Schweizer developed a line of gliders starting in World War II. The 2-31 was not intended to be a motor glider, but rather a light aircraft utilizing some glider and sailplane technologies, common parts with other Schweizer designs and an affordable price as a result of using smaller powerplants.
A two-seat version of the 1-30, the Schweizer SA 2-31 first flew in July 1960 but not put into production due to competition in the light aircraft market. No further motorgliders were built by the company until 1982.
Schweizer SA 2-31 Wingspan: 36 ft (11 m) Length: 21 ft (6.4 m) Crew: one Capacity: one passenger
In the mid-1990s the Coast Guard decided that the RG-8 aircraft would be more useful if their capabilities were improved to include night operations by the addition of more mission sensor equipment. Discussions with Schweizer Aircraft resulted in a plan to upgrade two RG-8As and build one new aircraft to provide a total of three.
The RU-38 was intended to fulfill both the low altitude, quiet, over water/hostile terrain reconnaissance role and also the high altitude standoff surveillance role. Based on the Schweizer SGM 2-37 motor glider, a total of five RU-38s were produced between 1995 and 2005.
In converting to the new RU-38A configuration, the conventional RG-8A airframe was greatly modified by: Removing the single 235 hp (175 kW) Lycoming O-540-B powerplant Installing two Teledyne Continental Motors GIO-550A engines with a 3:2 gear reduction to 2267 operating rpm. The engines are mounted one in the nose and the other in the rear of the fuselage. Enlarging the crew compartment Improving the engine mufflers Increasing the wingspan from 56.5 ft (17.22m) to 84.13 ft (25.65 m) Changing the single tail fin to a twin-boom configuration with two fins Greatly enlarged sensor bays Improved noise signature reduction Tricycle landing gear replacing the conventional landing gear
The resulting aircraft bears little resemblance to the original TG-8. Installation of the twin-boom pods permits the carriage of more sensors. The left-hand pod houses an AN/APN-215(V) color multi-function X-band sea search radar with mapping capabilities. The right-hand pod houses the AN/AAQ-15 forward looking infrared (FLIR) and Low-Light TV enhanced vision systems.
Schweizer RU-38A
For navigation the RU-38A originally carried both OMEGA and GPS receivers, although the Omega has since been removed with that system’s withdrawal from service in 1997. The aircraft also has HF, VHF and UHF radios for voice and encrypted voice communications, plus direction finding. The crew may also use night vision goggles.
The aircraft has no flaps and instead retains the top and bottom surface divebrakes of its sailplane ancestors.
The RU-38A is designed to transit to its operational area with both engines operating. Once in the surveillance area the rear engine would normally be shut down and the aircraft operated in “quiet surveillance mode”. The second engine would be available for use in an emergency and for return to base at faster speed.
The first Coast Guard RG-8A was returned to Schweizer for conversion to RU-38A status on 24 January 1994. The initial plan called for the conversion of two RG-8As and then fabrication of one new RU-38A.
The first flight of the converted aircraft took place on 31 May 1995. The second USCG RG-8A aircraft that was earmarked for RU-38A upgrade crashed near Puerto Rico in 1996. As a result, the program was reduced to provide only two RU-38As to the USCG. The loss of the RG-8A delayed the program for many months and it was not completed until May 1997.
The first RU-38 was tested by the Air Force 445th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB on behalf of the Coast Guard, starting in July 1998. The airplane flew some 100 test flights during the four-month program.
By September 1999 the two converted RU-38As had been delivered to the Coast Guard in Miami, Florida for operational employment. The RU-38As were flown in drug interdiction missions over the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, but they were reportedly grounded during 2000, due to problems with the aircraft meeting mission requirements or serviceability.
The company further improved the aircraft by replacing the two piston engines with two Rolls Royce Allison 250-B17F turboprop engines which allowed raising the gross weight to 7200 lbs (3265 kg). The new aircraft carries the military designation of RU-38B.
The RU-38B has 140 cubic feet (4.0 cu m) of payload space with a payload weight of 800 lbs (363 kg) available. The payload bays all have large access doors and are located both in the tailbooms and also behind the pilot and co-pilot seats in the fuselage. The latter space can also accommodate a third crew member, if required. Using pallet-mounted sensor packages the aircraft can be quickly changed from one mission to another.
