Schweizer SGS 1-23

Schweizer Aircraft started construction of the 1-23 prototype in May 1948. The aircraft was completed and first flew on 5 July 1948, only nine weeks after construction had begun. The type certificate is currently held by K & L Soaring of Cayuta, New York. K & L Soaring now provides all parts and support for the Schweizer line of sailplanes. ==Operational history==

A 1-23, flown by William Ivans, set a world altitude record for gliders on 30 December 1950, reaching a height of 42,089 ft (12,840 m). 1-23Ds were flown by Paul McCready to win the 1953 US Nationals and to set a distance record of 455.5 miles (733 km) by Joe Lincoln. Lincoln was awarded the Barringer Trophy in 1960 for that distance flight. In April 2008 there were still 49 1-23s registered in the USA and 5 in Canada. ==Variants==

;1-23 :The original 1-23 model is also referred to as a "standard". The aircraft had a 43.83 foot wingspan and a glide ratio of 27:1, with a minimum sink of 2.3 feet per second. ;1-23D :The 1-23D was introduced in 1953 ;1-23HM :One production 1-23H was rebuilt as an experimental aircraft in the "racing-exhibition" category by Sterling Starr and designated SGS 1-23HM. :The HM was built by using a stock 1-23H fuselage and tail assembly. Starr built a new set of 54 foot (16.6 m) span wings with an aspect ratio of 23.5:1. The wings took 1500 hours to construct, but the resulting aircraft has a glide ratio of 33.2:1 which is a 7% improvement over the stock 1-23H. The HM later had retractable landing gear added. :The 1-23HM was flown in the 1966 US nationals. :The aircraft is registered as N94298 and is currently owned by Vincent Grisemer. It is on loan to the National Soaring Museum. ==Aircraft on display==

• National Soaring Museum – 1-23D, N91899, and the sole 1-23HM, N94298. • El Mirador airfield - 1-23h, ZS-GDN. ==Specifications (1-23-H) ==