[1] Swallow purchased the prototype from its builder, Dale Aircraft,[2] but was unable to start manufacturing it before the demands of wartime production changed priorities for the company.

[4] The LT65 was a conventional, low-wing-monoplane with seating for the pilot and instructor in tandem, fully enclosed under an extensively glazed canopy.

[5] Although Swallow's marketing of 1940 described the LT65 as "new" and "no re-hash of an old model",[7] they had purchased the manufacturing rights and the prototype from the Dale Aircraft Company of Pomona, California,[2] The Dale Aircraft Company logo is partially visible on Swallow's promotional picture of the type.

[10] However, the outbreak of World War II disrupted the civil aviation market, and diverted resources and manufacturing capacity.

[2][3][4] Swallow never sold any LT65s,[2] and spent the war years training aircraft mechanics[3] and manufacturing components for Boeing bombers.