Schweizer Aircraft

The Schweizer Aircraft Corporation was an American manufacturer of sailplanes, agricultural aircraft and helicopters located in Horseheads, New York. It was incorporated in 1939 by three Schweizer brothers (Paul, William, and Ernest), who built their first glider in 1930. Previously the oldest privately owned aircraft company in the United States, Schweizer was acquired by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation of Stratford, Connecticut, in 2004, and became a diversified aerospace company.

In 2011 and 2012 Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation laid off all the workers and closed the plant.

History

The company grew out of the Mercury Glider Club which produced the first two Schweizer gliders in the Schweizers' barn. The company was originally called the Schweizer Metal Aircraft Company. Attorney Bob McDowell indicated to the Schweizers that they should move their manufacturing operation out of their father's barn and relocate to the Elmira, New York area. The Schweizers received the suggestion positively as they needed more space to produce gliders, but they had no money with which to make the move.