2025 Hall of Fame Inductee- Mark Holliday

 

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2025 issue of Vintage Airplane magazine.
Copyright © 2025 by Sparky Barnes

BACK IN THE LATE 1950s, a towheaded first-grader by the name of Mark Holliday cradled a crayon in his hand, intently focused on coloring his sketch of an airplane. His father, Ward, had been a radio operator on B-26 Marauders during World War II and bought a surplus PT-26 right after the war. Ward and his wife, Pauly, established Elmo Aero in 1963 at Lake Elmo, Minnesota (21D). Elmo Aero rented aircraft and hangars, gave flying instruction, sold new and used aircraft, and was a dealer for Bellanca, Champion, Cessna, Taylorcraft, Grumman, and Lake Amphibian.

Mark was irresistibly drawn to all the goings-on at the FBO, and by the time he was 11, he was bicycling 10 miles from his home at Mahtomedi to the Lake Elmo Airport on weekends. Then his family moved to Sky Meadow Airport in Hastings. By then, the trajectory of Mark’s life was irreversibly directed skyward, and his insatiable interest in airplanes has never ceased.

FLYING START

Mark had his hands and feet on the flight controls as soon as he could reach them. On his 16th birthday in 1968, he soloed 26 airplanes. They included various Cessna, Champ, and Ercoupe models; Beech A23; Piper J-3 and

PA-28; Bellanca Viking and 260; and the PT-23. Soon there-after, Mark bought his first airplane for $1,000, a Culver Cadet.

“I used to fly a Mooney Mite a fair amount, too,” Mark recalled. “It was a great airplane and low cost to operate. Our flight school used to rent a Mooney Mite to private pilots to build retractable time so they could rent the Bellanca and Cessna 210 airplanes. We did a ground check-out so they could learn how to use the Beech Roby controllable prop and put the Mite on jacks to learn the gear retraction system. It was on our flightline for four years with no gear-up landings and no accidents.”

Mark earned his private on his 17th birthday and his commercial on his 18th birthday. Soon thereafter, he was flying all over the country for Elmo Aero. “Mark’s father had a large and successful aviation business at Lake Elmo Airport here in the Twin Cities,” said Forrest Lovley, VAA 2022 Hall of Fame inductee. “Ward had several dealerships for the various aircraft manufacturers, and he kept Mark very busy as a teenager, ferrying all models of Cessna, Bellanca, and Champion airplanes from the factories to all points of the United States.”

Mark also flew charter flights and aerial photography missions for the St. Paul Dispatch and local businesses. One intensive photography mission required precision flying over Isle Royale with three cameras to photograph the entire island — back in the days before GPS.

THE SWIFT

If you ask Mark what his favorite color is, he’ll say with a smile, “Shiny!” The genesis of his affinity for highly polished airplanes was in 1968 when Ward took a Swift 125 on trade for a Bellanca and was immediately enamored with its flying characteristics. Mark was still a student pilot at the time and liked the roomy cockpit.

“I was only 16, and my father put me in the left seat and checked me out in that Swift. Then one of our instructors got in the Swift with me, and I checked him out — and then he signed off my certificate so I was legal to fly it as a student,” Mark said with a chuckle. “Within a year, I bought an 85-hp Swift (N80905). It cruised at 125 mph and burned 5-1/2 gph at the most — so it was hard to beat for a kid who had to buy his own gas!”

Scott Anderson, executive director of the Swift Museum Foundation (SMF) at Athens, Tennessee, recalled that he first met Mark at a Swift event in 1986. “Mark had his immaculately restored Swift GC-1B, N2353B, at the fly-in, and I was impressed beyond words. His knowledge of Swift aircraft and his talent for accurate restoration is second to none. … He is a truly great stick. Mark joined the International Swift Association [now the SMF] in 1969 and has served repeatedly on our board of directors. He is highly respected for his many contributions to the foundation.”

