Custom Classics III and IV: Ryan Sportsman and Globe/TEMCO Swift

By Andrew Herd (7 August 2003)

lightSim.Com has reviewed a couple of interesting sims from Golden Eagles in the past, so when two new packages were released in their 'Custom Classics' line, I just had to take a look - after all, you never know quite what to expect when Bill Lyons is involved.

Curiosity wasn't all of the attraction. Golden Eagles has a special place in my affections because they are one of the very few developers who have chosen to stay outside the comfortable mainstream of flight simulation and release sims from the classic age of aviation. We have been drip fed a steady stream of spam cans and are in the fortunate position of being able to take our choice where modern GA is concerned, but some of the most interesting planes around were designed long before most flight simmers were born. Don't get me wrong here - old is not necessarily good and we can breathe a collective sigh of relief that many designs are no longer with us - but there are some beautiful birds out there if you choose to look. The Globe Swift and the Ryan Sportsman are just two of them.

The Swift has an interesting history, starting back in early 1940, though no-one seems to be quite sure of that. They say that "Pop" Johnson of Ft. Worth took a trial delivery of a Culver Cadet, measured its vital statistics and sent it packing back to Culver without further ado. Once the dust had settled, Pop sat down and built himself a better aircraft, and then he began looking for a backer to manufacture and distribute it. It took him a while, but in the end he hooked up with Globe Aircraft, who also had a sideline in medicines (I guess it paid to hedge your bets in those uncertain days). Globe was very active in the sub-contracting business during the war years, building Beech AT10s among other things, so the company was in a good position to help out a promising designer.

At first, things went smoothly. Globe set Johnson to work with their chief engineer "Bud" Knox in an attempt to get the Swift into some kind of shape for production. After testing a couple of prototypes, they ended up with a near enough all metal version, but time was passing and the practicalities of production, not to mention the fact that there was a war going on, complicated things. Pop, so the story goes, got disenchanted with what was happening to 'his' design and quit, going back to Fort Worth, where he continued to design planes on his own, notably the "Texas Bullet" and the "Johnson Rocket," a few examples of which are still around today.

The first all metal Swift, N33336, is still in airworthy condition and was used to do all the flight testing and certification - type certificate A-766 for the 85 HP GC-1A was issued May 7, 1946, following which a total of 408 GC-lA Swifts were built.

As you can see, the Swift was a great looking plane, but 85 HP was not enough and Globe had the 125 HP GC-1B type certified in September '46, backed up with national advertising programs. This generated tremendous demand and a backlog of orders for Swifts resulted, so Globe sub-contracted with the newly founded Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Company (TEMCO), who began producing GC-1B Swifts at an incredible rate. At the peak of production, the two companies produced 833 GC-1B's in a single six-month period, but production overran, Globe had a cash-flow crisis and TEMCO ended up brokering a deal which gave them rights to the Swift as payment for money owed by Globe. From '47 through '51, TEMCO worked out their claim by producing another 260 Swifts, rolling the last one out on August 23, 1951.

People either loved Swifts or hated them, not least because this little plane is renowned as something of a handful. Richard Bach put it better than anyone when he wrote, 'A Swift, for me, was that silver thing that I polished at age 15, an airplane with a square mile of sheet aluminum to buff upon, and a Swift was the reward for the reward for buffing - one single flight, first time off the ground in any airplane, the world pulling down from me, and away, and this sudden education that flight exists, that a man could spend his life flying and never yawn at it, or sigh; he could never learn all there is to know! For me, a Swift was that little taperwing blur diving down on my biplane, years later, roaring by at double my cruising speed, streaking near in a long bright flash then lifting her nose high up and rolling, pulling up into a long lazy slow roll into the sun. A Swift was also sudden death. I knew rafts of stories of pilots caught by the beauty of the airplane, who paid for them in cash, only to sell them a month later in fear, startled by a machine gone wild when it's held in a stall, or veering out of control on takeoff into a left crosswind, or ballooning and bouncing crazily after a gentle attempt at a three-point landing.'

