The Schweizer SGS 1-26 is a United States One-Design, single-seat, mid-wing

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

built by Schweizer Aircraft 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 ...

.Schweizer Aircraft Corp:
The 1-26 Sailplane Flight - Erection - Maintenance Manual, Models A thru E''
page 1. Schweizer Aircraft Corp, undated. The SGS 1-26 enjoyed a very long production run from its first flight in 1954 until 1979, when production was ended. The 1-26 was replaced in production by the

Schweizer SGS 1-36 Sprite The Schweizer SGS 1-36 Sprite is a United States, single-seat, mid-wing glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York. The 1-36 was first flown in 1979 and a total of 43 were built by the time production was completed in 1982. The Sprit ...

. The 1-26 is the most numerous sailplane found in the US. In October 1963 a special issue of ''Soaring'' magazine was dedicated to the 1-26. Harner Selvidge wrote:

"Much of the glamour of soaring lies in the realm of high performance, high aspect ratio open class sailplanes, but the backbone of the soaring movement in this country, and any other, lies in the local club operations. These are the weekend fliers who have fun around the airport, make some cross-country flights and enter local contests. For this sort of flying, the 1-26 is unexcelled."Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United States'', page 201. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988.

Design and development

Schweizer Aircraft originally proposed the idea of a simple, inexpensive, one-design class sailplane at the 1945 Motorless Flight Conference. This concept was revived in 1954. At that time the

Schweizer SGS 1-23 The Schweizer SGS 1-23 is a United States Open and Standard Class, single-seat, mid-wing glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York. The original "standard" 1-23 was introduced in 1948. The aircraft quickly became the most numerous ...

was the only sailplane in production in the United States and demand for it had dropped off, due to its high price. At the same time the number of people participating in soaring had increased and there was a clear market for a low cost sailplane. Design goals for the new glider included: *available as a kit *small and light weight for ease of storage and construction *rugged design with a focus on pilot protection *launched by autotow, winch and aerotow *enough performance for Gold distance flights (300 km) *low minimum sink speed ability to soar in light conditions Schweizer Aircraft felt that the best way to produce a low cost sailplane was with a new design that could be made available as a kit. The resulting kit sailplane design had three main features: *No critical parts would be fabricated by the builder to ensure reliability, minimize jigs and simplify construction. *Assembly in six months, so it could be built over one winter. *A complete kit, so the builder would not have to waste time sourcing his own parts. Schweizer initially envisioned production to be restricted to kits, with the possibility of full production of completed aircraft if demand warranted. Initial reception of the new model was very positive. A complete review of the aircraft was published in the March–April 1954 issue of the

Soaring Society of America The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 1932. ...

Soaring Magazine ''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of in ...

. Sufficient orders were forthcoming that full production soon commenced. The 1-26 received type certificate 1G10 on 14 December 1954. The type certificate is currently held by K & L Soaring of

Cayuta, New York Cayuta is a city in Schuyler County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 508. The City of Cayuta occupies the southeastern corner of the county and is northeast of Elmira. It is part of the Elmira Metropolitan Sta ...

K & L Soaring now provides all parts and support for the Schweizer line of sailplanes.

One-Design competition

View from a Schweizer SGS 1-26, North of Reno, Nevada

Paul A Schweizer was a proponent of the One-Design concept and the 1-26 as the aircraft by which to establish a one-design class in the US. He wrote:

The true measure of pilot ability and experience is usually shown by his final standing in a contest. What could be more indicative of this when pilots are flying identical sailplanes with identical performance. One design competition is the sure test of soaring skill.Schweizer Aircraft Corp: ''The 1-26E for Sport Soaring'', page 3. Schweizer Aircraft Corp, undated.

The design was a success as a one-design and became the most popular one-design class in the world. The 1-26 design gained weight through the evolution of the models, as the gross weight increased from 575 lbs to 700 lbs. Performance testing showed that there is very little difference between the models and that the one-design concept has been maintained throughout the aircraft's production life.

Operational history

The 1-26 is used by many soaring clubs in the United States and is often the first single place glider that a student flies immediately after

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

, often coming from a

Schweizer 2-33 The Schweizer SGS 2-33 is an American two-seat, high-wing, strut-braced, training glider that was built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United States'', pages 227- ...

two-seat trainer. As of November 2017 there were still 438 SGS 1-26s registered in the US and 17 in Canada. The 1-26 was used by the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

under the designation TG-3A, until it was replaced by the TG-10D Peregrine in October 2002. Thirty 1-26s were supplied to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

as part of a United States

foreign aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

package.

