|
Swift NC78068
Pete Johnson
Faribault, MN
~A
TALE OF TWO SWIFTS~
My first experience with the Swift came in the Fall
of 1946 when I was just 8 years old. My
father took delivery of a factory fresh Globe Swift GC-1B, NC 78151, s/n 2151 in
Faribault, Minnesota from a family friend and newly established Swift dealer, Al
Voegel. Al had recently purchased
his own Swift to use as a demonstrator for his new Swift agency and Dad was one
of Al’s first customers.
Al Voegel in August 1946
I recall many hours in the right seat with Dad from 1946 through the early
1950’s when ‘151 was sold. Numerous local trips and a few cross countries are indelible
in my mind.
Pete in January 1949 with NC78151 at Rochester, MN
My Dad has since passed on, but he left me with a desire to a own a Swift.
By 1991 this desire turned into a compulsion that led me to start a
search for his Swift - ‘151.
After contacting AOPA, the FAA and the Swift Association of Athens, Tennessee I
was able to locate the old family Swift. It
had been excellently modified and made very valuable.
But, to no surprise, it was not currently for sale.
(Swift ‘151 (s/n 2151) is Bob Nye’s N24SE based in Nevada.)
The search continued for a Swift that could be a mirror image of 78151.
Months elapsed, hours of phone calls to prospective sellers, inspection
trips and countless forms of research took place with the very able assistance
of Jim Montague and Roy Redman. All
of this led to finding an ugly duckling, low-time, 805.8 hours TTAE, straight, undamaged Red &
Cream painted sow’s ear that promised to become a silk purse.
May, 1992. The day of purchase at Mark Holiday's hangar.
In May 1992, a deal was made for the purchase of Swift NC 78068, s/n 2068
with
from Mark Holliday, a gentleman with an outstanding reputation in Swift circles.
I thus became '068's sixth owner. Next, arrangements were made for
restoration and '068
was ferried by Mark to SwiftWorks in
Athens, Tennessee, a shop that is Mecca for the project I had in mind. Numerous Swifts had been modified there in 13 years of
operation, but ‘068 was the first to be brought back to all-original by
SwiftWorks.
SwiftWork's Vaughn Armstrong, (at left), power washer & 22 years of squirrels nests.
July 1992 photo at right shows '068 at Athens, TN. with Montague and Redman.
The entire airframe was disassembled and all systems
were inspected, repaired or replaced as necessary. The sheet metal was original, undamaged and required no
repair. All new glass was
installed, the original trim stripe and logos were applied and all metal was
polished.
The original Continental 125-2 engine and accessories had not been customized so
they were not altered by Swift Works. This
engine, s/n 1194-6-2, is the engine installed in ‘068 at the time it left the
factory in August 1946.A nine gallon auxiliary fuel tank was added to the baggage area using a Swift
factory option system.
Original style instrument panel...
A custom instrument panel was removed and replaced with an original.
Colors for the panel, instrument faces and instrument numerals now match
the colors used in 1946. The
instrument numerals are in the Lydian Bold Italic typeface with the Pioneer logo
in the original style.
The most interesting news of all was received after the restoration began.
I requested a report from the FAA’s Office of Aviation Systems
Standards outlining the history of s/n 2068.
It contained a document showing that the first owner of 78068 was Al
Voegel, my father’s friend and the dealer from whom 78151 was purchased.
So, here we’ve gone full-circle. Couldn’t
get ‘151 back, but by coincidence, managed to get the very first Faribault
Swift back to its home field.
The second owner of NC 78068 is also a family friend here in Faribault, Cliff
Lockwood owned this Swift only a short time before transitioning to “faster
& heavier”. Owner number
three took it to Long Island, New York. Owner
number four hangared it at DuPage County Airport in Illinois.
Mark Holliday, a giant among Swift authorities, was owner number five
(for about four months) and returned it to Minnesota where I purchased it.
Swift NC 78068 was finished and delivered to Faribault, Minnesota (its first
home) in November 1992 after six months of Swift Works restoration.
Back in Minnesota after 42 years, an old vinyl interior was removed and
replaced by lighter, more comfortable 100% Virgin Wool upholstery woven by the
Faribault Woolen Mill Company, a long-time family business where I am a third
generation associate.
Pete with '068 in September 2001
Click Here to see past Featured
Internet Swifts
the globe temco swift homepage
home / calendar /
for sale / words and pictures / flight instructors
serial numbers / factory photos / history / answer man archive / shops and mechanics
type certificate / stc / 337 / regional swift wings / swift owner homepages / links / chats
| 
