Schweizer SGS 1-34
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The Schweizer SGS 1-34 is a United States Standard
Class Class, Classes, 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 d ...
, single-seat, high-wing glider built by
Schweizer Aircraft The Schweizer Aircraft Corporation was an American manufacturer of sailplanes, agricultural aircraft and helicopters located in Horseheads (town), New York, Horseheads, New York. It was incorporation (business), incorporated in 1939 by three Sc ...
of
Elmira, New York Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in 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. ...
.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 32. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920 The 1-34 was designed over a number of years in the mid-1960s and first flew in 1969. By the time the 1-34 was introduced it was no longer competitive in the Standard Class, but has proven very successful as a club aircraft, being a great "step-up" sailplane for post-solo students and accomplished pilots.Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United States'', page 241. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988.


Design and development

The 1-34 was designed over several years to spread out the development costs. At the time the design work on the aircraft was started the Standard Class was new and described a very simple aircraft with
terminal velocity Terminal velocity is the maximum speed attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid (air is the most common example). It is reached when the sum of the drag force (''Fd'') and the buoyancy is equal to the downward force of gravity (''FG ...
dive brakes, fixed landing gear and no water ballast. By the time the 1-34 had flown in 1969 the Standard Class rules had changed to allow essentially unrestricted sailplanes with a 15-metre (49.2 feet) wingspan. The SGS 1-34 is of all metal
aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
semi-
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, ...
construction. All surfaces are aluminum covered, with the exception of the rudder which is covered in aircraft fabric. The 1-34 has air brakes capable of limiting the
terminal velocity Terminal velocity is the maximum speed attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid (air is the most common example). It is reached when the sum of the drag force (''Fd'') and the buoyancy is equal to the downward force of gravity (''FG ...
in a vertical dive to the maximum safe speed as specified in the original Standard Class rules. Developing and testing these proved expensive and time-consuming and this also extended the aircraft's development time. The 1-34 was the first Schweizer design to depart from using a NACA airfoil. The 1-34 has no wing washout and instead uses a Wortmann FX 61-163 airfoil at the
wing root The wing root is the part of the wing on a fixed-wing aircraft or winged-spaceship that is closest to the fuselage,Peppler, I.L.: ''From The Ground Up'', page 9. Aviation Publishers Co. Limited, Ottawa Ontario, Twenty Seventh Revised Edition, 1 ...
, transitioning to a Wortmann FX 61-126 airfoil at the
wing tip A wing tip (or wingtip) is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft. Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of sha ...
. The tip airfoil stalls at a higher angle of attack, ensuring that the wing root stalls first. The one company concession to the changing Standard Class rules was the development of a retractable landing gear version of the 1-34, designated as the SGS 1-34R. The 1-34 also features in-flight adjustable rudder pedals and a two-way adjustable seat to accommodate pilots of different heights. The 1-34 was flown in Standard Class competitions, but was out-performed by the new
fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...
European gliders, such as the Glasflügel H-201 Standard Libelle. During the protracted development process, Schweizer Aircraft was aware that the 1-34 would be overtaken by the changes in class rules and also by the performance of the newer European fiberglass sailplanes, but continued development of the SGS 1-34 anyway. The company identified that there was demand from private owners and especially clubs and commercial operations for a simple, rugged single seat glider with greater performance than the 1-26. In service the 1-34 has proven to be a popular club aircraft and ideal for the completion of badge flights. If a greater number of 1-34s had been built, Schweizer indicated that it would have become another one-design class, similar to the 1-26. The 1-34 type certificate is currently held by K & L Soaring of
Cayuta, New York Cayuta is a town in Schuyler County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 508. The Town of Cayuta occupies the southeastern corner of the county and is northeast of Elmira. It is part of the Elmira Metropolitan ...
. K & L Soaring now provides all parts and support for the Schweizer line of sailplanes.


Operational history

At least two 1-34s have been highly modified. Bob Park's 1-34R, registered N17974, was damaged when a
hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
passed through
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and resulted in a hangar collapse. The 1-34R was rebuilt with a
V-tail The V-tail or ''vee-tail'' (sometimes called a butterfly tail or Rudlicki's V-tailGudmundsson S. (2013). "General Aviation Aircraft Design: Applied Methods and Procedures" (Reprint). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 489. , 9780123973290) of an aircraf ...
and ballast tanks mounted in the wings that hold 230 lbs (105 kg) of water. The aircraft was subsequently registered in the
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
''Racing – Exhibition'' category.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 63. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920 A modified SGS 1-34 airframe with tricycle landing gear and powered by a Lycoming TIO-360 piston engine was used as the basis for the pilotless
Martin Marietta Model 845 The Martin Marietta Model 845 was a remotely piloted aircraft developed in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s for use as a communications relay in the Vietnam War. Design and development Two prototypes were built as part of the ...
prototype, an entry in the early 1970s USAF Compass Dwell endurance
UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Drone ...
program. In May 2008 there were still 63 1-34s and six 1-34Rs registered in the USA and 5 SGS 1-34s in Canada. The
USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
designation for the SGS 1-34 is TG-6.


Variants

;1-34 :The original fixed landing gear 1-34 model was certified under type certificate G3EA on 16 October 1969. ;1-34R :The retractable gear 1-34R was added to type certificate G3EA on 15 June 1971. ;Park 1-34R Modified :After a hangar collapsed on Bob Park's 1-34R and destroyed the aft part of the aircraft he rebuilt it in the ''Experimental – Racing/Exhibition'' category with a
V-tail The V-tail or ''vee-tail'' (sometimes called a butterfly tail or Rudlicki's V-tailGudmundsson S. (2013). "General Aviation Aircraft Design: Applied Methods and Procedures" (Reprint). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 489. , 9780123973290) of an aircraf ...
and of water ballast. The new tail allowed of lead nose ballast to be removed. The aircraft flew three diamond goal and gold distance flights in August 1983.


Aircraft on display

*
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 Soci ...


Specifications


See also


References


External links


Soaring Society of Boulder - 1-34 data and photos

SGS 1-34 Flight, Erection and Inspection Manual
{{US glider aircraft 1960s United States sailplanes Schweizer aircraft Glider aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1969