So are legends born and there is no doubt that the reputation of the Swift could only gain from its acquisition of the epithet, the "poor man's P-51" and most of them have been tinkered around with so much that very few of the survivors are completely original. The package reflects this by providing four versions of the same aircraft: one as it might have appeared in 1946; one on skis; an amphibious version; and a 210 hp powerhouse with a streamlined modern canopy. The amphibian would be my favorite if it wasn't for the last one - I am just a sucker for aluminum planes with yellow detailing.

As Lyons fans will know, no Golden Eagles package would be complete without some extras, and in addition to the aircraft, you get 'Swift Creek' airport, a fictional scenery which ages through three periods as you change the FS2002 date from 1945 through today. The easiest way of accessing the scenery is to use the Swift flights, each of which sets the correct date for the scenario, loading a different set of textures for the hangar and the FBO hut.

Take a close look at the buildings and you will see your name up there in lights, though from the amount of traffic it isn't surprising that the business falls on hard times later on. But if there aren't many customers, at least you can always pass the time flying around in the Swifts, for which purpose you will find a a map in the Custom Classics 'extras' folder showing the glaciers and nearby fields - and if you get lost as night falls, you can always find your way back using the working beacon. If that isn't enough, there is an update for the FS2002 default roads, and there is a Jeep installed with the package so you can explore the airfield, though I wouldn't set aside a whole afternoon for doing that. There is even more freeware scenery available for download on the Golden Eagles website, all of which is of a good standard and interesting to explore. Given that John Williams, Ray Yarnell and Tom Constantine are some of the few designers doing period sceneries, the packages pair up very neatly.

The file is a 9.4 Mb zip and while there isn't an automatic installation routine, all you have to do is unpack it directly into your main FS2002 folder. The plane will work in FS2004 without modification, but the textures will seem a little bright and it will need more trim than you expect to fly level, but otherwise it should be OK.

Visual models have always been one of Bill Lyons' great strengths and he just keeps getting better. All the included Swifts are beautifully modelled in FSDS2, with full reflective textures and they have opening canopies and cowlings, as you can see above. The '46 model has fantastic gull wing doors which make you realise what an opportunity Piper missed with the Warrior. Although by default the cockpits are empty, you can put pilots and passengers in by pressing the slash key, but you will want them empty some of the time, just so you can gloat over the interiors. As you can imagine, given the relative lack of complexity of the planes, they are very kind to frame rates.

The 2D panels are rather spartan and you can tell where Bill's interests really lie, but while I would like to see more effort spent here, the planes are so good that I can forgive the way a default set of instruments are shoehorned in with barely a nod to matching up the bitmaps. The VCs are acceptable, if a little angular and since the whole purpose of flying these planes was to fly and have fun looking out, I guess we shouldn't be too concerned about looking in - but if Bill ever decides to upgrade the cockpits, I won't be at the front of the queue complaining.

I have absolutely no idea how a Swift flies, beyond what I have read over the years; that and the knowledge that performance varies from plane to plane, depending on age, mods and engine fit. The one characteristic all Swifts seem to retain is a high rate of roll and what has been described as a 'thrilling' sink rate with everything down, a characteristic which is enhanced by their comparatively high wing loading. But while the Swift isn't for the first timer tail dragger pilot, neither does it really deserve all the horror stories and you do hear of relatively low-time PPLs getting on fine with this little classic. Bill's flight model seems to be near enough on the mark, although I would be interested to hear from anyone who has enough experience to compare it with the real thing.

Moving on to the other package - Custom Classics III and technically first in line before the Swift - the Ryan STA was one of the first successful production monoplanes built in the US and it was popular in the late thirties, seeing use both as a sport and stunt plane. Ryan Aeronautical Co., built about 79 at Lindbergh Field San Diego, California, at a steep price of $3,985 - or $4,865 with all the training for an airline transport license thrown in. Given that the STA is widely considered to be an all time classic, it isn't surprising that many are still flying and it is even possible to find plans for homebuilds. The original aircraft was fitted with a 125 hp Menasco inverted straight four and had an alloy monocoque fuselage, a spruce main spar, a metal covered leading edge and braced fabric wings. In this configuration, it was capable of 150 mph flat out and 125 mph in cruise. The STA really grabbed public attention when Tex Rankin used one to win the International Acrobatic Championships in '37 or '38. According to legend, Rankin habitually dove the plane to 260 miles an hour before starting some of his maneuvers which, if true, certainly proves the airframe was tough.

