Post by Robert Twiss on Feb 7, 2015 13:11:54 GMT 1
The following article is based upon an ad from Carson Capaul. However it is so informative that we decided to post it here as a documentation on the Brighstar Swift.
Swift #30 is in very good condition overall. I'm comfortable saying that in any aspect I'd give it at least an 8 out of 10. I'll also say that the Swift isn't brand new. #30 has been taken care of over the years but does show some minor cosmetic wear and tear. I'm not aware of any previous damage history and the hours on it are very, very low at 33hrs! It's worth the trip so come and look at it in Spokane Washington...
If you know anything about Swifts then you can see right away that this isn't a factory motor glider conversion. If you've seen some of the other Swift motor conversions then you can also see right away that this one is head and shoulders above the others. A Canadian by the name of Jean Allard did this conversion a number of years ago. Jean put a lot of effort into maintaining the Swifts awesome glide that it's famous for. So you won't see ugly tricycle gear scabbed underneath it. This thing has fully retractable gear in the front and a 2/3 rds retract on the rear. Of course it has a folding propeller and the thoughtfulness doesn't stop there.
The other thing that isn't "factory" about this set up is the trailer. Yes... Brightstar did an awesome job by designing the Swift to pack up into a little box but this one has a fuselage that needed a little more space so I figured "what the heck" I might as well give this bird a home. So just as painstakingly as the motor conversion was done I've spent a number of years building a custom trailer to house the Swift and tow it to the field. The trailer opens on both sides and at the rear with the touch of a button. Two cranes are hidden inside the trailer to help facilitate attaching the wings to the fuselage. The sailplane guys would be jealous! It has also been built with camping in mind so a road trip to a remote airstrip can be made with room for an airbed and a few amenities. When the side doors are opened they make for huge awnings and tons of shade. This was a spare no expense project so it has electric brakes and dual torsion axles for the smoothest ride.
The following specs are specific to this particular Swift:
***** Swift *****
Production number = #30
Hours = 33hrs (85hrs engine)
Instrumentation = Tachometer, ASI
BRS Parachute
Retractable Gear (2/3rds rear, full retractable front)
Folding Propeller
4 gallon fuel tank
Koenig SC430 = 2 stroke 3 cylinder with a 2 stage soft start (engine has more hours than the plane because it's from another plane)
Originally I had to have this Swift because it was obvious that it had been thoughtfully converted from a hang glider to a motorglider. The folding prop doesn't whack open. It has a 2 stage soft start. It's an easy to use one handed operation. You press the starter button with your thumb to deliver low power and get the prop deployed. Hit the toggle next to the starter with your index finger and you get 100%. If the engine is warm then you don't even need the second stage. There's also a firewall that sits between you and the engine. I forget what it's comprised of but it's legit and actually fireproof... also it's light weight and serves the additional purpose of keeping fuel smells out of the cockpit. This plane has a BRS mounted to the floor and fires through a panel. The seat is custom formed and built to serve dual purpose as the fuel tank as well. It carries about 4 gallons of fuel right on the center of gravity. So you get to carry a little more than the other motor Swifts and there's no CG issues. I guess that the retractable gear is the icing on the cake for me though. It's always disappointing to me when I see a Swift that has big ugly tricycle gear bolted underneath it. All of that effort to design a machine with an awesome glide and then all is lost with a couple of bolts! If you're looking to buy a Swift then you just got lucky. Most of the time you couldn't even buy an ugly tricycle gear version even if you wanted to. In all of the years that I looked for a Swift, this is the best Swift that I've ever seen come up for sale.
The trailer was over engineered so that flexing wouldn't be an issue. The main frame is comprised of 2"x6" steel square tube. in order to keep the side doors light they have been constructed entirely from aluminum. The frame is then weatherproofed by a pvc fabric sheet that is very similar to the semi truck "conestoga" trailers that you see on the freeway. This package tows very smoothly due to dual torsion axles so the plane is never getting beat no matter how rough the road is. The ramp in the rear is all steel for durability. All of the lights for the trailer are LED for longevity and any wiring splices were kept inside of the canopy area for serviceability and to keep them out of the weather. There is only one splice point under the trailer because of the electric brakes and it has been enclosed in a box rated for that purpose and terminated with crimp on ring terminals. The trailer has a plywood deck and has been covered with a hard durable and sanded paint on both sides for traction, durability and weatherproofing. The wheel diameter is small to help lower the deck height and in turn lower the rear ramp angle. Inside of the trailer the wings are held vertically on the leading edge for transportation. They are folded out of the trailer by their supports. The wings are then lifted into the air and swung around to the rear of the trailer by two independent cranes. The cranes assist with sliding the wings onto the main spar and then are removed. The fuselage is docked in between the wings at the rear of the trailer during transportation and is then rolled down the rear ramp and readied to receive the wings. While I am able to leave the controls rigged and the winglets and winglet fairings assembled, I won't say that assembly is any faster than a Swift without the assistance of a trailer like this. Having said that I definitely enjoy the level of control that I have while putting the wings on. This trailer exists because of the sick feeling I'd get whenever I put a small dent or scratch in a wing of the previous gliders that I've owned from trying to finesse 20+ foot wings into place by myself. I vowed that this one would be pampered. It's still the most difficult part of assembly but I feel that it's manageable by a single person now.
