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__NOTOC__ The Schweizer SGS 2-12 is a United States two-seat, low-wing, training glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.〔Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 26. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920〕 The 2-12 was a development of the Schweizer 2-8 two place training glider, with an all-wooden wing. It was designed especially for a US Army Air Force requirement to train glider pilots for air assault missions in World War II.〔 ==Design and development== When the US entered World War Two in 1941 none of the US services had a glider program. The German use of glider-borne attack on the Belgian fortress of Eben-Emael and their use in the Battle of Crete convinced the US military that they would need glider-borne forces of their own.〔Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United States'', page 78. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988. ISBN 0-87474-828-3〕 Initially the USAAF contracted Schweizer for the construction of the existing SGS 2-8, which entered service as the Army TG-2 and the US Navy and US Marine Corps LNS-1. The 2-8 was a good glider trainer, but had fabric-covered aluminum wings. Aluminum was designated as a "strategic material" and its use was to be avoided in training aircraft to conserve it for combat aircraft. Schweizer was therefore asked to design a new glider that would not use aluminum.〔〔 Work began on the new model SGS 2-12 in the winter of 1941/42 as production of the 2-8 was getting under way.〔〔〔 The 2-12 had a wooden wing, replacing the aluminum wing on the 2-8. Since the wing was being redesigned, several other improvements requested by the USAAF were incorporated into the design, including simplifying the design for mass production.〔〔〔 The new wing was 2 feet greater in span, giving it a slightly better glide ratio than the 2-8. The greater span also helped make up for the additional weight of the aircraft. Typical empty weights were almost double that of the 2-8 at 860 lbs (390 kg).〔〔〔 The wing was also thicker in section, with a thicker spar, which allowed the elimination of the struts that the 2-8 had used, while permitting a higher redline speed. The wing was also moved from a mid-wing position to a low-wing, to improve the instructor's visibility from the rear cockpit. The new wing also incorporated balanced top and bottom surface divebrakes, replacing the 2-8's top surface spoilers.〔〔〔 The 2-12 has a welded steel tube fuselage covered in aircraft fabric. The wood wings are also covered in aircraft fabric.〔〔 The 2-12 received type certificate G-2-11 after the war was over, on 27 February 1947. All aircraft are officially FAA certificated as TG-3As, rather than SGS 2-12s. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Schweizer SGS 2-12」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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