Airport visitors try on the plane for size and comfort. Inside view of one of Swift-Aire's cozy planes which are ready to go. Published March 18,1969 ©The Tribune
Airport visitors try on the plane for size and comfort. Inside view of one of Swift-Aire's cozy planes which are ready to go. Published March 18,1969 ©The Tribune
My first flight into town came on a an airline born in San Luis Obispo, Swift-Aire. Scheduled airline service began March 20, 1969 with four flights a day. Flights had stops in San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Connections to Los Angeles would be added in June. The line also offered charter service in addition to the scheduled flights.
A March 6 editorial mentioned that the first regularly scheduled commercial service to the region was from Southwest Airways in World War II surplus DC-3 aircraft. Service ended when it was discovered that there were not enough passengers. At times service to the region was scheduled as “Paso Robles-San Luis Obispo”, leaving surprised air travelers standing beside the prairie runway in the north county.
Charles G. Wiswell, contractor and private pilot, had the idea to form a local airline and after months of bureaucratic bushwacking through the regulatory process was able to secure the routes. The Piper Twin Navajo carried nine passengers and the Aztec carried 5.
By the time I flew in the 1970s they had bigger planes but I remember that a window seat was uncomfortable as you had to twist your spine to conform to the concave bulkhead for the length of the flight. There was a simple shower curtain between the passengers and the flight crew. I recall hitting an air pocket and as the plain bounced around in the sky a six-year-old in the seat behind me said what everyone was thinking. “Mommie, I don’t want to crash.”
The we landed safely and we had spectacular views of coastal California as we flew north from Los Angeles.
According to a release from the company they carried 500 passengers a month the first year and employed 7.
As folks travel this week I’ll share a few stories from our only local airline.
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At the airport one day, I heard two older guys talking with each other, as one was about to take off on a Swift Air airplane to L.A. He said to the other, “I don’t mind taking the big planes out of L.A., but these little things scare me. If I don’t make it down, know that I’m glad to have known you as my friend.” They both chuckled at this, but you could tell there was some emotion behind the words.
I assume the plane made it down because the news never mentioned any planes going down that day. Wouldn’t it have been rather spooky if that plane had?
I made probably 100 round trips to LA on those De Haviland Herons in the mid 70s. I just loved those airplanes. The wing loading was so light they were very sensitive to gusts. I remember coming back to SLO in the evening the stewardess would serve drinks. The isle was so narrow, that her hips bumped the seats on both sides. Once when we were taxing out at LA, the plane returned to the terminal to pick up another passenger who had showed up.
I remember all the Swift Aire aircraft well, being one of the first mechanics. I believe I still have the ID card that was hand signed as the 14th employee to be hired. Gold old days, like a family
Yeah, One big dysfunctional family