The RU-38B is able to achieve quiet operation while loitering by using a propeller speed as low as 1000 rpm. This is possible because the sailplane-derived wing is efficient and flight at low airspeed can be sustained with low power. Exhaust from the front engine is routed overwing, reducing the noise footprint.
Two RU-38Bs were delivered to the US Department of Justice, one in 2004 and one in 2005.
The aircraft remains in production by Sikorsky Aircraft after acquiring Schweizer and was still being actively marketed by Schweizer in 2011. Neither the RU-38A or B was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. Instead all aircraft operate as experimental aircraft in the Research and Development category.
RU-38 is the US military designation for the aircraft, indicating Utility, Reconnaissance. The Schweizer company model number is Schweizer SA 2-38A Condor and, in its three-seat configuration, Schweizer SA 3-38A Condor
RU-38A Maximum take-off weight: 5300 lb (2404 kg) Number built: 2
RU-38B Engines: 2 × Rolls Royce Allison 250-B17F Props: Constant Speed, Full Feather Wingspan: 84.13 ft (25.64 m) Wing area: 334.2 ft2 (31.05 m2) Airfoil: Wortmann Fx 61-163 Length: 35.1 ft (10.7 m) Empty weight: 4265 lb (1934 kg) Useful load: 2935 lb (1331 kg) Loaded weight: 7200 lb (3265 kg) Max. takeoff weight: 7200 lb (3265 kg) Maximum speed: 168 knots (312 km/h) Cruise speed: 83 knots (mission speed) (155 km/h) Stall speed: 62 knots with divebrakes closed (116 km/h) Never exceed speed: 168 knots (312 km/h) Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9144 m) Wing loading: 21.5 lb/ft2 (105.1 kg/m2) Crew: two in side-by-side or three, with two pilots side-by-side and one sensor operator in the rear Number built: 3
The Schweizer SA 1-30 was the first entry by Schweizer in the powered aircraft market. The 1-30 was not intended to be a motor glider, but rather a light aircraft utilizing some glider and sailplane technologies, common parts with other Schweizer designs and an affordable price as a result of using smaller powerplants. Removable wings, and the ability to be transported by trailer were also criteria for keeping airport-based hangar costs down.
The 1-30 shares the same wings and tail surfaces as the 1-26 glider. The fuselage is of aluminum construction with a welded steel tube tail structure. The wings are removable using the same design as the 1-26. The engine uses a cowling with exposed cylinders like a J-3 Cub for simplicity and cooling efficiency. Wing mounted spoilers were retained from the 1-26, allowing steep low-speed descents at about a 5:1 glide ratio. Three sets of wings were tested including a set (the third) from the model 2-31. An early configuration with the full length SGS 1-26B wings, fuselage and tails, cub cowl and Cessna 170 landing gear legs.
Construction of the prototype was started in April 1958 and first flew in July. The aircraft was tested as a glider aero-towing aircraft using a Schweizer SGU 2-22C. The single-place 1-30 was not intended to go into production, the two-place 2-31 was envisioned as the production model, but was also not produced beyond a single prototype.
The SA 1-30 was modified with a 4 ft (122 cm) shorter wing by simply clipping the length of the wing and aileron at the tips and a fully cowled more powerful engine, re-designated SAU 1-30.
The aircraft was painted twice; once a light tan & red with the second being the tan, green and “day-glow” orange.
Schweizer SA 1-30 Engine: 1 × Continental A65, 65 hp (48 kW) Wingspan: 40 ft (12 m) Wing area: 160 sq ft (15 sq,m) Aspect ratio: 10 Length: 20 ft 3 in (6.17 m) Empty weight: 700 lb (318 kg) Gross weight: 1,100 lb (499 kg) Maximum speed: 96 kn (110 mph, 180 km/h) Cruise speed: 87 kn (100 mph, 160 km/h) Stall speed: 33 kn (38 mph, 61 km/h) Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s) Capacity: 1
The X-26A was an Schweizer SGS 2-32 sailplane that was used by the Navy to expose novice pilots to the phenomenon of yaw/roll coupling. Conventional jet trainers reacted much too quickly and dangerously for effective instruction – an aircraft that had unusually slow roll rates and excellent recovery characteristics was needed instead. Four of the gliders were originally delivered, but accidents soon claimed three of them. In each case the aircraft was replaced with a new one, and the training program continued, making the X-26 the longest-lived X-vehicle.
