"Keep 'em Flyin'"

Below are some of the recurring questions that come up with those of us who are interested in the 1-26. This is by no means a complete list. As you can see, some of the catagories are still blank. I'm hoping to tap the creative spirit out there and see what you folks have been up to.

If there's something you'd like to see on the list, or if you have any comment, suggestions or would like to contribute, please feel free to email the Webmaster. The more info we make available, the more valuable and well maintained the fleet of 1-26's becomes!

AD's, Service Bulletins and Letters Aircraft Restoration Aircraft Maintenance Trailers & Rigging Frequently (and not-so-frequently) Asked Questions

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SGS 1-26 Specifications

	SGS 1-26(A)	SGS 1-26B(C)	SGS 1-26D	SGS 1-26E
Wingspan	40 ft.	40 ft.	40 ft.	40 ft.
Wing Area	160 sq. ft.	160 sq. ft.	160 sq. ft.	160 sq. ft.
Aspect ratio	10	10	10	10
Length	21 ft. 3 in.	21 ft. 3 in.	21 ft. 6.5 in.	21 ft. 6.5 in.
Height	7 ft. 2.5 in.	7 ft. 2.5 in.	7 ft. 2.5 in.	7 ft. 2.5 in.
Seats	Single	Single	Single	Single
Weights and loading
Gross weight	575 lb.	600 lb.	700 lb.	700 lb.
Empty weight	348 lb.	373 lb.	400 lb.	445 lb.
Useful load	227 lb.	227 lb.	300 lb.	255 lb
Wing loading	3.59 lb./sq.ft.	3.75 lb./sq.ft.	4.38 lb./sq.ft.	4.38 lb./sq.ft.
Load factor	+5.54, -3.54	+5.54, -3.54	+5.33, -3.31	+5.33, -3.31
Performance (@ max. gross weight)
Best L/D	23:1 @ 48 mph	23:1 @ 49 mph	23:1 @ 53 mph	23:1 @ 53 mph
Minimum sink	2.6 fps @ 36 mph	2.7 fps @ 38 mph	2.9 fps @ 40 mph	2.9 fps @ 40 mph
Vne free flight	104 mph	104 mph	114 mph	104 mph
Vne ground launch	60 mph	60 mph	63 mph	63 mph
Vne aero tow	95 mph	95 mph	114 mph	114 mph
Stall speed (level flight)	28 mph	28 mph	28 mph	28 mph

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Aircraft Restoration

From: Charles Shaw (038)

Making a 1-26 Rear Canopy Radio Antenna worked out pretty neat and easy with help from Jerry Kaufman.

Materials:

• Music wire as large a diameter as will mate with Panel Mount Double Female F-connector (wire from hobby shop)
• F Connector Plug for RG-6 (RS 278-223)
• Short piece of solid dielectric removed from RG-8M for insulator around music wire through the F-connector
• Epoxy Glue
• Panel Mount Double Female F-connector with mating nut (such as from RS 15-2041)
• Adapter--BNC Receptacle to F Plug (RS 278-256)
• RG-58 type cable with BNC Plug at antenna end and to fit radio at the other end.
• 2 crimp-on lugs appropriate to diameter of F-connector and ground terminal, joined by a short, heavy wire

Instructions:

• Attach empty F-Plug to Panel Mount F-connector. Press music wire through F-connector to fully mate into the Panel Mount. Measure and cut wire for total length needed for antenna. Remove wire. Slip piece of dielectric insulation from RG-8M into F-connector; insert wire through insulation; epoxy wire and insulation into F-connector after checking for continuity from wire through Panel Mount.



• Install Panel Mount into appropriate diameter hole in rear canopy. Attach ground lugs under mounting nut and to ground bolt. Check for good continuity between F-connector and canopy frame. I also solder these crimp connectors. [Ground lugs and wire can be eliminated if good ground continuity can be assured through Double Female Panel Mount Connector to canopy frame. Paint is an insulator.]



• Antenna can be removed by unscrewing external F-connector. Cable can be removed by detaching cable at BNC plug or F-adapter from Double Female mount.



• Use another short piece of RG-8M insulation glued to end of antenna wire to prevent injury from sharp wire end.

