Operational History
SGU 1-7 serial number 1 was completed in 1937. It was later destroyed by mistake as scrap.
SGU 1-7 serial number 2 was completed in 1939 and registered as N23026. It has had a long and storied career.
The aircraft was originally sold to the Altosaurus Soaring Club of North Conway, New Hampshire for USD$595. This club was formed by a group of Harvard University skiers from the Schussverien Ski Club. They used the single-seat 1-7 to teach themselves to fly by auto tow and winch launch. The aircraft was thought by the club members to resemble a pterodactyl in flight and was painted with one on both sides of the aircraft's nose.
The aircraft was sold in the 1950s to Lloyd Lichner then general manager of the Soaring Society of America, who flew it often in California, including at the cliff-soaring site at Torrey Pines.
The aircraft was later owned by Ralph Heide of El Segundo, California in the 1980s. He carried out a complete restoration of the aircraft in the mid-1980s.
Today 1-7 serial number 2 belongs to the National Soaring Museum.
Read more about this topic: Schweizer SGU 1-7
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