Ed Lloyd's Swift N3856K

Texas based Swifter Ed Lloyd (USAF Ret.) writes about his Swift...

In 49-50, when I was learning to fly, a Swift landed at the local airport. It was love at first sight ,if there is such a thing between man and an airplane. I told myself, one of these days.......... Seeing that Swift, when I was 16 years old, set the stage for my flying career. I always wanted to be a fighter pilot so I joined the Air Force and flew fighters for 28 years. I found out they would pay you for having fun. In December of '98, I stumbled onto the Globe Temco Swift Homepage web site one day while browsing the net. There in all its splendor, was the Swift and all the attached info the site has available. Discovering the site awakened a long suppressed desire to own and fly a Swift.

In March of '99, on a whim, I drove to Ft. Worth and visited a meeting of the Red River Swift Wing. I was graciously welcomed by all and announced that I was looking for a Swift. I was introduced to N3856K and the owner asked if I would like to fly it. Told him "I thought you would never ask"! 56K is a 145 O300D. I enjoyed the flight and was really hooked by then. I continued to look at projects and everyone cautioned me that I would likely put as much or more money into a project bird than a flying airplane. All together, I looked at six project aircraft and finally set my sights on a currently flying machine. I looked in Colorado, California, Maryland, Florida, Mississippi, & Texas. With all that I decided to go to the Swift National in Athens. Looked at every airplane there, including the one I had flown in Ft. Worth, and decided that 56K was the machine I wanted.

I made an offer and it was tacitly accepted based on a satisfactory pre-buy inspection and annual. I met Duane & Dorothy Golding at Athens and since they operate Zuehl Aprt. in San Antonio, I asked Duane if he would do the inspection for me. He agreed. The stage was set. The airplane was delivered to San Antonio and the inspection initiated. When my wife figured out that I was serious about buying an airplane!!, she promptly dropped anchor and I feared all was lost. I went to San Antonio and related my dilemma to Duane Golding. He Suggested I bring my wife, Barbara, to Zuehl, and get his wife Dorothy to take Barbara for a flight in Dorothy's 180 Swift. This was done, and I feel it was the thing that cinched the whole matter. Papers transferring ownership were completed on Thursday, 22July. 

In flying characteristics, the Swift comes closer to emulating a good fighter type aircraft than any other civilian aircraft I have flown. The brisk responsiveness and doing what the pilot is " thinking ", can not be matched by any other production aircraft. With all the above taken into account, I consider my "Swift Quest" ended. It was a long and sometimes disheartening journey but in the end, I feel it was well worth the effort. Anyone out there looking for a Swift project, contact me at my e-mail address, edlloydaustin@juno.com and I'll share with you what I know about the six projects I looked at. Some good, some not so good. Cheers and check six......Ed Lloyd

About N3856K...
1946 GC1B TTAF 1555 O300D TSMOH 192.43 Logs Since New, Polished. Bubble Canopy, Sticks, P-51 style Gear Doors, Electric Trim, Swiftronics Fuel Mgmt.Wheel Well Mod, Large Tail Wheel, Alturair Aux Fuel, Large Alternator, Dual Brakes, 150 Seats, Trailing Edge Fillets, Adel Gear, Clevelands, Shoulder Harness, Alt. Encoder, Vacuum Pump, Brackett Air Filter, Auto Gas STC, Vert. Stab Beef-up Kit, Terra Comm/ Nav, Electric Fuel Pump, Terra Tri Nav ECDI/GS, Whelen Strobes, Loran C.

About Ed...
Ed Lloyd joined the USAF in 1954 and either instructed in undergraduate pilot training or flew all weather / day fighters for 28 years before retiring in 1981. Some of the aircraft Ed flew were T-33, F-94C, F-89D, F-100C,D,F, F-4D, RF-4C, T-37,T-38A. The highlight of Ed's career was flying F-100D in Vietnam totalling 505 combat hours on 320 combat sorties, doing what he was trained to do.

'56Kilo gets a "big motor"... Click here