Good Luck!

From: Monroe S. David

Here are PDF’s of the pattern I used to fabricate the Stick Boot in the LegalEagle this year.

Stick Boot Design Stick Boot Pattern

From: Kevin Rensha

I have made both tailcones and nosecones. Here is the method I used to make the tailcone that is on 217:

1. Get a block of blue styrofoam (2 lb/cu ft) at least the size of the tailcone. This is the kind that homebuilders use for Long-Ezes, and other homebuilt glass ships. You can get it from Aircraft Spruce or from many insulation suppliers (look in the yellow pages under “plastic foam”).
   
2. Use the old tailcone to trace the outline on the foam. Cut the profile to shape using a band saw (or you can use a bread knife if you don’t have a band saw!) Hold it up against the back of the fuselage tube frame and trace the mating shape from the last tube station.
   
3. Carve and sand the sides of the block to shape. The Blue Styrofoam can be shaped with coarse sandpaper or woor rasp tools.
   
4. Glass the resulting shape using EPOXY resin. Do not use polyester resin on blue foam! it attacks the foam instantly.
5. When the glass is cured, pour acetone or lacquer thinner into the foam.
   

The foam will turn into blue sludge that you can scrape out. You know have a nice hollow fiberglass tailcone. Finish and paint. Drill the holes for the six bolts that attach it to the fuselage.

That’t the short form. It really only involves about 3 or 4 hours of work.

From: Brian Case

I have a mold for the lower fiberglass nose fairing for a 1-26B or C. It may also work Standard or A models as Well. It fits fair but is a bit tight around the tow hook.

From: Jim Phoenix (686)

I started a website on the restoration of SN686. I’m new to this and it’s kind of slow right now, so I’m going to work on speeding it up a bit and adding more detail and pictures.

It’s here: http://www.jimphoenix.com

Send me an email if you have suggestions, questions or would like me to add detail on something. Many thanks to everyone in the 1-26 Association for all the help and advice received so far, it’s been a great help!

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Aircraft Maintenance

From: Lew Neyland

Thermotec out in Grass Valley CA makes all sorts of canopies, clear, tinted, UV Blockers, etc etc. Here is their web address: I'm really happy with my tinted one I got from them a few months ago for my D Model.

www.thermotecusa.com

Lew (443)

From: Pete Donath

Another canopy option is Aircraft Windshield, a company in the Los Angeles Area.

I believe they have separate 1-26 molds for A/B/C and D/E, as well as 1-34 and 2-33 molds (I believe). They may be able to use the same material offered by Thermotec (98% UV blocking). Julie said she was checking if she could get the same material as Thermotec. They do have clear and tinted materials. They also have a mold to make windshields for 1-26 Sports Canopies, but these require a different frame (front and back).

Aircraft Windshield
Phone: (562)-430-8108
Fax: (562)-598-0716
10871 Kyle
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
Judy Gallo has an email address: gallo1313@aol.com

They don't have a website and they advertise solely by word of mouth -- their workmanship is EXCELLENT.

When we needed windshields for the Sports Canopy (and projects), I went there with my factory windshield, and Aircraft Windshield made a mold to fabricate future windshields. They helped with the cost of the mold, and helped make the dozen Sports Canopy projects out there feasible. George Sedillo, George Lessard and others have had very good results from Aircraft Windshield. Their optics are stellar.

When I investigated getting a Thermotec canopy at the SSA convention several years ago, they did not have a mold for 1-26 ABC, they only had the D/E mold. Ditto LP Aero Plastics.

Another option is to have the D/E glass installed in your A/B/C frame. The D/E windshield has a lower slope in the front than the A/B/C glass, which has more of a forward bow in the center. I've flown A-C models with both styles of windshield -- you can't tell the difference from the view, and I doubt you would see any L/D (well, the D part) difference between them. The difficulty may come in the installation in the canopy frame, but any glass installation is something that requires extreme caution. You may want to have a shop install the glass in the frame -- and remember that special drill bits (and techniques) are needed for the windshield material.

If/when I replace the glass in my B, I'll most definitely do it through Aircraft Windshield -- their optics are outstanding.

