Design and Development
Schweizer Aircraft started construction of the 1-6 prototype in 1937. The aircraft was built to compete in the Eaton Design Contest held in conjunction with the 8th US National Gliding Championships. This competition was open to any new American glider design that had not been flown at a previous National Championship. The rules required drawings and stress analysis data to be presented with the completed aircraft. The intention was that the winning design would be made available as drawings and kits for amateur construction and that Bureau of Air Commerce design approval would be eventually obtained as well.
The winners of the contest and the cash prizes won were:
- First - USD$700 - ABC Sailplane, Arthur B Schultz, designer
- Second - USD$500 - Ross RS-1 Zanonia Sailplane, Harland Ross, designer
- Third - USD$300 - SGU 1-6 Utility Glider, Ernst and Paul Schweizer, designers
The SGU was the first all-metal glider built. It was an unusual design with a high-mounted strut-braced wing and a tube-style boom ending in a cruciform tail. The design was intended to be simple and cheap to produce.
None of the winning designs in the Eaton Contest proved to be as easy to construct as was envisioned by the contest organizers and the lessons learned from the contest lead the Schweizer brothers to start with a clean sheet design for their next effort. This new design would achieve the aims that the 1937 Eaton Contest gliders failed to make.
The subsequent Schweizer SGU 1-7 lead to the successful Schweizer SGU 1-19 which, with two seats installed, grew into the Schweizer SGU 2-22 trainer and finally the Schweizer SGS 2-33.
Read more about this topic: Schweizer SGU 1-6
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—Gail Sheehy (20th century)