The Schweizer SGU 1-2 was a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
amateur-built, single-seat,
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 ...
that was designed by
Ernest Schweizer and constructed by the Mercury Glider Club between 1930 and 1931.
[Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United States'', page 91. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988. ]
The 1-2 was the second a line of 38
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 ...
designs that the Schweizers created and the first of over 5700 aircraft built by them.
Design and development
The success of the
Schweizer SGP 1-1
The Schweizer SGP 1-1 is an United States, American, homebuilt aircraft, amateur-built, single-seat, high-wing primary glider that was designed by Schweizer brothers, Ernest Schweizer and constructed by the Mercury Glider Club between 1929 and 19 ...
as a club glider in the summer of 1930 convinced the Schweizers and the Mercury Glider Club to build an improved glider with better performance for the following year.
The 1-2 was flown by the Mercury Glider Club in the summer of 1931. That club later became the Hudson Valley Soaring Club and continued to operate the glider. The HVSC used the 1-2 as a training glider while they used the prototype
Schweizer SGU 1-7
The Schweizer SGU 1-7 is an American Open Glider competition classes, Class, single-seat, high-wing strut braced glider built by Schweizer Metal Aircraft Company of Elmira, New York.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page ...
for soaring
Operational history
The club named the 1-2 "The Brick", a reference to its low performance. The sole 1-2 built did not survive and there are no examples available today.
The success of the 1-1 and the 1-2 led the Schweizer brothers to continue on to design and build improved gliders, including a single SGU 1-3 the following year and to form the
Schweizer Metal Aircraft Company
The Schweizer Aircraft Corporation was an American manufacturer of sailplanes, agricultural aircraft and helicopters located in Horseheads, New York. It was incorporated in 1939 by three Schweizer brothers (Paul, William, and Ernest), who bu ...
.
Specifications
See also
References
{{Schweizer aircraft
1930s United States sailplanes
Schweizer aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1931