In 1940 Harold Armstrong acquired a 1929 OX-5 powered double open cockpit Swallow TP bi-plane that had been based at Mexico Farms, and formerly owned by Dick Joyce. The open cockpit bi-plane was a popular training aircraft in the 1920’s and 1930’s. There was no instrumentation in the front cockpit and the rear contained only an altimeter, a tachometer, an oil pressure gauge, and a water temperature gauge. Ironically the aircraft did not have a fuel gauge of any kind. When the aircraft was acquired by Joyce in 1939 from Benton Harbor, Michigan the delivering pilot used a Rand-McNally road map and a old household wind up alarm clock for navigation purposes during the trip to Mexico Farms. Three days after delivery of the aircraft to Joyce another pilot taxied the Swallow into a Cumberland Flying Service Piper Cub. The Swallow suffered damage to the propeller and the Cub had extensive damage to the left wing.
Following a take-off from Mexico Farms in 1940, a water line ruptured causing the engine to fail resulting in a forced landing in a plowed field with the craft coming to rest with Joyce and the aircraft upside down. The Swallow was only mildly damaged. It was at that time that Armstrong paid Dick Joyce $125 for the damaged plane. Harold undertook an extensive repair of the ship, assisted by John Nash, a local commercial pilot with an Aircraft & Engine Mechanic rating. They installed a wind vane type Johnson air speed indicator on the inside wing strut and a fuel gauge that had come from a destroyed Waco owned by Herb Wentz.
Harold first flew the Swallow in October, 1940 with Herbert Wentz as his instructor. Armstrong’s initial solo flight was after a mere 3 hours and 50 minutes of dual time with Wentz. This flight occurred at the Pinto Airport, south of Cumberland along US Route 220. The Swallow was periodically flown out of both the Pinto field and an adjoining field on the Barton farm. It was decided on another occasion to try a landing on a small farm field on the Armstrong farm, just south of the other two sites. Wentz was at the controls and prior to take-off he briefed Harold and his brothers to be ready at the far end of the 800 foot field to grab the wing tip and swing the plane around if necessary to ground loop the Swallow, which had no brakes. As the landing was made Wentz saw he was not going to be able to stop and shouted, “Grab the wing!”, but the bi-plane had too much speed and this was impossible for the observers. Wentz then gave the OX-5 engine full throttle and staggered the Swallow across a small stream and slammed onto the opposite bank before jolting into the air. After regaining control and making a successful landing back at the Barton field examination revealed a twist in the fuselage and a buckled longeron. The damage was soon repaired and later with more piloting experience the Swallow was operated from the Armstrong field with no difficulty.
The Swallow TP at Mexico Farms.
In December 1940, the Swallow sustained severe damage in a landing accident by another pilot. This accident necessitated a major rebuild by Harold and the aircraft was again airworthy on September 2, 1941. After flying the Swallow to Moorefield, WV later that month for their airport dedication, John Kidner coerced Harold into joining him in making parachute jumps as part of the planned air show. The jumps were to be made under the supervision of well known parachutist and rigger George W. de Grange. Kidner made the first jump from a Piper Cub flown by Bob Powers, with an uneventful landing in the middle of the air field. After repacking the parachute, Powers carried Harold aloft for his jump. His exit from the Cub was successful with a good chute opening. However, as related by Armstrong, something seemed different as he drifted to the west away from the air field. At attempt was made to slip the canopy of the chute but he still drifted with the wind and his contact with the ground was after the chute contacted a large oak tree, tearing part of the canopy. Harold recalled that he was briefed to hold onto the D ring and the releasing ripcord cable but had dropped it during the difficult landing. A young boy later found the chute opening apparatus and returned the souvenir to Armstrong, a memento of his first and last parachute jump.
Instructor Cloyd Saylor gave Harold instruction in the Swallow and, by log book manipulation of his previous outlaw flying time, made Harold legal as a student pilot. He flew the Swallow often until he entered the US Air Army Air Corps in October, 1941. While on Air Force leave in January 1942, Harold flew the open cockpit Swallow during a cold January for five hours before dismantling and storing the aircraft in his parents garage for the duration of WW II. After separation from the US Air Force in October, 1945 Harold frequently flew the Swallow. He recalled while in flight on a cold day in 1946 he felt the need to land at his uncle’s Armstrong General Store in Rawlings to purchase some gloves for his cold hands. The site chosen for the landing is the present location of the Rawlings Methodist Church. No difficulty was encountered on the landing except for a slight ground loop in order to come to a stop in the non-brake equipped Swallow. Armstrong accumulated 110 hours in the aged bi-plane prior to its sale to Jim Tindall of New Jersey, in October 1946. The ownership of this interesting 1920’s vintage airplane laid the background for Harold Armstrong’s later superb workmanship in restoring several other aircraft to pristine and award winning condition.
Harold Armstrong with his Swallow TP, advertising Hagan Ice Cream on the fuselage. The OX-5 powered Swallow is on the right, on the Armstrong farm. Photos courtesy of Harold Armstrong.
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Wings Over Cumberland 