The original Swift wasn’t. With but 85 HP, the post-war, two-seat, tailwheel retract would barely climb out of its own way. However, its fighter-like handling, good looks and aerobatic ability, plus a management decision to almost immediately certify a model with 40 more HP, generated an enduring core of aficionados. Globe and its follow-on manufacturer, Temco, created a true sport airplane that is demanding of its pilots, rewarding to those who can fly rather than drive, and proved to be amazingly amenable to being extensively modified.
For the buyer considering a Swift, the question isn’t so much whether but which. Although there are only about 700 in the U.S., few aircraft have as many STCs and field approvals for conversions as the Swift. The newest Swift is more than 60 years old, and the typical airplane has seen so many mods that we can easily say that no two Swifts are identical.