Happily the original Knox aircraft (N33336) is still flying in the ownership of a Mr Lou Leftwich of Orlando, Florida. 504 Swifts were built in 1946 and only one the following year. However, there was a healthy demand for the Swift and Globe entered into a production agreement with TEMCO (Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Corp). Over a period of six months Globe and TEMCO produced no fewer than 833 Swifts. Things were looking good until some local Smart Alecs started buying Globe shares in secret with a view to making a take-over. One of the attractions of the setup was that Globe qualified for US Government assistance after the war but this the founder and President (friend Kennedy) refused to accept, the company promptly spun in and the Smart Alecs got their deserts. Meanwhile TEMCO continued producing Swifts on a reduced scale but in 1951 all parts, jigs and the Type Certificate were sold to a Mr Dyer of Aurora, Colorado who set up the Univair Aircraft Co. to make and supply spares for Swift own- ers. Since 1980 all the bits and pieces have been made over to The Swift Museum Foundation Inc.
The rather quaint 1950s style Operator's Handbook and Maintenance Manual quotes the manufacturer as Univair Aircraft Corporation. It tells you next to nothing about handling (not a word about spin recovery should it be necessary) but quite a lot is said on the subject of Ditching, engine failure at various embarrassing moments and getting the wheels down when the hydraulics go on strike. All the rest is about general maintenance backed up by good drawings of the various systems.
There are no performance tables and 'Normal Cruising Range' is quoted as two hours, if you will pardon the conflict of terms. Since Univair took over the design there have been a number of changes including the fitting of disc brakes which are bound to be an improvement on the original drums which, like most of the breed, were guaranteed to let you down when most needed. G-AHUN, Alex Craig's Swift, was built in 1948 and shipped to Belgium where it collected the delightful registration OO-KAY. In 1952 it was bought by the Spanish Air Force and used as a trainer. Much as I like and admire the Swift, in my view it was totally unsuited to the task so, not surprisingly, it was bought by a Spanish private owner and registered EC-AJK. Somewhere along the line, one of its subsequent owners did a wheels-up landing in it but, after languishing in a heap for many years, the remains came to England in 1987 where it was eventually re-built for the present. The aircraft was stripped to the bare metal, areas were replaced and HPB at Luton did the most fantastic paint job. However, the most far reaching change was swapping the original six cylinder, 125 hp Continental engine for a 180 hp Lycoming. Having only four pots it is actually shorter than the original engine. All told, about 800 plus Swifts were made and I understand that a thriving owners' club exists in the USA where all manner of power plants have been installed, including a small turboprop unit.
ABOUT THE ENGINEERING
First impressions are of the Swift's tiny overall dimensions. With its rounded wingtips, dumpy fuselage and curved fin and rudder it looks for all the world like a half-scale Curtiss Tomahawk which, for those too young to remember, was a not very successful American fighter during World War 2. The wings bolt onto a short centre section and each one contains a small fuel tank. The system is filled from a single point on top of the left wing and total capacity is 23 American gallons, two of them unusable. Construction is typical of the period with rows of mushroom-head rivets everywhere. Much use made of chordwise corrugations to stiffen the. wing and control surfaces. The wings have built-in slots to delay the onset of turbulent flow over the ailerons which are of the well designed Frise type. The left one has a fix metal tab which may be adjusted on the ground. Slotted flaps are operated by an elctro-hydraulic power pack. They are either or down when they depress to 30. There is pronounced dihedral on the tailplane and small trim tabs are located on the elevator Since there is no tab position indicator one must hold back the control wheel and adjust the trim handle until the tab is in the neutral position for take-off. The fin and its rudder are of pre-war rounded shape but elegant nevertheless.
The engine hides behind one of the laughing American flat-faced masks and surrounded by cowlings which may be released by undoing only two fasteners on each side. There is a large curved windscreen which carries a cabin roof that hinges up and forward. Side windows may be pulled down after releasing a simple catch but, here again there are no half measures, they are either fully open or fully shut.
Behind the seats is the rear canopy which covers a small baggage area. A very strong tubular roll-over structure is built into the structure behind the occupants heads. Good thinking! Undercarriage retraction and extension is motivated by the electro hydraulic power pack previously mentionioned. The main legs, which retract inwards, are good examples of high quality engineering and they are provided with disc brakes. The tailwheel is linked by springs to the rudder control run and it is fitted with a small, soft tyre.
The Swift is a pretty little aircraft, aptly named, and it looks like something out of a Disney cartoon.
ABOUT THE FLIGHT DECK
You climb onto the non-skid walkways provided on each wing root and lift the hinged roof which has a neat stay to keep it open. Straps mounted on the windscreen arch are provided for each occupant to help during entry and exit. The seats are fixed and there is no adjustment on the rudder pedals so if you are short in the leg cushions are the remedy. Like the exterior, G-AHUN's cabin is in very smart condition with simulatated leather seats and side trim. The most dated features are the inverted half-wheel controls
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Reproduced with kind permission of 'Flyer' Magazine
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roger@ttelmah.demon.co.uk