The Lockheed X-26B was created in response to a requirement for a stealth-type observation aircraft in Vietnam. Two of the Navy X-26A aircraft were temporarily modified with small engines and slow-speed propellers, and were eventually equipped with a variety of intelligence-gathering sensors. Testing in Vietnam was evidently successful as 14 further aircraft were acquired under various designations, including 11 Lockheed YO-3As.
The original X-26As were demodified and returned to the Navy after the construction of the YO-3As. One X-26B and a YO-3A are preserved in the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
The SGM 2-37 self-launching two-place, side-by-side, fixed gear, motorglider designed by Leslie Schweizer at the request of the USAF for use at USAFA.
To save both money and development time the aircraft used a number of existing aircraft components: Nose, cowling and engine installation adapted from the Piper PA-38 Tomahawk Wings adapted from the Schweizer SGS 1-36 Sprite, including extensions to bring it from the Sprite’s 46.2 feet (14.1 m) to 59.5 feet (18.1 m) and leading edge cuffs to improve stall characteristics Tail from the Schweizer SGS 2-32
The design was intended to be available as a civil aircraft as well as a military aircraft. The USAF version was delivered with a Lycoming O-235-L2C 4-cylinder aircraft engine of 112 hp (84 kW). The civil version offered the same engine or an option of a Lycoming O-320 of 150 hp (112 kW) or a Lycoming O-360 of 180 hp (134 kW).
The aircraft is of all-metal aluminum monocoque construction. The engine cowling is made from fiberglass and plastics are employed in some of the nonstructural components.
The 2–37 features a 27 cu ft (760 L) baggage compartment behind the side-by-side seating. The aircraft does not have flaps, but instead has top-and-bottom wing-mounted balanced divebrakes, similar to other Schweizer glider designs, and has the capacity to operate as a towplane for other gliders.
First flying in 1982, a total of twelve were produced between 1982 and 1988, including nine for the United States Air Force Academy, which designated it the TG-7A. The TG-7A was retired from USAFA service in April 2003.
USAFA TG-7A
The SGM 2–37 was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration under type certificate G1NE on 22 March 1983. The 2–37 type certificate was later held by K & L Soaring of Cayuta, New York. K & L Soaring provided all parts and support for the Schweizer line of sailplanes.
Soaring, the journal of the Soaring Society of America, described the SGM 2–37 as: “Very versatile, very promising, very expensive”. The publication’s review noted that the $70,000 base price did not include a feathering propeller, gyro instruments, wheel fairings, long range fuel tanks or other optional extras.
Examples of the TG-7 were used by the US Army from 1985 on covert surveillance duties under the Grisly Hunter project. The two aircraft were then transferred to the US Coast Guard by mid 1989, were modified and were re-designated RG-8A. The aircraft were used on coastal patrols from the US Coast Guard base at Miami wearing a grey low visibility color scheme in 1989.
RG-8A surveillance aircraft of the US Coast Guard at Opa Locka, Miami, in 1989.
There were nine aircraft still registered in the US in April 2008. Current owners include the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum and designer Leslie E. Schweizer.
The SA 2-37A is a two-seat special-mission surveillance aircraft built for the Central Intelligence Agency and US Army and equipped with a Lycoming O-540-B powerplant of 235 hp (175kW) and first flown in 1982 and eight. The US aircraft register records six SA-2-37As, including four belonging to Vantage Aircraft Leasing with serial numbers as high as 8. All are in the experimental exhibition category.
The SA 2-37B is a development of the 2-37A equipped with a Lycoming TIO-540-AB1AD powerplant of 250 hp. The aircraft is optimized for covert surveillance missions and carries FLIR and electronic sensors. It has a 500 lb (231 kg) sensor payload in a 70-cubic-foot (2,000 L) fuselage bay. With a fuel capacity of 99 US gallons (370 L) it can remain on station for up to 12 hours. Gross weight is 4300 lb (1950 kg). The US aircraft registry records four SA 2-37Bs, all owned by Schweizer Aircraft. All are in the experimental Research and Development category.
Operators also included the Colombian Air Force and Mexican Air Force.
SA2-37B of the Aerial Surveillance Squadron, 3rd Air Group, Mexican Air Force at Santa Lucia Air Force Base
The 2–37 was later developed into the SA 3–38, known in military service as the Schweizer RU-38 Twin Condor.