Here is also another link to just about every Swift video on the web:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDE6E984BBE03C7F5
Swift #30 is in very good condition overall. I'm comfortable saying that in any aspect I'd give it at least an 8 out of 10. I'll also say that the Swift isn't brand new. #30 has been taken care of over the years but does show some minor cosmetic wear and tear. I'm not aware of any previous damage history and the hours on it are very, very low at 33hrs! It's worth the trip so come and look at it in Spokane Washington...
If you know anything about Swifts then you can see right away that this isn't a factory motor glider conversion. If you've seen some of the other Swift motor conversions then you can also see right away that this one is head and shoulders above the others. A Canadian by the name of Jean Allard did this conversion a number of years ago. Jean put a lot of effort into maintaining the Swifts awesome glide that it's famous for. So you won't see ugly tricycle gear scabbed underneath it. This thing has fully retractable gear in the front and a 2/3 rds retract on the rear. Of course it has a folding propeller and the thoughtfulness doesn't stop there.
The other thing that isn't "factory" about this set up is the trailer. Yes... Brightstar did an awesome job by designing the Swift to pack up into a little box but this one has a fuselage that needed a little more space so I figured "what the heck" I might as well give this bird a home. So just as painstakingly as the motor conversion was done I've spent a number of years building a custom trailer to house the Swift and tow it to the field. The trailer opens on both sides and at the rear with the touch of a button. Two cranes are hidden inside the trailer to help facilitate attaching the wings to the fuselage. The sailplane guys would be jealous! It has also been built with camping in mind so a road trip to a remote airstrip can be made with room for an airbed and a few amenities. When the side doors are opened they make for huge awnings and tons of shade. This was a spare no expense project so it has electric brakes and dual torsion axles for the smoothest ride.
The following specs are specific to this particular Swift:
***** Swift *****
Production number = #30
Hours = 33hrs (85hrs engine)
Instrumentation = Tachometer, ASI
BRS Parachute
Retractable Gear (2/3rds rear, full retractable front)
Folding Propeller
4 gallon fuel tank
Koenig SC430 = 2 stroke 3 cylinder with a 2 stage soft start (engine has more hours than the plane because it's from another plane)
Originally I had to have this Swift because it was obvious that it had been thoughtfully converted from a hang glider to a motorglider. The folding prop doesn't whack open. It has a 2 stage soft start. It's an easy to use one handed operation. You press the starter button with your thumb to deliver low power and get the prop deployed. Hit the toggle next to the starter with your index finger and you get 100%. If the engine is warm then you don't even need the second stage. There's also a firewall that sits between you and the engine. I forget what it's comprised of but it's legit and actually fireproof... also it's light weight and serves the additional purpose of keeping fuel smells out of the cockpit. This plane has a BRS mounted to the floor and fires through a panel. The seat is custom formed and built to serve dual purpose as the fuel tank as well. It carries about 4 gallons of fuel right on the center of gravity. So you get to carry a little more than the other motor Swifts and there's no CG issues. I guess that the retractable gear is the icing on the cake for me though. It's always disappointing to me when I see a Swift that has big ugly tricycle gear bolted underneath it. All of that effort to design a machine with an awesome glide and then all is lost with a couple of bolts! If you're looking to buy a Swift then you just got lucky. Most of the time you couldn't even buy an ugly tricycle gear version even if you wanted to. In all of the years that I looked for a Swift, this is the best Swift that I've ever seen come up for sale.
The trailer was over engineered so that flexing wouldn't be an issue. The main frame is comprised of 2"x6" steel square tube. in order to keep the side doors light they have been constructed entirely from aluminum. The frame is then weatherproofed by a pvc fabric sheet that is very similar to the semi truck "conestoga" trailers that you see on the freeway. This package tows very smoothly due to dual torsion axles so the plane is never getting beat no matter how rough the road is. The ramp in the rear is all steel for durability. All of the lights for the trailer are LED for longevity and any wiring splices were kept inside of the canopy area for serviceability and to keep them out of the weather. There is only one splice point under the trailer because of the electric brakes and it has been enclosed in a box rated for that purpose and terminated with crimp on ring terminals. The trailer has a plywood deck and has been covered with a hard durable and sanded paint on both sides for traction, durability and weatherproofing. The wheel diameter is small to help lower the deck height and in turn lower the rear ramp angle. Inside of the trailer the wings are held vertically on the leading edge for transportation. They are folded out of the trailer by their supports. The wings are then lifted into the air and swung around to the rear of the trailer by two independent cranes. The cranes assist with sliding the wings onto the main spar and then are removed. The fuselage is docked in between the wings at the rear of the trailer during transportation and is then rolled down the rear ramp and readied to receive the wings. While I am able to leave the controls rigged and the winglets and winglet fairings assembled, I won't say that assembly is any faster than a Swift without the assistance of a trailer like this. Having said that I definitely enjoy the level of control that I have while putting the wings on. This trailer exists because of the sick feeling I'd get whenever I put a small dent or scratch in a wing of the previous gliders that I've owned from trying to finesse 20+ foot wings into place by myself. I vowed that this one would be pampered. It's still the most difficult part of assembly but I feel that it's manageable by a single person now.
Here is also another link to just about every Swift video on the web:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDE6E984BBE03C7F5