FUN FLYING

As a native of the “frozen north,” Mark enjoyed flying ski-equipped airplanes, venturing as far as Pioneer airfield at Oshkosh. In 1974, he obtained his seaplane rating in a Piper PA-18 at Surfside, Minnesota. An active pilot year-round, Mark commuted by airplane from Hastings to the University of Wisconsin in River Falls. He flew various Citabrias to an airport close to the university, and then walked the short distance to campus. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in liberal arts in 1975.

AIR SHOWS

Seeking flight beyond “straight and level,” Mark embraced the art of aerobatics. “Delivering Citabrias and Decathlons for Elmo Aero gave me a lot of time to practice!” he said.

He flew air show routines from 1971 to 1995 in an 85-hp Swift (mostly in N80760) at Swift Nationals, regional air shows, and Oshkosh in the early 1980s. He also performed in the Temco Buckaroo. For many years, he held an FAA statement of aerobatic competency card for “solo, no limitations,” authorizing his performances in the GC-1 and TE-1 series Globe and Temco aircraft. Mark deftly demonstrated the airplanes’ maneuverability and his energy management in the 85-hp Swift by flying the maneuvers clean and dirty (gear down).

“I well remember Mark flying air shows solo and doing unbelievable maneuvers in his little 85-hp Swift. And it wasn’t only me; all over the United States, Swift owners were just amazed by what he could do,” Dr. Wes Creager of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, shared.

The legendary Bill Kershner wrote a note thanking Mark for his performance during the 1982 Ole South Fly-In at Sewanee, Tennessee: “I always enjoy seeing someone get the most from an airplane — which you most certainly did! When I said that we had an 85 Swift coming to do aerobatics, few believed that I was serious.”

In 1975, Charlie Nelson, founder of the International Swift Association and 2005 VAA Hall of Fame inductee, wrote: “The [fly-in] is highlighted by … some of the finest precision flying to be seen anywhere. ‘Non-Swift Believers’ take note, the show is usually opened by young Mark Holliday … in a beautiful 85-hp Swift with a series of rolls, point rolls, over-the-top maneuvers, loops, Cuban-eights, etc., all with precision and a low g environment.”

RETRIEVING AND RESTORING

Conjure this image: A shell of a Swift, sitting forlorn and neglected on the ramp or in the weeds. Sunbaked and wind-chafed, it silently shouted for help, its metal skin crushed and engine gone. There was one enthusiastic young man with a vintage soul who heard its cry. No matter that he needed to drive halfway across the country with a trailer to retrieve it; no matter that it required extensive exterior, interior, and engine work. Seeing only the potential of returning a sad derelict into gleaming, award-winning air-worthiness, Mark Holliday answered its call.

That basic scenario has been repeated more than a few dozen times since Mark was a teenager. To this day, he still can’t resist rescuing a long-neglected airplane from the fate of oblivion. Some he adopts as his own, and others he shelters until a new caretaker comes along via word of mouth.

“I doubt that there are very many Swifts in existence that Mark hasn’t owned at least once or twice. Mark is considered to be THE go-to expert on Swifts worldwide,” Forrest commented.

If one were to corral all the airplanes Mark has rescued, repaired, reskinned, and otherwise revitalized, they would fill a Vintage field at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. More than 50 Swifts have benefited directly from his handiwork (he earned his A&P mechanic certificate in 1981), and countless Swift owners have sought his piloting advice and technical expertise.

But wait, there’s more! He’s also restored Luscombes and has completed tail wheel conversions and added more horses up front for Cessna 150s. Add to those the aircraft he’s maintained in flying condition, and a Vintage field would need overflow parking to accommodate them all. They include the Texas Bullet; various Cessna, Luscombe, Culver, and Piper models; Globe and Temco Swifts; Bellanca Cruisairs; Mooney Mites – the list goes on. Mark has personally owned, flown, and maintained well north of 50 airplanes through the years.

