The Schweizer SGU 1-7 is an American Open
Class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
, single-seat, high-wing strut braced glider built by
Schweizer Metal Aircraft Company of
Elmira, New York
Elmira () is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 cens ...
.
[Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 26. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920]
The first 1-7 was built in 1937 and the second one was completed in 1939.
The 1-7 was the first Schweizer aircraft which was produced as more than a single example and it was the first aircraft that the company sold.
Design and development
Schweizer Aircraft started construction of the 1-7 prototype 1937, shortly after the
SGU 1-6 came in third in the
1937 Eaton Design Contest. The intention was that the winning design would be made available as drawings and kits for
amateur construction and that
Bureau of Air Commerce certification would be sought.
The 1-6 had not fared well in the competition and none of the winners in the contest had proven as easy to construct as the contest organizers had hoped. As a result of the lessons learned in the Eaton contest a new clean-sheet design was started by the
Schweizer brothers
Paul, William (Bill), and Ernest Schweizer were three brothers who started building gliders in 1930. In 1937, they formed the Schweizer Metal Aircraft Company. Their first commercial glider sale was an Schweizer SGU 1-7, SGU 1-7 Glider (sailplane ...
.
The resulting single seater-seventh design (1-7) was quite different from the 1-6. The 1-6 had been an all-metal design including
aluminum-covered wings and was the first all-metal glider ever built.
The 1-7 was designed to use more traditional methods and has a steel-tube fuselage frame covered in aircraft fabric. The wing is a constant
chord
Chord may refer to:
* Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously
** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning
* Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve
* Chord ( ...
, single
spar,
strut-braced type, including
jury strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in c ...
s. The wing and horizontal tail are built from aluminum with fabric covering. The aircraft was designed to be as simple and inexpensive as possible to construct, even at the cost of higher performance.
The 1-7 design was never certified and both aircraft completed were registered as experimental
amateur-built aircraft.
While only two Schweizer SGU 1-7s were built the type was the beginning of a long line of Schweizer gliders based upon this design. The 1-7 lead directly lead to the improved single place
Schweizer SGU 1-19 and long-wing
Schweizer SGU 1-20. With two seats installed the basic design became the
Schweizer SGU 2-22
The Schweizer SGU 2-22 is an American two-seat, high-wing, strut-braced, training glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', pages 26. Soaring Society of America, Novembe ...
trainer and finally evolved into the
Schweizer SGS 2-33.
Operational history
SGU 1-7 serial number 1 was completed in 1937.
It was later destroyed by mistake as scrap.
SGU 1-7 serial number 2 was completed in 1939 and registered as N23026.
It has had a long and storied career.
The aircraft was originally sold to the Altosaurus Soaring Club of
North Conway, New Hampshire for
USD$595.
This club was formed by a group of
Harvard University skiers from the Schussverien Ski Club. They used the single-seat 1-7 to teach themselves to fly by auto tow and winch launch. The aircraft was thought by the club members to resemble a
pterodactyl in flight and was painted with one on both sides of the aircraft's nose.
The aircraft was sold in the 1950s to
Lloyd Lichner then general manager of the
Soaring Society of America, who flew it often in
California, including at the cliff-soaring site at
Torrey Pines.
The aircraft was later owned by Ralph Heide of
El Segundo, California
El Segundo ( , ; ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 16,731 as of th ...
in the 1980s. He carried out a complete restoration of the aircraft in the mid-1980s.
Today 1-7 serial number 2 belongs to the
National Soaring Museum.
Specifications
See also
References
External links
Photographs of SGU 1-7 Serial 2 in the NSMPhoto of an SGU 1-7 on tow
{{Schweizer aircraft
1930s United States sailplanes
Schweizer aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1937