During a 1988 visit
to Chino, Frank
Sanders and his
granddaughter
Shannon share a
seat on one of the
slower vehicles
Sanders has
piloted. One of the
faster ones—
Dreadnought—is
inthebackground.NorthAmericanT-6,anadorableAeroncaChamp
(thatwasa gifttoOwenonhisfirstbirthday),a
LockheedLodestar,anda TwinBeechthatserves
as thefamilystationwagon.Don’tlettheglasses
andsalt-and-pepperbeardfoolyou.At60,Dennis
stillhastheenergyofsomeonehalfhisage.Swager
is asplacidasDennisis exuberant,butif hehas
anyreservationsabouteventuallytakingcontrol
of oneoftheoldestandmostrespectedshopsin
the warbird world, he doesn’t betray them. “We’re
not going anywhere,” Swager says. “This is what
we’re going to do as long as they’ll let us.”Frank Sanders devoted his life to speed. But he
first came to prominence not in the air but on the
ground. Driving a wicked Chevy Impala factory
lightweight, Sanders won a National Hot Rod
Association points championship in 1963. He
alsowasthefounderofS & S Headers,whichwas
oneofthefirstcompaniestocreatetunedexhaust
systemsforhotrodsanddragracing.
ButSandersgrewupwithanabidingpassionfor
aviation.Hisfatherwasa prewarflightinstructor
whoflewB-17sandotherairplanesduringWorld
WarII.Sandershimselflearnedtoflywhilehe
wasinhighschool.In1966,hetraveledfromhis
homeinPhoenixtoLosAngelestobuya T-6—a
WorldWarII trainerbuiltbythemanufacturer
thatcreatedtheP-51Mustang—for$2,500.
Heflewit homethesameday,andRuthwas
inthebackseat.“Irememberthinking,‘I don’t
knowhowsmartthisis,tobebackhereandnot
knowanythingaboutflying,’” shesays.Shesoon
earnedherpilot’slicense,andinyearstocome,the
Sandersfamilywouldcaravanintwoairplanes,Argonaut’s view
ofitsfrontyardis
unimpededbyits
propeller.The
airplaneis backin
itshangarafter
enginerepairs.
SeaFuryswere
designedwith
foldingwingsfor
carrieroperations.28 AIR & SPACE airspacemag.com
LEFT: COURTESY SHANNON SANDERS SWAGER; BOTTOM: MARK WATT