SGM 2–37 / TG-7A Engine: 1 × Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 hp (84 kW) Prop: aluminum fixed pitch Wingspan: 59 ft 6 in (18.14 m) Wing area: 195.7 ft2 (18.18 m2) Airfoil: Wortmann Fx 61–163 Aspect ratio: 17.9 Length: 27 ft 6 in (8.5 m) Height: 7 ft 8 in (2.4 m) Empty weight: 1200 lb (544 kg) Useful load: 650 lb (295 kg) Loaded weight: 1850 lb (839 kg) Max. takeoff weight: 1850 lb (839 kg) Never exceed speed: 135 mph (219 km/h) Maximum speed: 135 mph (181 km/h) Cruise speed: 112 mph (181 km/h) Stall speed: 48 mph with divebrakes closed (78 km/h) Range: 230 mi (372 km) Service ceiling: 14,000 ft (4300 m) L/DMax: 28 MinSink: 0.96 m/s / 3.16 fps / 1.87 kt Glide ratio: 19.3:1 – 19.7:1 Wing loading: 9.45 lb/ft2 (46.15 kg/m2) Power/mass: 16.51 lb/hp (0.100 kW/kg) Baggage compartment: 27 cu.ft / 760 lt Crew: two side-by-side
SA 2-37A Engine: 1 × Lycoming TIO-540-B, 235 hp (175kW) Crew: two side-by-side
SA 2-37B Engine: 1 × Lycoming TIO-540-AB1AD, 250 hp Gross weight: 4300 lb (1950 kg) Fuselage bay: 70-cubic-foot (2,000 L) Sensor payload: 500 lb (231 kg) Fuel capacity: 99 US gallons (370 lt) Time on station: 12 hr
Designed by Leslie Schweizer, the all-metal 1-36 Sprite, the final glider model produced by the Schweizer Aircraft Corporation, was conceived as a replacement for the 1-26 one class design The SGS 1-36 Sprite single-seater is intended to be an all-round sailplane, which can be flown and soared by an inexperienced pilot shortly after his first solo, but is also easily capable of Diamond distance flights, and able to offer modern performance, handling and appearance whether as a personal, club or school aircraft. It will serve as a replacement for the veteran SGS 1-26 series, and a one-design competition class was planned.
With a cantilever mid-wing 46-foot wingspan, it has an all-aluminum structure with standard effective dive brakes, T-tail, a large cockpit, and good visibility. Two landing gear positions were offered: a forward-wheel position, which makes the ship a “taildragger,” or an aft-wheel position with a nonspring tailwheel and an aluminum nose skid. The latter is recommended for school and club operation. It has balanced top and bottom surface DFS type airbrakes with the upper surface segment set well back forwards the trailing edge of the wing. The structure is all metal, with fabric cover on rudder and elevator. Standard equipment includes tip wheels, deluxe seat cushions, headrest, and rudder pedal adjusters.
The prototype SGS 1-36 Sprite first flew on 2 August 1979.
First year built 1980.
1982 Standard price US$17,950.
SGS 1-36 Sprite Wing span: 14m / 46 ft 2 in Wing area: 13.07sq.m / 140.7sq.ft Wing Load: 24.63kg/sq.m / 5.05lb/sq.ft Aspect ratio: 15.15 Airfoil: Wortmann FX 61-163 Length: 20 ft 6 in Height: 4 ft 7.5 in Empty Weight: 215kg / 475lb Payload: 107kg / 235lb Gross Weight: 322kg / 710lb Max speed: 109 kt / 123 mph Stall speed: 31 kt Rough air airspeed: 93 kt Max aero-tow speed: 123 mph L/DMax: 31 77 kph / 42 kt / 48 mph MinSink: 0.67 m/s / 2.2 fps / 1.30 kt / 135 fpm at 36 kt / 46 mph Seats: 1 No. Built: 43
The SGS 1-35 was designed by Leslie Schweizer to 15 m racing class rules.The 1-35 is a high performance single seater which first flew in prototype form in April 1973, and completed its FAA certification programme in the spring of 1974. It was offered in two versions in addition to the standard 1-35, the SGS 1-35A Unrestricted 15m Class variant, and the SGS 1-35C, or Club-35, a simplified and cheaper version for club or syndicate ownership.
