William F. Schwenk

William Frederick Schwenk died at his Southampton home on August 21 after a long illness. He was 94.

Born July 18, 1914, at Southampton Hospital, he was the son of William and Ethel Schwenk. A charter member of the Golden Age of Aviation who soloed at age 16, he was an ardent collector of vintage aircraft.

According to his brother Ralph, Mr. Schwenk’s aviation accomplishments included every aviation credential there is—except flying jet aircraft—all without attending an hour in a classroom. Experience was his teacher, he said, and his reward was the glory of his experiences.

Mr. Schwenk’s contributions during his employment in aviation started in 1939 with his work as a mechanic for Pan Am in Montreal, Canada, before the United States entered World War II. It was there that the Hudson Bomber was prepped to fly to Russia on the lend-lease program.

With the United States entering the war, the operation moved to Africa, where Mr. Schwenk was repair crew chief for downed aircraft anywhere in the area. After locating the downed aircraft, he would patch them up to fly to an established repair department. With the end of that campaign, he returned to the United States to be drafted into the Army.

He married Constance Rogers and shipped out to Texas for basic training. His credentials led to being chosen to pilot the troop gliders of the day. He was later transferred to work in the NASA laboratory in Cleveland, that being the United States experimental aviation facility at the time.

With the armistice and his subsequent discharge and return to Southampton, he became sole mechanic for Long Island Airlines, a summertime charter service from Montauk, Southampton and Westhampton to Manhattan, established by Guy Lombardo.

In the winter, the group moved to Florida for charter flights to the islands in the Caribbean. On one occasion he met President Dwight D. Eisenhower and prepped his plane for a fishing expedition.

Mr. Schwenk also met Charles Lindberg when he restored Lindy’s barnstorming Curtis Jenny aircraft.

“On final” is an aviation term referring to a decision made by a pilot that is irrevocable once made. His brother said the phrase would accurately describe Mr. Schwenk’s adventure with his Pheasant aircraft, a vintage 1920s plane acquired for $50 in a Southampton junk yard. Mr. Schwenk would describe the plane as “worse than hurt.”

To acquire, store, preserve and protect all the remains, then finally completely restore the aircraft took more than 70 years. Of the three remaining aircraft of this design, Mr. Schwenk’s is the only one now airworthy, which his brother called a tribute to his tenacity

In addition to his brother Ralph, Mr. Schwenk is survived by a son, William Jr. of North Carolina; a daughter, Lynn and her husband Brian Russell of North Carolina; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by his wife, Constance, and a daughter-in-law, Victoria Schwenk.

Funeral services were held at the First Presbyterian Church in Southampton on August 29.