I first flew a Globe Swift in 1961. It was a 125Hp beauty that Inga and I rented and flew from Charleston, WV to New Jersey and New York. Our baby son KJ slept behind us on the hat shelf above the baggage compartment. I was a young pilot with less than 100 hours logged. All worked out fine until the windscreen was covered in oil on departure from Syracuse. A turn back to the field and emergency declaration followed. The engine froze as we taxied off the runway. The owner wasn’t upset when told his plane was AOG Syracuse. He said he had a new engine on hand and was planning on the change. Whew!
Almost 3,000 flight hours later I went to the 2008 EAA Airventure. There was a row of smiling swift cowls, and the bug bit hard. I searched for four months and found N141PW in the hands of Pat Waters of Mt. Plesant, SC. N78314 was it’s original factory registration number. It has been a wonderful airplane and has received many upgrades since it arrived in our hangar. Unfortunately I must now sell the plane.