the March–April 1954 issue of the Soaring Society of America's Soaring Magazine. Sufficient orders were forthcoming that full production soon commenced. The 1-26 received type certificate 1G10 on 14 December 1954. 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. One-Design competition Paul A Schweizer was a proponent of the One-Design concept and the 1-26 as the aircraft by which to establish a one-design class in the US. He wrote: The true measure of pilot ability and experience is usually shown by his final standing in a contest. What could be more indicative of this when pilots are flying identical sailplanes with identical performance. One design competition is the sure test of soaring skill. The design was a success as a one-design and became the most popular one-design class in the world. The 1-26 design gained weight through the evolution of the models, as the gross weight increased from 575 lbs to 700 lbs. Performance testing showed that there is very little difference between the models and that the one-design concept has been maintained throughout the aircraft's production life. Operational history The 1-26 is used by many soaring clubs in the United States and is often the first single place glider that a student flies immediately after solo, often coming from a Schweizer 2-33 two-seat trainer. As of November 2017 there were still 438 SGS 1-26s registered in the US and 17 in Canada. The 1-26 was used by the United States Air Force Academy under the designation TG-3A, until it was replaced by the TG-10D Peregrine in October 2002. Thirty 1-26s were supplied to Indonesia as part of a United States foreign aid package. Records & badges The 1-26 has been seen as a challenging aircraft to set records in and to achieve FAI soaring badges, given its low glide performance. Rose Marie Licher set the US National Feminine distance record of 273.28 miles while flying a 1-26. Jean Arnold set the US National Feminine goal record of 96.4 miles in a 1-26. US pilot Wally Scott flew a distance of 443.5 miles in a 1-26. Among other US pilots Tom Knauff and Bill Creary earned all three of their diamond badges in 1-26s. In 1969 a 1-26 Sweepstakes was organized by the 1-26 Association and sponsored