The 1 35 has removable wingtip training wheels, a skid under the nose, and an external radio antenna -features. In lieu of spoilers or air brakes, the 1 35 uses a trailing edge flap. All models use flaps for performance and approach control with -8 to +32 degrees that can be deflected beyond its normal landing setting to increase sink, with a maximum de¬flection of 80 degrees.
The structure is all-metal monocoque fuselage and single-spar, multi-stringer stressed skin wing; elevator and rudder fabric covered.
The 1-35A has a retractable monowheel forward of the cg, with a hydraulic brake, a large tailwheel and no nose skid. Interconnected flaps and ailerons are standard, and the flaps can be lowered to 80° for use as air brakes; there is provision for up to 145 kg/ 320 lb of water ballast with an empty weight of 490 pounds. The 1-35A is claimed to have the widest range of wing loadings in the FAI 15m Class, from 5.78 to 8.96lb per sq ft, enabling it to compete effectively in both weak and strong soaring conditions. Later production 1-35As have a more painted nose and improved wing root fairings.
The 1-35C less expensive has a non-retractable unsprung Cleveland monowheel aft of the eg, with a hydraulic brake, and a nose skid plus a tailskid. There is no provision for water ballast, and the maximum wing loading is 6.59lb/sq ft. The C has a 425-pound empty weight. Low profile rivets are used on the 1-35C’s rear fuselage, and its best glide ratio is 36:1 compared to 41:1 for the 1-34A. Altogether 96 1-35s of all versions had been built by January 1980. The type has cantilever shoulder wings with aluminium stressed skin and stringers, the ailerons and flaps being of aluminium torque cell construction; air brakes or spoilers are not fitted. The monocoque fuselage is entirely of aluminium, and incorporates an integral fin; the T-tail is likewise of aluminium with a fixed-incidence tailplane and fabric-covered elevator. The pilot sits in a semi-reclining position under a one-piece detachable canopy.
By 1977 72 1 35s have been built, and they were coming off the line at the rate of one per week.
Part of the price was due to the costs of FAA certification, but most competition pilots modify their ships back into the experimental category anyway.
The first 1-35 serial 001, belongs to the National Soaring Museum.
SGS 1-35A Wing span: 49 ft 2 in / 15.0 m Wing area: 9.64 sq.m / 103.8 sq ft Aspect ratio: 23.29 Wing section: Wortmann FX-67-K-170/150 Length: 19 ft 2 in / 5.84 m Height: 1.35m / 4ft 5in Max TO wt: 422 kg / 930 lb Empty wt: 199 kg / 440 lb Useful load: 510 lb Water ballast: 147 kg / 320 lb Wing loading: 5.78 lb/sq.ft Max speed: 121 kt / 223 km/h Rough air speed: 121 kt / 223 km/h Stall: 35.5 kt / 66 km/h Lift to drag: 40 @ 48 kt Min sinking: 0.54 m/sec / 1.77 ft/sec at 40 kt / 74 km/h Best glide ratio: 39 at 54.5 kt / 105 km/h Seats: 1
SGS 1-35C Wing span: 15m / 49 ft 2 in Wing area: 9.64sq.m / 103.8sq.ft Aspect ratio: 23.29 Airfoil: Wortmann FX 67-K-170/150 Length: 19 ft 2 in Height: 4 ft 5 in Empty Weight: 181kg / 400lb Payload: 118kg / 260lb Gross Weight: 299kg / 660lb Wing loading: 5.58 lb/sq.ft Max speed: 121 kt / 139 mph Rough air speed: 121 kt Max aero-tow speed: 139 mph Stall: 28 kt L/DMax: 39 88 kph / 48 kt / 55 mph MinSink: 0.61 m/s / 2.0 fps / 1.18 kt @ 40 kt Seats: 1 No. Built: 101
The SGS 1-34 high-performance single-seat sailplane was designed by Ernest Schweizer to meet Standard Class specifications and is stressed to +8.33Gs and -5.33 Gs. Design work started in 1967 and construction of the prototype began the following year.
