After the war they were sold as surplus and quickly became sought after in civil soaring for their structural strength, lightness and their rugged all-metal design.

An instructor would often coach the student using hand signals from the automobile towing the glider into the air.

[2] One 2-8 was ordered by the Soaring Society of America for use by their general manager, Henry Wightman, and was flown from the Washington DC 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.

The USAAF was in need of training gliders and the Schweizers offered the SGS 2-8 as the ideal aircraft for the role.

This contract, covering three two-place gliders to CAA Class 2 requirements, with certain modifications, was signed in Washington DC on June 27, 1941.

The first glider under contract has its initial flight test July 2, at Big Flats Airport, Elmira, New York and is now at Wright Field.

"[7]In the first part of 1942 Lieutenant General William S. Knudsen of the War Production Board conducted an inspection of the Schweizer factory, still located on the second floor of the Elmira Knitting Mill.

[2][3] Records held include a flight to goal from Elmira, New York to Washington, DC, a distance of 373 km (232 statute miles) flown by Bob Stanley and Ernie Schweizer.