As I understand it, they have FIVE molds for 1-26 windshields!

1. 1-26 A/B
2. 1-26 C normal
3. 1-26 C low profile
4. 1-26 D/E
5. 1-26 Sports Canopy.

Pete (309)

From: Charles Shaw

James Cogburn (243) found a source here in Hobbs for some good looking SEALED wheel bearings suitable for a 1-26 wheel. The retailer says he will be happy to ship them to anyone, anywhere. They sell for $6.59 each. You will need one piece (1") of bronze bushing material (3/8 x 1/2) to cut into two pieces and press in the bore of the bearings because they are only available with a 1/2" bore and your axle bolt is 3/8". This bushing sells for $0.58.

Call (or write, I guess):
the Supply House, Inc.
313 W. Marland St.
P.O. Box 1496
Hobbs, NM 88240
phone 505 393-9095

Ask for 1-26 GLIDER wheel bearings, General Bearing, Co. part number 32262-88, and a 3/8 x 1/2 bronze bushing. He will take credit cards.

These are the best looking bearings I have seen since I've been doing this--they should last a long time. No more repacking! No dirt pickup on outlandings! Neither James nor I have any connection with this deal.

Charles (196)

From: Bob Spielman

I talked to MARY BACKUS at Schweizer today and she said that Schweizer is out of the glider parts business and that Les Schweizer has all the remaining inventory of glider parts.

I called Les this evening and he has an 18 wheeler full of parts and that they are not sorted out yet. He was in on the design of the 1-35, some 1-26 mods, and some 2-33 mods. If you need a part you can email him at: and if you want some technical advise you call him at: 607-594-3329 after 7:00 pm in the evening EST. If you need a part it would be good to have the part number. Some of the sailplane manuals have a parts list - mine doesn't. He also has a lot of the tooling needed to produce parts but that equipment is not set up yet.

I need a 1-26 parts list and a 1-36 parts list if anyone knows where I can get them.

From: Jim Phoenix

Desser tire (http://www.desser.com/tailwheel.html), carries the 4.00x4 tire and tube that is used on the 1-26, $55.00 for both (09/13/05).

From: George Powell

For those of you who are interested, here are some pictures of the battery box I use in #029. Garry Dickson built it for me several years ago and it fits like a glove behind the seat. The design is a modified version of the rig Gary Swift describes below.

Gary's description: Each end of the battery rack had an aluminum fitting that allowed the rack to "hang" suspended between two lateral tubing members in the fuselage at the aft end of the seat pan. Each of the two end fittings had two mounting "hooks" at the top, that allowed the battery to hang between the fuselage members. One of the two hooks on each end fitting included a pip pin that fit through a hole in the hook and through a drilled hole in the fuselage member. Pretty secure.

From: Charles Shaw (196)

Atricle on SEALS FOR YOUR 1-26A-B-C, CANOPY, WHEEL BRAKE, AND RELEASE.

Just when you think that what you’ve written pretty well covers all the bases on this subject, someone points out a problem that you’ve failed to mention. So here goes another time.

James, here in Hobbs (ex #112, ex #032, now #243), was telling me about some noises he had in his current 1-26. As he described it, it was clearly very close to the pilots head, and we knew that he had already sealed the canopies and the joint between the two canopies --plus he is using plugs in the holes on each side where they join. Then it dawned on us, he hadn’t sealed the glass into the canopy frames. These can be amazingly noisy spots! Apparently the standard way of mating the glass to the canopy frames was to use a strip of ¾” electrical tape on the inside of the metal frame for the glass to contact. That’s fine; but by itself, it won’t do the job we want.

Here is what I have been doing with the 1-26’s I have owned:

Loosen the multitude of bolts around the edges considerably—enough to get a small gap all the way around. Using some (preferably) non-hardening glazing compound or putty, work little balls of the stuff into the gap with your thumb and fingers. (Kinda like packing an old wheel bearing by hand.) Be certain that the compound you are using will not attack either the glass or the paintwork and that it cleans up easily with just water and soft cloths. [Silicone bathtub stuff not allowed!] Re-tighten the bolts. Don’t over-tighten them because the glass must be free enough to shift slightly with changes in temperature. It is really surprising how much difference this can make to the amount of distracting noise that you must put up with every time you fly.