The all-metal aluminum cantilever shoulder wings were the shoulder type with a Wortmarm FX-61-163 at the root and Wortmann FX-60-126 at the tip. The 1-34 has differential ailerons and no flaps are fitted. The SGS 1-34B features double flap speed-limiting airbrakes and an optional retractable nosewheel. The fuselage is an aluminium alloy semi-monocoque structure, and the cantilever aluminium alloy tail unit has a swept back fin and rudder, and a fixed incidence tailplane with no trim tabs. The standard nonretractable nosewheel is fitted with a Cleveland brake and is balanced by a forward skid and tailwheel.
Suitable for the low time pilot. It featured in-flight adjustable rudder pedals and a two-way adjustable seat. The pilot sits under a large one-piece canopy.Originally offered only with a fixed gear, a retractable version was added.
First flying in April 1969, the 1-34 receiving FAA Type Certification in September of that year.
By January 1978 a total of 93 production 1-34s had been completed, the 51st and subsequent aircraft being the 1-34A variant with a smoother wing upper surface through the use of bonded corrugations on the underside of the top skin. This was followed by the SGS 1-34B.
At least one example has been substantially modified when a storm damaged 1-34 was rebuilt by Bob Park with a V-tail and provision for 105 kg / 230 lb of water ballast in the wings.
SGS 1-34B Span: 49 ft 2.5 in / 15.0 m Length: 25 ft 9 in / 7.85 m Height: 7 ft 6 in / 2.29 m Wing area: 151.0 sq.ft / 14.03 sq.m Aspect ratio: 16.04 Wing section: Wortmann FX-61 -163/60-126 Empty weight: 550 lb / 250 kg Max weight: 800 lb / 363 kg Water ballast: None Max wing loading 25.88 kg/sq.m / 5.3 lb/sq ft Max speed: 135 mph / 117 kt / 217 km/h (in smooth air) Max aero-tow speed: 115 mph Min sinking speed: 2.1 ft/sec / 0.64 m/sec at 46 mph / 41 kt / 76 km/h Best glide ratio: 34:1 at 52 mph / 45 kt / 84 km/h
Designed by Ernest Schweizer the SGS 2-33 two-seater is a slightly larger version of the SGS 2-22, of improved performance, developed to meet the need for a medium-priced sailplane for general soaring and training.
Of the same all-metal construction as the 2-22, the 2-33 has strut-braced aluminium alloy high-set wings of slightly greater span than its predecessor, with metal skinning and all-metal ailerons; there are aerodynamically balanced spoilers in both upper and lower wing surfaces. The fuselage is of welded chrome-molybdenum steel tubing and is covered with Ceconite fabric except for the nose, which is covered with glassfibre. Landing gear is a non-retractable Cleveland monowheel mounted just aft of the nose skid, which is mounted on rubber blocks for shock absorption; there is also a small wheel mounted under each wing tip. The tail unit is a steel tube structure covered with Ceconite fabric, the tailplane being braced. The two pilots sit in tandem, with dual controls, under a one-piece cockpit canopy hinged to port, and there is a door to starboard for the rear pilot’s exit; he also has windows at the side and a transparent panel above him.
It first flew in prototype form in in 1965 and the SGS 2-33A flew for the first time in 1966, and received FAA Type Approval in February 1967. The A model, introduced in 1968, has a larger rudder, subsequently offered as an FAA-approved homebuilders kit.
Production began in January 1967 and a total of 570 had been built by January 1980; the type is also available in kit form for amateur constructors, and a production version is the SGS 2-33A.
The U.S. Air Force Academy operates 13 as the TG-4A.
Designed by Ernest Schweizer for training, the 2-33 was to succeed the 2-22 as something a little plusher and better performing, thereby making it easier to attract new students into soaring. One of the very few sailplanes designed to carry passengers as distinct from a second pilot under training, the high performance SGS 2-32 accommodates a pilot and one very large or two average sized passengers under a long jet fighter-type blown Perspex cockpit canopy that opens sideways; dual controls are provided, and the rear control column can be removed for the passenger’s comfort. The cockpit is of a size more usually associated with powered aircraft than gliders, and among the optional ‘extras’ are radio, special instrumentation, electrical and oxygen systems, canopy locks, map cases, cushions and small wheels mounted at the wing tips.
Of traditional Schweizer all-metal construction, the 2-32 has cantilever single-spar mid-set wings with metal covering and fabric-covered ailerons; there are air brakes in the upper and lower surfaces. The fuselage is an all-metal monocoque, and there is a non-retractable unsprung monowheel, with a hydraulic brake, and a tailskid. The cantilever tail unit has an all-moving tailplane with an adjustable trim tab in it, the fin being metal-skinned and the control surfaces fabric-covered. A special SGS 2-32 with a new wing of 67ft span with integral water ballast tanks was built in 1970 for Joe Lincoln.
