Swifts gather in Gold Country

Sleek and shiny Swifts flew from near and far to attend the Swift West Coast Fly-In at Westover Field/Amador County Airport (KJAQ) in Jackson, California, in September 2024.

They numbered 31 total and the longest distance across the nation was flown by husband-and-wife pilots Paul and Sandy Mercandetti of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Other Swifters flew notably long distances as well, including a couple more from Tennessee, six from Texas, and one each from Louisiana, Minnesota, and Washington.

The fly-in was coordinated this year by Al McDonald, Karl and Donna Johanson, Don Bartholomew (recently gone west), and Brad and Cathy Stahl.

Early bird arrivals were on Sept. 18, and the fly-in kicked off the following day.

Swifter Richard Clinton generously hosted a BBQ lunch each day at the field. The group enjoyed a spaghetti dinner at Laughton Ranch in Jackson on Thursday, and the Stahls graciously welcomed the group for dinner — many of whom were clad in Oktoberfest attire (a tradition at this event) — at their hangar on Friday.

Serving as vintage aviation ambassadors, the Swifters had previously announced in the local newspaper, The Ledger Dispatch, that residents were welcome to visit the airfield on Saturday. Swifters were on hand and gladly showed their airplanes and answered questions that day.

That evening, various awards were presented during an Hawaiian-themed banquet.

Fly-in Activities

In addition to plenty of good-natured fellowship, numerous activities took place during the event, including maintenance forums, polishing demonstrations, and a formation ground school session.

Several formation flights were held, including a Missing Man Flight memorial tribute for members who had gone west.

“In recent years we have been in the Covid recovery mode, doing our best to return to the event’s past attendance levels,” said Karl Johanson. “At one time, seeing 40 aircraft on the ramp was normal. We realized that many of our Swift owners were attending this West Coast Swift Wing event in California for the first time and knowing that, we wanted to be sure that their experience on the ground was as exciting as that in the air. With that in mind, we included diverse activities that provided local historical interest, as well as some truly unique Amador County experiences.”

“Fly-ins such as this one are not only beneficial to those attending, but also are a source of significant income to local businesses such as hotels, restaurants, etcetera, and this is an often-overlooked win-win partnership,” he added.

Other activities included a Ladies Day in downtown historic Sutter Creek and tours of Gold Country attractions.

A tour of Black Chasm Cave in the nearby town of Volcano was especially intriguing. Black Chasm was first explored in 1854 and was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1976.

Visitors were surrounded by coruscating crystals throughout the cave and beheld a brilliant blue lake well below the sturdily-constructed walkway. Black Chasm’s fascinating formations include stalactites, stalagmites, and a bountiful number of the lesser-known helictites.

The Kennedy Gold Mine, at a depth of nearly 6,000 feet, is one of the world’s deepest. A surface tour conveyed the history of the gold mine, beginning with the California Gold Rush in 1848.

The mine operated continuously until 1942, yielding more than $34 million dollars worth of gold.

Back at the fly-in, I had the chance to talk to Swift owners from around the country.

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Bill Shepherd of Diamond Point, Washington, has owned his Swift for nearly 60 years. He bought it at age 27, when it had an 85-hp engine, with the intention of putting a bigger engine in it.

“I flew it around some as an 85-hp Swift down at sea level in New Orleans where I used to live and it did all right. I got the biggest guy that was brave enough to ride with me, just to see how it performed with weight in it,” he said with a laugh.

Bill installed a 150-hp Lycoming in his Swift in the 1970s.

“That’s when we were holding the Swift fly-ins at Kentucky Dam. I’d just rebuilt the airplane and it had a new paint job on it. It won Grand Champion that year. But it turned out that the paint I used caused a lot of corrosion. That was pretty discouraging because it was a beautiful paint job and less than a year old. I had to pull it back down, strip everything, and repaint it,” recounted Bill. “This current paint scheme dates back to 1984. I rebuilt it and put a fuel injected 160-hp Lycoming in it at that time. It has a 200-hp engine now, and aux tanks, which gives it a total of 40 gallons.”

“The Swift is a reasonable cross-country airplane and you can do aerobatics in it,” he continued. “I’ve always been into aerobatics, and while it’s not a real competition type aerobatic airplane, it’s good for loops and rolls and that kind of stuff.”

N3307K

Denis Arbeau was a teenager when he first saw a Swift at his local airport in Santa Monica, California. The owner noticed Denis was touching the highly-polished airplane. He tossed a towel on to the wing in front of Denis, and said “wipe your fingerprints off and I’ll take you for a ride.”

That was the genesis of Denis’ lifelong association with the Swift. Denis eventually became a flight instructor and the second owner of N3307K in 1982. He’s owned it ever since, and keeps it at Sonoma Valley Airport. His Swift is powered by a 145-hp Continental, has extended gear leg doors, and a clear window in the overhead hatch to enhance visibility.

Denis shared a bit of background about the Swift West Coast Fly-in. He and fellow Swifters Bill Weaver and Bill Foschaar decided to start having a West Coast fly-in for those who couldn’t easily make the long cross country to the annual fly-in at Athens, Tennessee.

“I was running the SoCal Swift Wing, and the guys helping me happened to know the airport manager of Westover at the time and we asked about holding a fly-in there. He invited us to come visit during an open house, which we did in August 1985. We decided it was a good place to hold the fly-in, and our first event was in October of that year. We had 75 airplanes attend.”

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Erin Tomerlin has owned her Swift for nearly 38 years. When she was 25, she was a flight instructor, working another job full-time to cover her living expenses. She happened to meet Swift owner Denis Arbeau and their first date was in Denis’ Swift in 1986. As the saying goes, it was “love at first flight” — for both the airplane and the man.

Enamored with them, Erin jumped at the chance to attend the second annual West Coast Swift fly-in with Denis. She recalled that 60 Swifts filled the ramp, and there was a lot of flying going on.

“It was so much fun! Sometimes I went along with Denis on those flights, and other times, I watched everybody else flying,” said Erin. “That’s when I decided I was going to buy a Swift and fly it to the next year’s fly-in.”

Her determination prevailed and, with only her car as collateral, she was able to secure a loan, thanks to a Swift friend who vouched for her with a local banker. In February 1987, Erin purchased her 1946 Globe GC-1B Swift.

Her Swift has P-51-style gear doors, is powered by a 150-hp Lycoming, and has a constant speed Hartzell propeller. It also has a fiberglass Corbin downdraft cowl.

She’s the 29th owner of N3304K, and has flown it nearly 1,700 hours so far.

As for Denis, he became her champion (and husband), and encouraged her to pursue a full-time job in aviation. She did and today she flies jets for a charter company.

New Members Welcomed

The Swift group is, like many type clubs, a close knit group with longtime members who welcome new members. They are glad to share their joy and knowledge of the Swift with prospective and new members.

If you’d like to learn more, visit one of their fly-ins or the Swift Museum Foundation online at SwiftMuseumFoundation.org.

More Photos From The Fly-In