By the way, when James did this on #243, he found that the bolts were extremely loose—enough so that there were some very large openings that had been going unnoticed for a long time. How about your 1-26?

Happy Soaring,

Charles (196)

From: Charles Shaw (196)

Atricle on sealing the wing root with garage-door seal material in HTML or PDF format.

From: Jim Hard

Have obtained some ¾ inch wide h cross-section “#1 rubber channel” from Aircraft Spruce in Georgia, for sealing the wing root. It comes in 12 foot lengths so you order two. The cost was $24. My invoice says that the inventory number is # 591811. Haven’t tried it yet but it looks like it’ll work fine. Gave up on the garage door seals for the same reason as Kevin Ford; namely, the seals fell off during a long retrieve. We never did figure out what the right adhesive was for this application.

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Trailers & Rigging

From: Lee Jarrard

I own a 1-34 and have built a dolly for disassembled winter storage of the fuselage. It could be resized and work equally well for a 1-26. It is based on the principle of the over-center motorcycle stand. I put it under the fuselage, put the tubes into the rear spar carry-thru holes then push down on the horizontal leg on the right side to lift the fuselage over-center onto the stand. This leaves the tail wheel about 8 inches off the floor. Pushing down on the tail lifts the main wheel and allows it to be rolled around on the stand. See attached pictures. I hope someone finds this useful.
Lee Jarrard (former #192 owner)

From: Bill Vickland

This is Bill's description of the fuselage dolly he made for SN 238.
Fuselage Dolly Design

From: Harry Senn

There are obviously things in this life that are not meant to be done alone, while others, such as flying a 1-26, were meant to be done strictly solo. Ordinarily three or more people assemble a 1-26; actually, it is more easily done with only two (with the aid of a sawed-off broomstick or other prop for one wingtip). Having done it essentially that way for the better part of 1000 times, on rare occasions my ground crew and I would have been happier if each had been free to do his own thing. This is the story of my answer to rigging and assembling a 1-26 all by myself.

From: Jim Phoenix

Jim Phoenix's web site page on trailers.

From: Tommy Thompson

My trailer has boat type grease fittings for the wheels. Some excess grease rotated off the inside of the the wheel and landed on the bottom outboard sections of the wings. On the advice of another 1-26’r ( Jeff Daye # 039) I bought an 8 ounce bottle of Ronsonol lighter fuel at Walmart for $1.40. It took the gease off even after it had been on the wings over four months. Most of it was dried on too. It did not harm the finish abit. It states on the bottle, “ Excllent for removing Grease, oil stains, tar & labels”.

I think others may benefit from this little tip that was passed on to me!

From: Bill Vickland

I have a set of plans for the Ranger Trailer.

From: Irwin Jousma

I have a set of plans for the first Ranger trailer Bob McNeill designed. I have made modifications to it to make it faster to load and unload (no tools required) and tow better. If your enquirers want an enclosed trailer mine is a good one. ( ask Bob Gravance or Ron Schwartz ).

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Frequently (and not-so-frequently) Asked Questions

From: Lew Neyland, 443

SPN-1 Glide Calculator.

There are over 250 of the SPN-1's floating around out there in the 1-26 community! I suspect many {most} pilots have long since lost the original instruction booklet--hopefully this will get them to dig the calculator out and start using it!

From: Charles Shaw (196)

After writng the atricle on how to make your own "Glide Slide", it occurs to me that it might be easier and quicker to make your own slide rule out of four long narrow pieces of picture framing mat material (cardboard about 1/8” thick), 6 little pieces of aluminum and a few 1/8” pop rivets than to have to go hunting at garage sales, etc. for a “real” one.

Or if you were to cut the mat and the rails at a 45 degree angle with the larger part of the moving piece on the inside and a solid piece behind the side rail pieces, you could eliminate the aluminum and rivets and do with a few drops of Elmer’s glue. It’s a one-sided device anyway.

From: Orion Kingman

Finding the Proper length for your antenna.

