Welcome Aboard !

THE GTS HOMEPAGE
Serving Swifters Since 
May 1996

HELP SUPPORT THE
GTS HOMEPAGE!
Your support of this website is sincerely appreciated.
More Info...

THANK YOU!
Recognizing Swifters who have chosen to lend their support to the continued efforts of the GTS Homepage.

Featured Internet Swift

Swift N78276

Caretaker: Jeff Wimmer, Lagrangeville, NY
Words and Photos courtesy of Jeff Wimmer

I have ALWAYS been an airplane nut. Some of my earliest (and fondest) memories as a child have to do with airplanes and flying - like the first time I was on a commercial airliner in the late '50s when they still had props and the captain invited me into the cockpit for a look. Having a engineer dad who worked in the AeroSpace Industry probably had something to do with encouraging my aviation interest, and I fondly remember when we tried to fly the blue plastic Corsair replica airplane that I got for Christmas. It was one of those planes that flew in a circle around you controlled by two wires connected to a handle with a "real" motor with a glowplug that ran on model airplane fuel. In spite of getting our fingers clipped by the prop, and crashing it, we still had a great time.

As a kid, I dreamed of flying someday - came home from school to watch all the space shots, and would probably have joined the Military for flight training, had I not inherited my father's less than perfect vision. Probably kept me out of trouble too, as I came of age during the Vietnam conflict, and who knows where that choice would have led. Anyway, I got through college and was out in the business world for some while, but that desire to fly just wouldn't go away. Having a 24 hour, 7 day business located in New York City was just not conducive to working on my pilot's license.... even though I did manage to take a couple of lessons at Flushing Airport before it was permanently closed. So, after a couple of false starts towards my pilot's license in '79 and 83, in 1993 the business moved to Dutchess County, just 20 minutes away from Dutchess County Airport and a Flying Club! I was accepted as a member that September, took my first lesson on September 13, 1993, and passed my checkride on December 23, 1993.

After about a year of flying club planes, and finding that I often didn't agree with the lack of care that some of the other members gave "my" airplanes.... I was on my way to a club meeting one night when I spotted a blue and white '57 Straight Tail 172 with a "For Sale" sign parked in front of the pilot's lounge. 

Well, it didn't take long before she had a new owner, and 7183A spent the next 6 years providing my continuing education to the world of flight and aircraft ownership. Most of my time flying is purely recreational, and I started to get bored with my 172......so first I got some cub time and a tailwheel endorsement, then I decided to take aerobatic lessons in a Decathalon, and I was just starting to think about acquiring another airplane more suited to those endeavors.

In the spring of 2001, I was walking through my mechanic's shop (Swift Aviation) after having dropped off a check for the Annual on my 172. Like most aircraft owners, I had visited this shop fairly regularly. During those visits I had noticed (but not paid much attention to) an attractive, sleek, kinda bare aluminum, low-wing airplane collecting dust in the corner of the shop. This time, as I was leaving, I noticed that this airplane had been moved to the center of the shop floor, and was obviously getting worked on. So, as I gave this airplane another look I turn to my mechanic, and say those famous last words: "...... hey Walter, what's that?" Well......Walter starts enthusiastically telling my about his 1946 Swift with the 210 fuel-injected continental, constant speed prop, retractable gear, etc, etc, that he had acquired in un-flyable condition, and had "built" for himself, and he had done this and done that, and put this in and put that in, and had now had decided to sell since he was so busy with his shop and family that he never had any time to fly it.

