Its no wonder the Schweizer brothers became involved in aviation with their exposure as youths to the early years of flight. Living at Elmhurst on Long Island they passed Mitchell Field many times and observed the activity there. As luck would have it when they moved to Peekskill NY they lived close to Todd Field and saw many planes landing and taking off.
In 1927 when Lindbergh made his famous Atlantic crossing their interest in aviation grew even more. Since flying for them was out of the question because of the expense they turned to model airplanes. Ernie, Paul and Bill Schweizer along with some school friends formed The Mercury Model Airplane Club. After reading an article in the June 1929 issue of National Geographic about German students their age learning to fly in inexpensive gliders the model airplane club quickly turned into a glider club. The club consisted of the three Schweizer brothers and five school friends. Ernie, the oldest, was a senior in high school when he designed their first glider, The Primary. It was designated HG-1 ( Hg is the chemical symbol for mercury ) to coinside with the club name. Being optimistic they later changed the designation to SGP 1-1, Schweizer Glider Primary, single seat, number one. The glider was built in the hay loft of the barn behind the house in hopes that their father wouldnt see it until nearly completed. Thinking at that time he wouldnt have the heart to stop them. The Primary was built at a cost of $130 with a few extra dollars for the bungee cord. On 19 June 1930 the first flight was made in the glider. The bungee was stretched out in the form of a V with three or four kids holding each side and a couple holding a rope tied to the tail. When the pilot was ready he would signal the tail holders to let go and he would be catapulted forward. On the first flights, the cord was stretched just enough to get the glider a few feet off the ground. This enabled the learner to get a feel of controlling the glider without the possibility of injury or damage to himself or plane. As feel was developed so was the tension on the bungee. By launching on a downhill slope they would sometimes get 50 feet of altitude and travel up to 700 feet distance. Before the end of 1930 the glider was damaged in a slight mishap with Paul, who was 16, at the controls. During the winter and spring the glider was repaired and it was flown in the summer of 1931. Again it was damaged before the year ended and it was placed in the loft of the barn remaining there after their father sold the property in 1945. Shortly after the sale the barn burnt and the Primary was lost. In 1989 about 50 employees of the Schweizer Aircraft Corporation built a full size flying replica of the SGP 1-1 to celebrate 50 years of since incorporating. Paul and Bill flew it when completed and then it was taken to Harris Hill and placed in the National Soaring Museum where it now hangs.