Mark’s pilot friends Bob and Deb Bailey recounted: “We met Mark in the spring of 1985 at Lake Elmo Airport … [and] were treated to watching him work on and fly many different types of vintage aircraft. … Such aircraft included many Luscombe and Swift ‘kits’ that he trailered back to 21D and restored, and a Culver V that needed some TLC because it lived in back of a hangar for many years. Others included a Texas Bullet, a Mullicoupe, a Monocoupe, a Pacer, a Cessna 140, and a Spartan Executive that was the only Spartan ever produced with a nose wheel. All of them came through Mark’s hangar, receiving needed care often overseen by a gaggle of friends and bystanders, us included, that marveled at his ability to get things done, even while sometimes explaining what he was doing when questions were asked. … He helped many of his Lake Elmo aviation friends with aircraft or engine wear-and-tear issues, helped us find parts or exchange this for that, and even helped people, us included, find a Swift to purchase.”

PRO PILOT

Mark obtained his airline transport pilot certificate, hired on with Piedmont Airlines in 1984, and retired in 2006 with a card from American Airlines. His career started with flying the Fokker F28 jet, and he retired on the 737 series. His goal was always maximum time off, which he passionately devoted to restoring and flying numerous airplanes and lending a helping hand to others.

AWARD WINNERS

Through the decades, Mark has received around six dozen aircraft awards for his talented craftsmanship. N2353B, a 1948 Temco GC-1B Swift, garnered nine of those, including the 1993 and 2002 Bronze Lindy Classic Aircraft awards.

“I bought the airplane for $550 in 1977 and spent five years rebuilding it. It had been crushed from a snow load on a hangar at the original owner’s private strip near Springfield, Illinois. I rebuilt N2353B using all the original parts, except the complete tail and left center section trailing edge, and installed new wingtips. I rebuilt both wings, spliced on another center section, replaced lots of sheet metal, restored the panel to an original ‘Deluxe Scout Group,’ and installed a 145 engine I overhauled,” Mark recounted. “I saved the original red bird and Swift 125 logo on the cowl, but repainted the rest of the stripe and N-numbers. The first time I flew it, the tach turned over 500 hours’ total time. The guy I sold it to sold it a few years ago to a woman in Moscow, and it’s the only Swift in Russia!”

Mark’s restoration of another 1948 Temco Swift (N3866K) won the 1999 Grand Champion Original Swift award. Instead of keeping the award for himself, he thoughtfully shipped it to the Swift’s former longtime owner, Woody O’Dell. N3866K was eventually exported to Berlin, Germany.

Mark also won the 2003 Bronze Lindy Classic Aircraft award for a Cessna 140 (NC3537V) he restored, and in 2005, the Cessna 182 he restored (N5609B, tail wheel conversion) received the Contemporary Outstanding award.

HELPING OTHERS

“Mark has a wealth of knowledge about vintage aircraft… [and] is a tremendous help to the Swift community,” Mitchell Zahler shared. “From problem solver to parts provider, Mark has helped bring many neglected Swifts back to life.”

For more than 30 years (1976-2009), Mark fostered camaraderie for Swift owners by hosting annual “pre-Oshkosh” cookouts at his personal hangar at Lake Elmo. He made sure that everyone who flew in had overnight hangar space, free of charge.

“This unassuming pilot has helped many of his peers in terms of piloting and restoring aircraft. … Always thinking of persons needing help, he has passed his expertise on to builders and restorers. … He is an inspiration to other avia-tors and is especially active in encouraging the next generation as they continue their path to enjoying flight in vintage, antique, and classic aircraft,” said Ann Holtgren Pellegreno, 1997 VAA Hall of Fame inductee.