In this paper I will discus how to find the proper length for antennas, with glider operations in mind, using 123.30 MHz.

From: Lane Decker

1-26 Glide Chart

In an effort to better understand glide performance and improve my flying, I developed the attached 1-26 glider performance charts for use in the cockpit. Wind speed, speed to fly, and glider performance tradeoffs can be obtained from the charts. Instructions for use are included.

From: Don Turner

1-26 Performance Spreadsheets

Three spreadsheets are presented: The Cross Country Flight Planner, Optimum Speeds to Fly Between Thermals and a Final Glide Planner. Each program is in “straight” Excel 97, using no macros or other fancy devices.

The speed to fly program was originally started, about 12 years ago, for the purpose of finding out just exactly how much faster to fly 077 in a headwind. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! After spending several frustrating weeks bootlegging the program into “my” computer at work and then after finally getting it operational, I discovered that you don’t fly faster in a headwind. (We’re talking about flight between thermals here, not final glide.) Airspeeds are shown in 5 mph increments in each of the three programs.

Sink rates used are those published in the June 1970 issue of Soaring, for S/N 100. The polar curve was plotted on an HP-10 CADAM thus the conversion from knots to mph is very accurate but the numbers are only good for that one ship. No problem; you can enter your own sink rates.

• For the speed to fly program, enter your sink rates in Row 14.
  
• For the flight planner and final glide program, enter your sink rates in the “Polar.”
  
• For all programs:
  
  Cell D1 is used to input different air mass movements.
  Cell E1 is used to modify sink rates due to different gross weights.
  Cell F1 is used to modify climb rates when comparing different sailplanes.
  
  
  
• For the speed to fly program, Cell F1 is used to modify climb rates when comparing different sailplanes, or the same sailplane at a different weight.
  

In the speed-to-fly program, Row 11 is “hidden.” In the cross country and final glide programs, Column “C” and Column “F” are “hidden.” These rows or columns were for intermediate steps deemed necessary at the time but which could probably be eliminated now, by making the basic formulas more complicated. (But that’s the way it evolved and, “if it works don’t fix it.”)

All three spreadsheets are also available in Excel 95. Spreadsheets are available in knots, for the 1-36 and the AC-4 Russia. If you can’t download, send a SSAE with a blank floppy and I’ll send them via snail mail.

• Flight Planner Spreadsheet
  
• Speeds to Fly Spreadsheet
  
• Final Glide Spreadsheet
  
• Complete Documentation

From: Bill Tisdale

I have a great Excel spreadsheet for working out the weight and balance numbers, complete with station locations. You just need to weigh it as per the directions,then plug in the numbers. The first page of the spread sheet, I got from somewhere (must have been SN217). The second page is for our club ship SN446. If you plug in your empty weight and empty CG, then play with the pilot max/min weights to adjust CG to determine your min/max.

Good Luck

Weight and Balance Spreadsheet

From: Charles & Jo Shaw

My husband and I have owned #196 since 1963 - so we go back a bit. Charles did his own rendition of seat cushions which not only are very comfortable, but have been extremely satisfactory for over ten years. Some people complain 1-26s aren’t very comfortable. The truth of the matter is that most 1-26 CUSHIONS are the culprit.

His article of how to Whittle You Own Custon 1-26 Cushion descrides in more the detail process below:
Use layers of one-inch Styrofoam insulation material (metal-sheathed) shaped to fit the bottom of the glider by using a wood rasp and pocket knife. The top several layers need to extend forward (6 to 8 inches - or what’s comfortable)on each side of the stick to support your thighs. Cut and try until it fits both your seat and the glider’s. Build up on both side and back edges to make it curved. Use masking tape to hold layers together. When it fits well, tape together with duct tape and put a thin layer of dense upholstery foam on top - then cover with heavy-weight cotton fabric (or get your wife to).

From: Charles Shaw

Improving Performance In Climbs, Cruises and Glides.

Charles has written a nice article acompanied with graphics that can be placed in the cockpit. He gives background on what these numbers mean. A very useful tool for those striking off on cross country flights.

From: Alan Meyer

Yes folks, here it is, the free 1-26 glide computer.

