American-built general purpose biplane of the mid- to late 1920s
The Swallow Super Swallow is an American-built general purpose biplane of the late 1920s, developed from the Swallow New Swallow. Versions powered by the 90-hp (66-kW) Curtiss OX-5 engine and the 220-hp (162-kW) Wright J-5 engine are also known as the Swallow 90 and Swallow 220 or as the OX-5 Swallow and J5 Swallow.
Design and development.
The Swallow Airplane Manufacturing Co successfully marketed a derivative of the Laird Swallow as the New Swallow in 1924. Already by this time, it was apparent to aircraft designers that steel airframes offered advantages over the traditional wooden airframes as used in the New Swallow. Swallow designers Lloyd Stearman and Walter Beech approached company founder Jacob Moellendick with a plan to redesign the Swallow with a steel structure. Favoring a more conservative approach, Moellendick rejected their suggestion, and Stearman and Beech quit Swallow to found their own company, Travel Air, with Clyde Cessna. 
By 1926, however, Moellendick relented, and company manager Charles Laird and designer Waverly Stearman (brothers of E. M. Laird and Lloyd Stearman) presented him with a design for a modernized Swallow. Keeping the original Swallow layout, the Super Swallow fuselage and tail were built on a frame of welded chrome-moly steel tubes, while keeping a wooden structure for the wings. The wooden, parallel interplane and cabane struts were changed to steel "N" configuration. Attention was given to streamlining throughout the design, including the engine cowl, struts, and bracing wires. The wing profile was changed from the Clark Y to the higher-camber USA 27.
The OX-5-powered Super Swallow was issued Approved Type Certificate (ATC) 21 by the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce in December 1927. Hispano-Suiza 8-powered, J-5-powered and Axelson-powered versions were certificated under ATC 50, ATC 51, and ATC 125 respectively.
Production continued until 1929.
Operational history.
Like other general-purpose aircraft, Super Swallows were used for recreational flying, short-range passenger flights, and pilot training. One notable Super Swallow owner was rodeo and movie star Hoot Gibson who owned a J5 Swallow.
In the early 21st century, at least two Super Swallows were still flying: serial number 842, registration "NC979", and serial number 899, registration "N4028". "NC979" has been restored to close to original configuration and specifications. "N4028" has been extensively modified, including the installation of a Continental R-670 engine in place of its original OX-5. This latter aircraft forms part of the collection of the Experimental Aircraft Association at Pioneer Airport, where it is used to offer joyrides to the public. As of 2024, its owners suggested that it might be the oldest aircraft available to hire this way anywhere in the world.
Other preserved Super Swallows include:
Specifications (J5 Swallow).
"Data from" Juptner 1962a, p.134General characteristics* Crew: 1* Capacity: 3 passengers* Aspect ratio: * Airfoil: USA 27
Performance* Maximum speed: Mach * Endurance: * g limits: * Roll rate: * Maximum glide ratio: 
Armament
Notes.
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References.
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