The BS-1 was considered one of the first soaring “super ships” and during the mid 1960’s it was one of the most respected high-performance sailplanes in the world. The first BS-1 was designed and built in 1962 by Bjorn Stender.  The following year, Mr. Stender was killed during a test flight accident and in 1963 the Glasflügel Company took over the project and manufactured the production version.

A total of 18 BS-1’s were produced and this example was the ninth one built. Pilots flying a BS-1 established a number of records. In 1967, Alfred Rohm of West Germany flew a BS-1 to a world 300 km (186 mi) speed record of 135.3 km/h (84 mph). Terry Thys of San Leandro, CA flew a BS-1 on a 917 km (570 mi) flight in 1970. At that time, it was the third-longest soaring flight ever made.

Our example is on loan from the History of Aviation Collection at UTD. It was originally donated to UTD in 1972 by Alvin H. Parker of Odessa, Texas who was a world recognized distance soaring champion.

Source: Frontiers of Flight Museum