I replied: "......really! And how much are you asking for it?" Walter turned to me, and said: "you're not interested, are you?" I told him that I might be, but having never been up in a Swift, I didn't know. So, we agreed to go flying the next morning at 6:30AM. At this time, the Airplane was complete mechanically, but there was NO interior other than the seats. Walter explained that he didn't want to start making color choices if a new owner was going to live with the choices, so he would put the interior in if the buyer wanted him to, otherwise they could take it as is. We did a thorough walk-around, as he explained the intricacies of the Swift. I'm not sure just how much sunk in during the pre-flight, as I just couldn't wait to go flying. After what seemed like forever, we climbed into the plane, slowly taxied along the long narrow winding taxiway that connects his shop to the runway. I vividly remember trying to see over the nose as we S-turned on the narrow asphalt strip, till we got to the end of the runway. Then we lined up on the runway and he advanced the throttle, and it didn't take off.....it LEAPT off the runway as I sank into the seat, and THE NOISE - flying in a bare-interior metal airplane with an IO-360 and NOTHING to soak up the sound is like being in a metal garbage can that is surrounded by people pounding on it - and climbing at 1500 and more feet per minute. I felt like I was in a missile going straight up! After a while, Walter let me do some of the flying, and patiently answered my questions as we hollered at each other through the intercom over the engine noise in the cabin. My headset died after that flight, but I couldn't believe how the airplane responded to the stick, and the "rush" as we took off and climbed, I was THOROUGHLY HOOKED!!!! We got back on the ground, and I said "sold". Then the real fun began.....

It never occurred to me that the insurance carriers might be hesitant to "take my bet" seeing as how I had NO retractable time, 25 hours of tailwheel time at best, not a whole lot of experience with a Constant Speed Prop, and was just a 650 hour VFR Cessna Driver. It took a month, but we finally found a company that would cover me. However that coverage came with the proviso that I needed to get a significant amount of training from a CFI with a LOT of Tailwheel and Swift time. Luckily, I had come across just the person, and he agreed to work with me. However, first he wanted to fly with me in the Cessna so that he could drill me on rudder skills before we attempted the Swift, and then he was concerned about training in the Swift since it only had brake pedals on the Pilot's side. It just killed me, seeing the Swift sitting there but being unable to fly it until Dan decided that I was ready. After a whole lot of slow flight with 30 degree banks, soft field landings, and other exercises, Dan finally decided that my rudder feet had awakened sufficiently, and we were halfway through my flight training to fly the swift, when Dan lost his medical!!! Here I was, with an airplane that I had owned for almost 2 months, and needed to start all over with another instructor before I could fly it! Well, I found another instructor, and to make a long story short, I finally cleared all the hurdles, and was signed off to solo in the late summer of 2001.

Still, every time I fly the Swift, I learn something new. And, while the thrill has subsided a bit, it's still a rush every time I take off....... however we'll leave the discussion of landings for another time! I think that my friend and business partner (another Cessna driver) best described it when I took him for his first ride in the Swift and turned over the stick and told him to have fun. He put it through a few banks, climbed and descended, then banked some more. Then he turned to me and said: "This is amazing..... I feel like I'm inside of a real-live video game!"

I didn't like the original canopy, so Harley Howell of Swiftflight made me one of his custom gull-wings.

My big goal for 2002 was flying N78276 to Swift National. ('276 at Athens 2002 above right) I was so proud (and relieved) when we made it, and I'm forever grateful that you all neglected to give me the "rattiest swift" award, since it was still just (mostly) unpainted, and unpolished. I couldn't believe how nice some of them looked when I walked around taking pictures so that I could get ideas for my own paint scheme. When I acquired N78276 it was (kinda) bare metal, with a bare interior, but mechanically in GREAT shape! 

(Editor's note: Only reason Jeff didn't get that award was he left before the judging was done!)

I just completed getting the paint and seats done last fall (after being on a waiting-list for over 6 months!). She came back from the paint shop in late November of 2002 just as the snows began. We didn't see the ground again untill early April 2003! So it's only been two weeks since N78276 came out of hibernation and on sunny days we started getting reacquainted. We've been getting lots of compliments from people around the airport admiring her new outfit.

This past Monday, 4/14/2003 was one of those spectacular warm early spring days that we don't get often enough here in the east, when it's much more important to be at the airport than the office! My friend Wayne (who flies a pristine 170) had the same idea, and was bowled over by his first look at the Swift since he'd not seen her since the paint. I was really lucky that he also had his camera so that I could share these photos with you!

Anyway, I hope to see everyone at Swift National this year, and perhaps there's a category for "most improved" Swift? Best regards, Jeff Wimmer

Click Here to see past Featured Internet Swifts