, like going to the World Championships the next year. I didn't want to "experiment" at that point and so just built another Genesis 46, which was very similar to the Scorpio. I did change the tip airfoil on the Genesis 46 MkIII from that which as used on the 1974 Genesis 46. That 1974 ship was a complete ripoff of the Scorpio's numbers, as was Gene's Genesis 46. From the results of that World Championships I'm pretty sure I made the right decision...

10: In an email you indicated that we used .077 balsa to sheet those wings. Not true. We used 3/64-inch thick (.045) balsa exclusively in those days. Many years later we made built-up wings using the .077 balsa, but that was not until the mid 1990s. We've since stopped using the .077 in favor of slightly denser 1/16-inch sheeting.

I hope the above has answered some of your questions. I've now written all I care to here about the Hallmark and Gene's fantastic year flying it. There will be some augmentation of this story in my upcoming Genesis book.

Thanks - Bob Hunt 

[Joseph Daly]

Bob,
i just love to read your stories about Gene, Billy, and yourself. For me it really helps understand the history of stunt and how it has evolved over time. I cant wait till your book comes out!
I was looking through some pictures I got from Andy Lee and of course there is a picture of the Hallmark and Gene's Genesis.

Thanks for all that you do!
Joe 

[GERALD WIMMER]

Hello. Many Thanks to Bob Hunt and Matt Spencer for the interesting read.
I have more to learn then most about the history of stunt flying but it sure is a rich history!

Got me looking back and enjoyed this old but relevant post too :
https://stunthanger.com/smf/as-time-goes-bye/lets-talk-about-gene-schaffer-today-photos-by-les-mcdonald/msg468056/#msg468056

When a teenager I built Bob' Genesis with a ST40S (and destroyed 3 flights latter!) and have built many models since inspired by Matt's Stunt twins and semi scale stunt models .

Thanks Again Gerald 

[Air Ministry .]

Er,

Dorsals Eradicated , Lower block Flat under moved Fwd . Fin Hight Matches .

[Air Ministry .]

um,

Cord is drawn as 11 1/2 & 9 1/2 , hinge to hinge 16 .

Im thinking it may be 11 , 9, & 16 1/2 .

Looks like his ruler slipped down 1/32 ( last thing, late at night ? ) on the Airfoil & Template ,
Same Curve & neutralising , I Think , gets it how intended .
Plus I dont think three inck block tips are the go , when 1/2 or 3/4 sheet end caps would do the trick .

Thats Where its at , just now . The Camera decided to work today  No Mention of the operator, thank you . 

[Air Ministry .]

The original post was written by someone who had been promoted to ADMIRAL!  This is a slightly higher rank than Uncle Sam ever bestowed on me.  I must assume that anyone having Admiral rank would have something important to say.

And THIS is CANBERRA . ( Theyre on a Visit to You , at this Moment . ) .



Sunrise, sunset , sweetly crow the harmonious tones of the dulcette Cockatoos. 

[Air Ministry .]

Thanks V Much Joseph , Joe! . Mr Daly .



Can get the Flap Ratio pretty Much , from THIS , and maybe the rear deck X Section at the cockpit . One more notch on the belt . 

[Air Ministry .]

 :)I KNOW !

Its THIS BIG . 



50/50 Drg. was in this one . If its not it must be in another . 
Could even be Model Builder, etc, etc . But recal seeing in loaner magazine baack in 76 . So one above'as unlikely . 

[Bob Hunt]

Okay, there are new developments in the Hallmark saga:

Back in 1987 I sold my foam cutting business to Scott Smith of Aerosmith Models. I was working at Flying Models as the editor at that time and had my hands full with the job and a young family. Something had to go - at least for a while (a few years later, after Scott had stopped cutting wings, I went back into the foam cutting business and have been doing that ever since either part time or full time. Nowadays it's full time... ). Scott received all my templates (probably about 100 sets...). Among them were the templates that were used by me to cut the original Hallmark wing. Over the years I've tried to track them down, and just this past week they have been FOUND!

John Duncan - a fine foam cutter in his own right - has them, and he's agreed to send me a tracing of the templates. Knowing that the dimension of the nose from the front of the wing where it exits the fuselage to the spinner backplate is 10 inches, and that the hinge-to-hinge measurement is 16 inches, we can now extrapolate a very accurate set of plans for the Hallmark. As soon as I get the tracings from John, I'll start tracing out a new set of plans with the accurate airfoils. The plane had a 56-inch span.

I'm currently working on drawing up an accurate set of Stunt Machine plans, as the ones published in FM had many inaccuracies. I'll be making those corrected plans available along with the Hallmark plans in the future.

Later - Bob Hunt   

PS: Just received the "original" templates that I made for the Hallmark from John! They are still in perfect shape. I want to take this opportunity to thank John once again for his kindness and willingness to help on this project. I might just have to build a Hallmark now; of course it will be electric powered! - Bob

[Tom Niebuhr]

That is great news thanks to John Duncan. Haven't seen him in many moons. Please say hello.

It will be nice to see accurate plans for the Stunt Machine and the Hallmark