Ryan could never resist fiddling around trying to improve their designs, so the YPT-16 was a military version of the STA, used by the Army Air Corps for primary training. Ryan followed the YPT-16 up with the PT-20, which looked similar, but had a larger cockpit and toe brakes... and that design evolved into far less appealing radial engined PT-21 and PT-22. However, in passing, and perhaps encouraged by Rankin, Ryan produced a few 'STA Specials', which were powered by a supercharged 150 hp C-4S Menasco which gave them a top speed of 160 miles an hour and a sparkling acrobatic performance - this is the model that the Lyons have simulated. In its day the STA must have been outstanding performer and it is said that the only contemporary that had similar controls was the fabled Bucker Jungmeister, another thirties legend. If the Ryan flew like a Jungmeister, it must have been a real showstopper. C'mon Bill... lets see a Jungmeister!

The Ryan STA zip is 10.4 Mb and installs much the same way that the Swift does, the extra meg being accounted for by a Gar Wood cruiser and a 1934 Ford roadster. You get 40 flights filed in the "Custom Classics" folder, but before you get to the plane, make sure you load the boat, because this is the first FS add-on I have seen with a working anchor - it goes down with F8 and up with F5. Now is that neat, or what? Not only does the door of the cruiser open, but the engine starts with M+ and it sprouts decorations over the Christmas period, if the Tiffany lamp in the cabin isn't enough for you. The '34 Roadster definitely drives better than anything Bill has produced before, as long as you have autorudder checked and if you hit the O key, you can open and close the top - just check out the Yellowstone Ford flight.

In addition to the boat and the roadster, you also get a skier with the Ryan, who comes in two versions, beginner and expert - and, who could possible ask for more? - there is a skater too. With practice you will find you can do all kinds of stuff with the skater, but it helps to have the yaw dampers engaged or Dutch roll can spoil your arabesques.

Who said that flight simulation had to be serious? They say Microsoft have chickens in the next version of FS, so why not skaters? Bet you they don't put ice on the lakes, just at the time when we could use it.

The STA takes a little bit of concentration to fly compared to the stock FS2002 planes, but it isn't at all tricky and you can even spin it using full up elevator and full left rudder and aileron on entry. There is a smoke system which toggles with the I key. Like the Swift, it pays to get your approach speed right, 50 mph being the target for crossing the fence with full flap, aiming for touch down at about 40-45 mph - any more than this and you will bounce straight back into the air. Once you are down, hold full up elevator to keep the tail wheel planted on the ground or the STA will start flying again - while this might be disconcerting to a generation brought up on trike gear, it is certainly realistic.

You cannot complain about variety in the package - there are seven variants in all, of three different planes. First, there is an STA in polished metal, together with red and yellow winged liveries. Then, there is also a slightly slower float version which comes in yellow and green versions; and finally, my favorite, a YPT-16 in a classic paint scheme. All the visual models are animated about as far as they can go, with the pilots' scarves rippling in the slipstream.

The 2D cockpit of the Ryan is a very nice J.L. Stubbs original and has some very neat features, including a dipping compass. Some of the bitmap editing is a little on the slack side, but maybe you shouldn't complain at this price. There STA has a much better VC than the Swift, good enough (had it only got active controls) to be used exclusively. Once again, just how accurate the flight model may be is a matter of guesswork on my part - I detected certain generic similarities with the Swift, but given that I would be astonished if anyone who has flown an STA has enough experience of FS to give Bill the benefit of their advice, I suspect we are looking at as good as we are likely to get.

So, once again, all I can do is give respect to Bill and Lynn Lyons for their work. Although they were once $12.50 each, these packages have now very generously been made freeware - even if you are a died in the wool airways tin pusher, they are worth a look. Why? Well, the planes of this generation form the roots of our aviation heritage and in my opinion they have more character than anything built before or since. Just look at that YPT-16 above - if it doesn't make you wonder if you were born seventy years too late, then maybe there's no saving you (-: