Schweizer SA 2-37

SGM 2–37
USAFA TG-7A
Role	Motor glider
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Schweizer Aircraft Corporation
Designer	Leslie Schweizer
First flight	1982
Introduction	1982
Retired	USAF service: April 2003 Still in civil use
Primary user	United States Air Force Academy – 9
Produced	1982–1988
Number built	12
Unit cost	United States Dollar70,000 (1983 base price)
Developed from	Schweizer SGS 1-36 and 2–32
Variants	RU-38 Twin Condor

The Schweizer SGM 2–37 is a two-place, side-by-side, fixed gear, low wing motor glider.

A total of twelve were produced between 1982 and 1988, including nine for the United States Air Force Academy, which designated it the TG-7A. The TG-7A was retired from USAFA service in April 2003.

The basic airframe was later developed into the SA 2-37A and B covert surveillance aircraft.

Schweizer had flown a Schweizer SGU 1–19 as a motor glider in 1946 without putting the design into production. Later in 1958 the company carried out a design study of a powered aircraft based on the 1–26 designated as the Schweizer SA 1-30, but after some test flying and modification it was not put into production. A single motorglider prototype, the Schweizer 2–31 was completed, but no further motorgliders were built by the company until 1982.

The SGM 2–37 was designed at the request of the USAF for use at USAFA, in both the powered and glider trainer role.

To save both money and development time the aircraft used a number of existing aircraft components:

The design was intended to be available as a civil aircraft as well as a military aircraft. The USAF version was delivered with a Lycoming O-235-L2C 4-cylinder aircraft engine of 112 hp (84 kW). The civil version offered the same engine or an option of a Lycoming O-320 of 150 hp or a Lycoming O-360 of 180 hp.

The aircraft is of all-metal aluminum monocoque construction. The engine cowling is made from fiberglass and plastics are employed in some of the nonstructural components.

The 2–37 features a 27 cu ft (760 L) baggage compartment behind the side-by-side seating. The aircraft does not have flaps, but instead has top-and-bottom wing-mounted balanced divebrakes, similar to other Schweizer glider designs.

Performance includes a cruise speed of 114 mph while burning 4 US gal per hour with the O-235 engine. The 17.9 aspect ratio wing provides a glide ratio of 28:1 with the propeller feathered, and a minimum sink speed of 3.16 feet/sec (0.96 m/s). The USAF Technical Orders indicate a glide ratio of between 19.3:1 and 19.7:1.