The prototype SGS 2-32 first flew on 3 July 1962 and FAA Type Approval was granted in June 1964, whereupon production started at once, a total of 89 having been built by January 1978. The 2-32 has set up a number of world and national records, including womens multi-place world and national records for absolute altitude and altitude gain (10,809 m / 35,463 ft and 7,848 m / 24,545 ft), in Class D2, of 35,462ft set by Babs (Mary L.) Nott and Hannah F. Duncan of the United States at Black Forest, CO on 5 March 1975.
The SGS 2-32 was chosen by the Lockheed Missiles & Space Co as the basic airframe of their YO-3A quiet observation and reconnaissance aircraft developed for service in Vietnam through the earlier QT-2 and Q-Star, likewise based on the 2-32. The Q-Star, developed by Lockheed as a private venture, first flew in June 1968 and was powered by a 185hp dorsally-mounted Curtiss Wright RC 2-60 rotary combustion Wankel engine driving a special low speed propeller through a long prop shaft passing over the top of the cockpit.
The SGS 2-32 also formed the basis of another quiet observation aircraft, the LTV Electrosystems L450F, which first flew in prototype form in February 1970 and was powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-29 turboprop derated to 680shp.
The X-26A was a Schweizer SGS 2-32 sailplane that was used by the Navy to expose novice pilots to the phenomenon of yaw/roll coupling. Conventional jet trainers reacted much too quickly and dangerously for effective instruction – an aircraft that had unusually slow roll rates and excellent recovery characteristics was needed instead. Four of the gliders were originally delivered, but accidents soon claimed three of them. U.S. Navy 157932 crashed March 1971, pilot killed. U.S. Navy 157933 crashed May 18, 1972, pilot killed. In each case the aircraft was replaced with a new one, and the training program continued, making the X-26 the longest-lived X-vehicle. USN serial were 157932-157933, 158818, 159260, and 161571.
Two Schweizer 2-32s (67-15345 and 67-15346) from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School X-26 Program (USNTPS) were modified to QT-2 configuration (QT for Quiet Thruster) by the Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. The original X-26 glider version was then designated X-26A.
The program included the X-26A Frigate sailplane and the motorized X-26B Quiet Thruster versions: QT-2, QT-2PC, and QT-2PCII. All were based on the Schweizer SGS 2-32 sailplane.
The first 2-32, serial 001, belongs to the National Soaring Museum.
Variations: Schweizer X-26 LTV Electrosystems L450F Lockheed YO-3A
Wing span: 17.37 m / 57 ft 1 in Length: 8.15 m / 27 ft 9 in Wing area: 16.72 sq.m / 180 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 18.05 Airfoil: NACA 63(3)-618, 4301 2A Empty Weight: 377 kg / 831 lb Payload: 231 kg / 509 lb Gross Weight: 608 kg / 1340 lb Water ballast: None Wing Load: 36.36 kg/sq.m / 7.44 lb/sq.ft Max airspeed: 130 kt / 140 mph (in smooth air) Rough air speed 130 kt Max aero-tow speed: 110mph Stall 44 kt / 81 km/h L/DMax: 33 84 kph / 45 kt / 52 mph Best glide ratio: 34:1 at 59 mph / 51 kt / 95 km/h MinSink: 0.61 m/s / 2.38 fps / 1.18 kt at 43 kt / 50 mph Seats: 3 No. Built: 87
X-26A Frigate Wingspan: 57 ft 1.5 in (17.37 m) Length: 26 ft 9 in (7.92 m) Height: 9 ft 3 in (2.74 m) Wing area: 180 ft² (16.7 m²) Wing aspect ratio: 18 Empty weight: 857 lb (389 kg) Loaded weight: 1,430 lb (650 kg) Max. takeoff weight: lb (kg) Maximum speed: 158 mph (254 km/h) Wing loading: 39 kg/m² (7.9 lb/ft²) Power/mass: 0.07 hp/lb (0.12 kW/kg) Rate of sink: 0.6 m/s (120 ft/min) Crew: two
All Aero 