The Sanders Legacy
By Anthony Taylor Going all the way back to 1970, the name Sanders has been a staple in the world of warbirds and air racing. Frank Sanders became known for his Hawker Sea Fury N232J and flew aerobatics with his patented self-contained smoke generator system. Sanders also competed in the California 1000 Mojave Air Race in 1971, winning the 1,000-km event in 232, and he won again in 1975.Sander’s facility started out of Long Beach Municipal Airport. Then in 1976 moved the operation to Chino airport, purchasing the late Leroy Penhall’s Fighter Imports hangar, where the family business would thrive for the next 20 years. In that timeframe, Sanders continued to restore/maintain their Hawker Sea Furies, along with many other rare vintage warbirds, and remain, to this day, the “Sea Fury Kings.”
In 1983, the Sanders family decided to “go racing” and built the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 powered T MK.20 Sea Fury Dreadnought and with Astronaut Neil Anderson as pilot, won the National Championship Air Races (NCAR) at Reno, Nev. it’s first year out in 1983, and again in 1986 with Rick Brickert at the controls. The Sanders boys, Dennis and Brian, began racing in 1984 and 1986 respectively and for the next 32 years, the two brothers successfully participated in a total 63 years between them. Flying their three family aircraft, TMk.20 NX20SF Dreadnought, FB.11 N19SF Argonaut, and their TMk.20 N924G. In addition to competing in the NCAR, Sanders continue to perform at several airshows each year, showcasing Frank’s Sea Fury Aerobatic Smoke Demonstration in both Argonaut and 924, one of the smoothest airshow demo’s on the circuit, using the same maneuvers Frank performed in 232 more than 40 years ago.There have also been several rookie race pilots who have worked their way through their facility. 2016 saw another Sea Fury driver get his ticket to race at the 53rd Annual Reno National Championship Air Races, held every September at Reno Stead Airport.
Joel Swager (husband to Shannon Sanders, Dennis’ daughter) began his career in warbird restoration with Fighter Rebuilders at Chino, Calif., a “Chino Kid” from the beginning. After many years working with the likes of Ed Maloney, John Maloney, Steve Hinton, and a host of well-known vintage aviation restorers, his experience with the Chino team gave him a hands-on approach in the industry and would serve him well in transitioning his way to Sanders Aeronautics in 2013, where he continues to apply his craft. At 32 years of age, he already has a long history working with extremely rare and one-of-a-kind aircraft, something the Sanders are well known for.On June 16, 2016, at Pylon Racing School, Swager received his ticket as Unlimited Race Pilot #234 in the division and was clinched for the big event in September. Joel flew race #114 N19SF Argonaut to a first-place finish in Friday’s Heat-1B at an average race speed of 381.024mph, and then went on to a fifth- place finish in Sunday’s Gold Final at an average speed of 365.061 mph. A very respectable rookie effort, Swager continued to fly like a veteran the entire week. The 2016 event was in short supply of Unlimited/Warbird entries, and Sanders provided one third of the field with their three Sea Furies. Congratulations to Mr. Swager and thanks to the Sanders family for providing solid support to the races for so many years. Other milestones to Swager’s credit, Sept. 10, 2008, during late afternoon hours at the Reno Air Races, at 23 years of age, Joel soloed in Steve Hinton’s P-51D Mustang N7715C Wee Willy, and on Sept. 29, 2016, soloed in Dreadnought at Sanders’ home airport, Eagle’s Nest, Ione, Calif. If you follow the warbird movement today and trace it back to the 1950s, the industry has maintained significant supply and demand worldwide. Aircraft are being rescued from remote forests, frozen lakes and oceans, and with the determination, resource, and deep pockets of some passionate people, these rescues become flying examples of our history. Sanders Aeronautics’ contribution is a large part of this history. Unlimited air racing has also been instrumental in keeping them flying. When asked what their future in air racing holds, both Dennis and Brian answered, “As long as Reno has the event, we will bring our airplanes.”Thanks to Shannon and Dennis for the grand tour, looking forward to the 2017 airshow and air-racing season.