AIRPLANES FLOWN

Speaking of flying, of the 200-plus types of airplanes Mark has flown, the oldest was the Honeymoon Special, a 1928 Laird LC-B200. He’s flown a large number of “garden variety” airplanes and, not surprisingly, numerous uncommon airplanes as well. Those include the Cessna T-50 Bobcat, Cassutt, Aerospatiale Rallye Minerva, Commonwealth 185 Skyranger, Culver V, Curtiss Junior, Emigh Trojan, Curtiss Pusher (replica), Funk, Howard DGA-11 and DGA-6, Midget Mustang, Knight Twister, Monocoupe 110 Special, Rose Parrakeet, SIAI-Marchetti SF.260, Smith Miniplane, Meyers 145, Spartan 12, Taylorcraft 20 Ranch Wagon, Temco-Riley Twin Navion, Thorp T-18, Texas Bullet, Travel Air Mystery Ship (replica), Waco AVN-8, and Woody Pusher.

Mark’s favorite “driver” is N78069, a 1946 Globe Swift he hauled home from Detroit in November 1993 and finished restoring at the end of July 1994. He installed sticks and a 210-hp Continental in it. (Incidentally, at one time he owned N78067, N78068, and N78069 concurrently.) N78069 has a stock 28-gallon fuel tank, but that doesn’t preclude Mark from flying it on long cross-countries — such as his flight last fall from Athens, Tennessee, to Esparto, California, and back.

VINTAGE REPLICAS

Mark has enjoyed putting history in motion for aviators and enthusiasts by flying numerous vintage replicas — even flying them across the country to a variety of fly-ins. In the early 2000s, he was intrigued with Andy Parks’ Vintage Aero Flying Museum (VAFM) at Fort Lupton, Colorado, and became its chief pilot for 10 years. He flew the museum’s BT-13 and all its replicas: the Fokker D.VII, D.VIII, Dr.I Triplane, S.E.5a, SPAD S.XIII, and Sopwith Pup.

“I credit Mark Holliday and a lot of other pilots I’ve known as being the guys that take on the responsibility of flying a World War I replica to a fly-in and doing the hard work,” said Andy.

The 2010 documentary Mission: Dawn Patrol, narrated by Hugh Downs, highlights the three pilots who flew the VAFM’s replicas (Mark flew the Fokker Dr.I) from Colorado to the Dawn Patrol Rendezvous at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and back.

Mark also flew the Triplane from the VAFM to Oshkosh. During an EAA photo shoot, he flew it in formation with a P-51 Mustang. “We started at 5,500 feet and spiraled down to about 2,500. I was wide open, and the Mustang had some flaps and stayed on the outside,” Mark said. “Flying the Triplane was fun for about 20 minutes. But when the air is bumpy, it wears you out because you really have to stay on the rudder pedals. It has about an hour and 15-minute range— by then, you’re ready to land.”

Mark is recognized by his peers as a highly skilled and talented pilot, easily evidenced by his adept handling of these vintage replicas as well as his tiny Knight Twister (an aircraft design from 1932, and which raced at Reno) and his mighty Mullicoupe. Mark doesn’t shy away from long cross-countries in any of his airplanes. His most recent flight in his 160-hp Twister was from Granbury, Texas, to Athens, Tennessee.

He’s owned and flown his 450-hp Mullicoupe to fly-ins across the nation since 2007. The Mullicoupe was designed by Jim Younkin (1997 VAA Hall of Fame inductee) and com-pleted by Bud Dake of Creve Coeur, Missouri. The airplane’s name and appearance invokes the golden age of air racing; “Mulli” is from Mister Mulligan, and “Coupe” is from Monocoupe. (Oh, and Mark has a 1931 Monocoupe 110 Special — and it’s not a replica.)

