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Old April 27th 09, 10:43 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting
Mike Ash
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Posts: 299
Default Schweitzer Sailplanes: Still In Business ?

In article ,
"Robert11" wrote:

Just curious.

Does Scweitzer still make sailplanes anymore ?


Alas no. Their last sailplane design was the SGS 1-36, which ceased
production sometime in the early 80s. The way I hear it told, when it
became obvious that fiberglass was the material of the future for
sailplane design and metal simply would not be able to keep up, they
decided that they weren't going to be able to make the transition and
left the business. I can't say it was the wrong choice but it's sad just
the same.

The good news is that American sailplane manufacturing is no longer
dead. These folks are making some nice stuff:

http://www.windward-performance.com/

Some really interesting stuff there. Their SparrowHawk has an empty
weight of only 155 pounds, and their DuckHawk has a redline of 200 knots!

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon