The company carried out side-by-side comparisons with fiberglass sailplanes as part of 50 hours of flight evaluations before making the decision to proceed with manufacturing the design on 10 May 1973.

The wing has a single spar and the stressed skin features multi-stringers for stiffness, to best retain airfoil shape and laminar flow.

[11] The "A" model moved the retractable main wheel further forward to allow the deletion of the nose skid.

[11] The 1-35 was only competitive for a very short period of time in the early 1970s before European sailplanes such as the Schempp-Hirth Mini-Nimbus and the Glasflügel Mosquito, both introduced in 1976, out-classed it.

[4] The 1-35 quickly found a home as a club and personal glider and, other than in national or world-class competition, has proved popular due to its rugged metal airframe and aesthetic appeal.

[14] A SGS 1-35, N135V is hung from the ceiling inside the UTA Engineering building in Arlington, Texas.