Another noteworthy vintage replica Mark took turns flying was Bob Coolbaugh’s 1911 Curtiss Pusher to celebrate the centennial of naval aviation. They visited SUN ’n FUN, and their official tour culminated at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. Mark flew the last leg to the Military Aviation Museum at Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Jim Wilson shared: “By at least the mid-’80s, I knew of Mark … and of his ability to fly many types of ‘not for light-weights’ aircraft. … I finally met him personally when he showed up at my home with Andrew King and Bob Coolbaugh. These three were taking turns flying Bob’s 1911 Curtiss Pusher [replica] from Florida back to Virginia. They got weathered in here for a few days, and during this time I found out the details and depth of his flying and restoration experience. Over the years, this knowledge has been reinforced via several mutual Swift and Monocoupe owners. To them, Mark is the gold standard of information. … Most importantly, [he] has been willing to pass it on.”

PRESERVING HISTORY

Mark has generously donated historical aviation materials to benefit others, including a collection of 16 mm films to the Piper Aircraft Museum, original Cessna brochures to the Cessna 150-152 Club, information for author Stanley G. Thomas’ book The Globe/Temco Swift Story, obscure footage of the Temco T-35 and Plebe flights to the SMF, and WWII manuals to the AirCorps Library.

Aside from such tangible artifacts, Mark has a particular interest in preserving the history and outward originality of the Swift. He’s known for his willingness to share verbal history as well. Harry Fenton attested to that years ago: “I think that Jim [Montague] and Mark have owned half of the Swift fleet at one time, and they can rattle off the lineage and damage history of many, if not most, of the Swifts in existence. Oral history like this has proven to me to be the single most important guide to successful Swift caretaking.”

Aligned with his penchant for promoting and preserving aviation history, Mark flew several historically noteworthy aircraft to Athens for permanent display in the SMF’s facility. The Johnson Rocket 125 was one of them. Mark did a condition inspection on it at the Florida Air Museum at Lakeland and then flew it to Athens. With his typical quiet demeanor, Mark shared, “It flew as good as it looks.”

Mark also delivered most of the other airplanes that are on permanent display in the museum and, in some cases, was the last pilot to fly them. These include the first pro-duction “all-metal” 1945 GC-1A (85 hp, serial No. 2), the first donation of a Swift 125 from California, and the last production of a 1951 Temco GC-1B.

BREATHING LIFE INTO AVIATION

Early on, Mark received an award that was a harbinger of his future. The 1977 EAA Achievement in Aviation Award was given to him, “For Sound Preparation in Aviation Including a National Prize Winning Classic Airplane Restoration. The Charles A. Lindbergh Award is presented… by the Minnesota Sport Aviation Association to the Outstanding Young Aviator of the Year, who, before the age of 26, has already demonstrated his ability as an aviator in Minnesota and who displays enthusiasm and a promise of future contributions of great value to the progress of aviation.” Indeed, Mark’s contributions to aviation have been, and continue to be, of great value.

“I first met [Mark] sometime in the ’70s, when he was literally just a kid. A kid doing a bang-up air show at the Swift Association get-together in an 85-hp Swift. From that point on, I had no idea what he would be flying, but it would be something old and extremely well turned out. … It’s difficult to put the spirit and personality that he has always brought to the vintage aviation scene into words. As long as I’ve known him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him on the field when he wasn’t smiling. He, quite literally, is the spirit we like to have associated with our old air-planes. It’s one thing to be a superb craftsman breathing life back into the many airplanes that have passed through his life, but it’s another to breathe life into aviation itself by simply being there to help others and be part of the proceedings,” said Budd Davisson, 2023 EAA Homebuilders Hall of Fame inductee.

Ambling along a flightline with Mark is a delightfully edifying experience, and one soon becomes aware that his depth and breadth of knowledge about antique, vintage, and classic aircraft is immense. Yet Mark doesn’t see himself as a paragon in the vintage aviation world; rather, he just feels that he’s done what he was compelled to do to “Keep ’em Flying!”

Mark Holliday’s lifelong devotion and contributions to the world of vintage aviation far exceed those highlighted herein. He’s certainly earned his place in the VAA Hall of Fame. Mark will be inducted during the Hall of Fame ceremony in the Eagle Hangar at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh on the evening of November 12, 2025.