The First and Last Swift

Compiled by Swift Historian

Jim Montague

It's got to be a special situation that applies ONLY to the Swift.
We challenge anyone to think of another type of airplane that still has the first and last production models still in existance and actively flying.

The first "All Metal Swift", N33336, is a GC-1A owned by
Lou Leftwich of Winter Park, Florida.

The last Swift, N2460B, was built by Temco and is now in the capable
hands of Jim Montague and Mark Holliday of Lake Elmo, MN.
Jim sent along the following recollections of his experiences with both aircraft.

 



NC33336, serial number 2, the first "All Metal Swift". 
Owned by Lou Leftwich of Winter Park, FL

 My personal involvement with N2460B began in the early '70s when Lou Leftwich owned it, and brought it to
a fly-in at River Ranch in Florida. Later, Lou bought NC33336, so he owned
both the first and last Swifts for a time. When Jack Pry owned N2460B, I got acquainted with him, and overhauled
the engine for him in 1979.

 

In October 1979, we had the first "back to the factory" fly-in at Denton, TX, where I got to fly, on Oct.6, 1979, both NC33336 and N2460B. I became enthralled with the idea of one day owning N2460B. Several years ago, I again tracked 60B down and began negotiations for buying it. Fortunately, Mark Holliday became my partner in this venture, if not for him I probably would have paid too much for it. The airplane is here now, in Lake Elmo, MN, but needs stripping, polishing, corrosion removal, removal of the "non-original" items like the one piece windshield, P-51 style gear doors and the instrument panel and interior. I really don't know much about s/n 2, except that brief flight almost 20 years ago, and helping Lou with some paperwork a few years ago. Both airplanes have "newer" versions of the original engines - a C-90 in s/n 2 and an 0-300 in s/n 3760.

N2460B, the last Swift, built by Temco and now being restored to original condition by Jim Montague and Mark Holliday
in Lake Elmo, MN

 

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