HEAD					WIND			TAIL
IAS	-25	-20	-15	-10	-5	0	5	10	15	20	25
35	1.2	1.7	2.1	2.6	3.1	3.6	4.1	4.6	5.1	5.5	6.0
40	1.6	2.1	2.6	3.0	3.5	4.0	4.4	4.9	5.4	5.9	6.3
45	2.0	2.4	2.9	3.3	3.7	4.2	4.6	5.0	5.5	5.9	6.4
50	2.3	2.7	3.1	3.5	3.9	4.4	4.8	5.2	5.6	6.0	6.4
55	2.4	2.7	3.1	3.5	3.8	4.2	4.5	4.9	5.2	5.6	6.0
60	2.4	2.7	3.0	3.4	3.7	4.0	4.3	4.6	4.9	5.2	5.5
65	2.4	2.7	3.0	3.2	3.5	3.8	4.1	4.3	4.6	4.9	5.2
70	2.4	2.6	2.9	3.1	3.4	3.6	3.8	4.1	4.3	4.6	4.8
75	2.2	2.4	2.6	2.8	3.0	3.2	3.4	3.6	3.8	4.0	4.2
80	2.1	2.3	2.5	2.7	2.9	3.0	3.2	3.4	3.6	3.7	3.9
85	2.1	2.2	2.4	2.5	2.7	2.8	3.0	3.2	3.3	3.5	3.6
90	2.0	2.1	2.2	2.4	2.5	2.7	2.8	2.9	3.1	3.2	3.3

I wrote a little program to produce this from Schweizer’s polars. You use it as follows:

1. Estimate the fore and aft wind component along your course, for example, you might be moving against a 10 mph headwind, or have a 15 mph tailwind, etc.
   
2. For any indicated airspeed, read the number of miles you can move forward for every 1,000 foot drop in altitude.
   

Assumptions

1. All speeds are in mph and distances are statute miles.
   
2. Average altitude is 3,000 feet msl. At very high altitudes, e.g., in the western USA, distance over the ground will be slightly higher due to the fact that indicated airspeed is less than true airspeed as altitude increases.
   
3. The polar I used for this is probably very optimistic for many 1-26’s. It was published in "After Solo: Soaring Adventures in the 1-26".
   

Here it is:

IAS	L/D
35	19
40	21
45	22
50	23
55	22
60	21
65	20
70	19
75	17
80	16
85	15
90	14

If you print out and use the computations, you should be conservative in interpreting them.

I wrote the program that produced this in Turbo Pascal, many years ago. It’s quite short. If anyone is interested, I can post the source code for anyone to use or criticize.

If anyone sees an error in the calculations, please let me know.

From: Garry Dickson

Here are speed numbers that Charles Shaw, Lew Neyland, and Larry Pardue produced through testing to use with their 1-26 glide calculator.

Light 1-26		Heavy 1-26
Mph	Fpm	Mph	Fpm
36	0	41	0
40	-100	45	-90
45	-200	50	-200
50	-310	55	-310
55	-420	60	-420
60	-570	65	-550
65	-760	70	-730
70	-1000	75	-950
75	-1300	80	-1250

From: Monroe David

During a miserable week in February, 2003, I made plaster of paris molds for a 1-26 sport canopy windshield.

From: Harry Senn

Here’s some shots comparing a sport canopy to a normal canopy.

From: George Powell

Here’s a couple of shots of the sport canopy installed on "Snowflake" (SN 378).

My guess is that the additional drag created by the open canopy (and my rugged features) diminishes the performance of my 1-26 by 15 to 20 per cent.

However, there are certain positive trade-offs. For example:

• You can wear a leather helmet, goggles and Snoopy scarf to impress the girls.
  
• By rolling your 1-26 on its back, flying inverted and gently rocking the wings, you can clean most of the trash out the cockpit.
  
• You don’t need a radio on downwind. Just lean your head out the cockpit and shout important messages like: IT’S MILLER TIME!, or: LOOK OUT BELOW!, or: CALL 911!
  
• After you land short, you can wave for help without climbing out of the cockpit.
  