Records & badges

The 1-26 has been seen as a challenging aircraft to set records in and to achieve FAI soaring badges, given its low glide performance. Rose Marie Licher set the US National Feminine distance record of 273.28 miles while flying a 1-26. Jean Arnold set the US National Feminine goal record of 96.4 miles in a 1-26. US pilot

Wally Scott Wallace Aiken Scott (July 4, 1924 – February 8, 2003) was an American aviator and author, a holder of several international sailplane records, and a multi-time recipient of the Lewin B. Barringer trophy awarded for the longest, free-distance, ...

flew a distance of 443.5 miles in a 1-26. Among other US pilots Tom Knauff and Bill Creary earned all three of their diamond badges in 1-26s. In 1969 a 1-26 Sweepstakes was organized by the 1-26 Association and sponsored by Schweizer Aircraft. The seven-month contest held across the US and Canada encouraged pilots to earn badges in the 1-26 to be eligible for prizes. These included 28

barograph A barograph is a barometer that records the barometric pressure over time in graphical form. This instrument is also used to make a continuous recording of atmospheric pressure. The pressure-sensitive element, a partially evacuated metal cylinde ...

s as well as trophies. The contest resulted in many badges earned as well as three flights over 300 miles (486 km). Canadian Harold Eley earned all three Diamonds in a 1-26.Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United States'', pages 246-247. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988.

Variants

;1-26 :The original 1-26 model is also referred to as a "standard".Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 31. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920 It features a welded steel tube fuselage and aluminum framed wings, all covered in aircraft fabric.Schweizer Aircraft Corp: ''The 1-26E for Sport Soaring'', page 2. Schweizer Aircraft Corp, undated. :Gross weight is 575 lbs. There were 22 "standards" completed. ;1-26A :The 1-26A is a "standard" that was completed by the builder from a kit and licensed as a certified aircraft, instead of an amateur-built. There were 114 completed. :Like the "standard", the "A" also has a gross weight of 575 lbs. ;1-26B :The "B" model was introduced in 1956 as a factory built aircraft. It improved on the "standard" by introducing metal-covered wings. This resulted in the empty weight increasing by 25 lbs. The gross weight was increased to 600 lbs to account for the loss of useful load. :Starting in 1965 the "B" was available with a swept tail to replace the rounded tail. ;1-26C :The "C" is a kit-built "B" model. Like its factory built counterpart it also had a gross weight of 600lbs. ;1-26D :The 1-26D was introduced in 1968 and incorporated some evolutionary improvements to make the aircraft simpler and easier to construct. These include a new

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

nose forward of the main spar, top and bottom dive brakes to replace the top surface only spoilers of earlier models, new

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

s and a gross weight increased to 700 lbs.Schweizer Aircraft Corp: ''The 1-26 Sailplane Flight – Erection – Maintenance Manual, Models A thru E'', page 19. Schweizer Aircraft Corp, undated. :The "D" model also introduced a one-piece canopy and a lower profile fuselage. The swept tail was standard on the "D" model. A total of 77 "D" models were produced. ;1-26E :The "E" model was introduced in 1971. :The 1-26E incorporates a complete monocoque metal fuselage, entirely replacing the welded tube construction of the earlier models. It also has a revised fin assembly with new style attachments. :The "E" has a gross weight of 700 lbs. 213 were built. ;1-30 :The Schweizer SA 1-30 used the wings and tail surfaces from the 1-26 to produce a powered aircraft.

Aircraft on display

National Soaring Museum The National Soaring Museum (NSM) is an aviation museum whose stated aim is to preserve the history of motorless flight. It is located on top of Harris Hill near Elmira, New York, United States. The NSM is the Soaring Society of America's officia ...

– 1-26 serial number 001 The NSM also has SGS 1-26E serial number 700 in its display collection. *

US Southwest Soaring Museum The US Southwest Soaring Museum is an aviation museum, located at 918 E US Route 66, in Moriarty, New Mexico, United States that focuses on the history of gliding in the western United States. The museum is an affiliate member of the Soaring Socie ...

– 1-26A