Vintage glider: 1942 Schweizer

vintagemxr

These were taken at Mountain Valley Airport in Tehachapi, CA about two weeks ago. The glider is a SGS 2-8, also known as the TG-2 and was a training glider used by the Army during WW2. If you were going to fly an assault glider (as on D-Day) you might have begun your training in one of these. The glider shown served active duty in Arizona during WWII. Construction is mostly steel tube and fabric. Wingspan is 54ft, empty weight is about 450lbs.









The TG-2 shares it's hanger with several other vintage gliders including a lovely, all wood, Bowlus BA-100 Albatross.



C&C always appreciated.

Doug

Wil Davis

Nice job!

The wood on the Bolus is something else! Absolutely gorgeous !

I used to fly an SZD-30 Pirat when I lived in the UK; used to fly from Weston-on-The-Green, just north of Oxford.



Great pics, thanks for sharing!



- Wil

black mamba

Great shots I'd been a pilot for several years before I got my first ride in a glider. I don't remember the brand name of the glider ( some European aerobatic-certified make ) but it was a ride I'll never forget. Your pictures really bring back the urge to get in one again. Nice work.

Tom

Panther

Howdy Doug,

Great shots and loved learning about the Gliders, and that last image of the Wooden body was really well done, and what a beautiful
piece of work.

vintagemxr

Thanks for comments, guys.

Will, that Pirat is a beautiful little plane, not one I've seen before.

Tom, glad you enjoyed the shots. Your vintage car photos have given me lots of smiles.

Craig, there's more shots of the wooden Bowlus on Flickr. Lovely airplane. It's said that the designer, Hawley Bowlus, carved wooden models of the glider until it looked just right to him and then engineered a full sized one. The one at Tehachepi was the first whole one I've ever seen in person. It's a real stunner. Little known fact too, Bowlus designed an early, all metal, aerodynamic travel trailer and one of his employees went on to found Airstream Trailers.

Doug