I can use my sport canopy interchangeably on my 1-26A (#198) or 1-26B (#378). I have never tried it on a D or E model and am not sure whether it would fit.

From: Roger Felton

I have a "factory" sport canopy for my 1-26D #405. I’ve only flown with it a few times due to the fact I fly from a dirt strip (a moderate crosswind is required to keep from eating dust). I believe there is little or no performance loss if flown between minimum sink and best glide speed. I can say this after thermalling with a B model and a C model for more than an hour. I am sure there is some loss of performance at higher speeds, but nothing drastic. I only have had it up to about 70 mph so I can’t comment on anything over that, but you could generally say that the faster you fly- the more the performance loss. The wind noise is very moderate at the lower speeds- you can hear the radio and the audio vario very well. In fact at minimum sink to best glide speed I would say the wind noise is only slightly more than the regular canopy. As far as "draftiness" goes I would say it is about equal to the back seat of a poorly sealed 2-33. There is very little wind in your face- no goggles are needed unless you have to deal with dust on takeoff. An interesting note- you can "rumble" the tail by hanging your head or your arm over the side into the airflow. It does mess your hair up some- just like a convertable.

The sport canopy is in two parts that simply replace the forward canopy and the aft canopy. They mount in the same way and require no modification to the glider. The forward sport canopy is made of aluminum over steel tube with a plexiglass bubble. The plexiglass bubble is curved so that it’s trailing edge is parallel to the airflow. The aft sport canopy is made of fiberglass with formed aluminim bulkheads. It has a headrest incorporated into it’s forward bulkhead, and has a teardrop shaped fairing flowing off the rear of the headrest. Its kind of hard to describe but imagine the plexiglass bubble of the forward canopy forming the rounded end of a teardrop shape with the headrest/fairing of the aft canopy completing the "tail" portion of the teardrop, blending into the aft canopy.

I have seen another type of homebuilt sport canopy that was one piece, replacing just the forward canopy. It had a rather upright windscreen, made from a "wrap" of plexiglass. Supposedly this arrangement rumbles and buffets , due partly to the air turbulating off the lip of the windscreen and partly from the stock aft canopy acting like an airscoop. I would suppose that the performance of this arrangement isn’t very good, the penalty greatly increasing with airspeed.

From: Gary Swift

I owned 1-26A #198 for about 3 years in the early 1990s (sold it to active 1-26er George Powell). It came with a factory sport canopy which I used several times. One of the 1-26ers based at Hemet wanted a sport canopy for himself and talked "Steve" of Steve’s Soaring Service into making a female mold of my canopy so he could make a fiberglass duplicate for himself. If Steve still has the molds, he might be interested in making another canopy for you.

I didn’t fly with the canopy enough to compare performance with other 1-26ers, but DID notice a higher than normal sink rate and small constant buffet—probably caused by disturbed airstream hitting the vertical stabilizer. You would not want to use the sport canopy during a contest or other condition where you needed max performance. But it is great fun for just messing around! I even wore a leather flight helmet, goggles, and a white silk scarf for old tyme flying image.

For parts, try Tom Tappan. He bought ALL of Schweizer’s stock many years ago. For plans, try the Schweizer factory itself. I wrote to them when I owned #198 and bought a bunch of official 1-26 drawings to have on hand for reference.

From: George Powell

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From: Al Davis

Several years ago I was at Harris Hill flying N706AD, serial 178, that I built from a kit. I stopped at the factory to see what they had in stock as back up for the 1-26 series.

I was advised that Mr. Tom Tappan, 122 Whig Street Newark Valley, New York phone (607) 642-9959 had purchased ALL THE REMAINING 1-26 pieces and had them on hand at his place in Newark Valley. A few years later, I was going by Binginhamton New York, as I made a loop via auto to 122 Whig Street - I wasn't able to talk directly with Tom, but his father showed me what he had.

I have a current listing of what Tom now has in the way of 1-26’s, 2-22’s and 2-33’s for rebuilding. Tom is an I.A. like me and does a lot of work around Binginhamton Area. So put out Tom’s name and address and phone number, most of his parts are new. Prices ??? Consider where else are you going buy it.

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