(SAAB) 91 Safir @·AIRCRAFTUBE

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    Kauko Juvonen, 1960
    Finnish powered flying
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    91B LN-BII at Stauning, Denmark
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    Lufthansa Flight Training 91B D-EBED
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Saab 91 Safir

The Saab 91 Safir (Swedish for "sapphire") is a single-engine light aircraft, built as a three-seater (91A, 91B, 91B-2) or a four-seater (91C, 91D) and used mainly as a basic trainer. A total of 323 were built between 1946 and 1966: 203 by Saab at Linköping, Sweden, and 120 under licence by De Schelde at Dordrecht, in the Netherlands. The Safir trained pilots for the air forces of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria, Ethiopia and Tunisia, as well as for airline flying schools such as those of Air France, Lufthansa and SABENA.

Design and development

In 1944, with the end of the Second World War in sight, Saab looked for civil products to offset the expected fall in military orders. Three programmes were launched: the Saab 90 Scandia airliner, the Saab 91 Safir light aircraft and the Saab 92 motor car.

The Safir was designed by Anders J. Andersson. In the 1930s he had worked in Germany as chief designer for Bücker, where he drew the Bü 131 Jungmann, the Bü 133 Jungmeister and the all-wood Bü 181 Bestmann, before returning to Sweden in 1939. The Safir took over many of the Bestmann's ideas, but in a mostly metal form: a cantilever low wing, a monocoque fuselage with an Alclad skin, fabric-covered control surfaces, a retractable tricycle undercarriage and an enclosed cabin.

Development was slowed by urgent military work and by strikes among Saab's suppliers. The prototype first flew on 20 November 1945, powered by a 130 hp (97 kW) four-cylinder de Havilland Gipsy Major IC. The initial production model, the Saab 91A, used a 145 hp (108 kW) Gipsy Major 10.

Military customers found the Gipsy-powered aircraft underpowered, so Saab fitted a six-cylinder Lycoming O-435A rated at 190 hp (140 kW). The re-engined Saab 91B first flew on 18 January 1949. The Saab 91C, which first flew in September 1953, kept the O-435 but had a four-seat cabin, made possible by moving the fuel from the fuselage tank to tanks in the wings. The final Saab 91D (1957) replaced the O-435 with a lighter four-cylinder Lycoming O-360-A1A of 180 hp (130 kW).

Testbeds

Besides its main role as a trainer and touring aircraft, the Safir served as an aerodynamic testbed. The first prototype was fitted with a scaled-down version of the swept wing of the SAAB 29 Tunnan jet fighter, to check its low-speed behaviour; in this form it was designated Saab 201. The same airframe was later fitted with a wing designed for the SAAB 32 Lansen, becoming the Saab 202.

One ex-Swedish Safir was sold to Japan, where the Technical Research and Development Institute of the Defense Agency modified it several times to test the high-lift devices of the Shin Meiwa PS-1 flying boat. This aircraft is now preserved at the Kakamigahara Aerospace Science Museum.

Operational history

Production of the Saab 91A began in 1946, but sales were slow, as large numbers of cheap ex-military trainers were then on the market. The main users of the 91A were the Swedish Air Force, which used it as a liaison aircraft under the designation Tp 91, and the Ethiopian Air Force, which received 16 aircraft from 1947.

The Lycoming-powered 91B relaunched sales. In 1951 the Swedish Air Force ordered 74 Saab 91Bs to replace its Bestmanns (Sk 25). As Saab was busy building J 29 Tunnan fighters, production was moved to De Schelde in Dordrecht, which built the Safir until 1955, completing a total of 120 Saab 91Bs and 91Cs. Designated Sk 50B, the Swedish 91Bs were delivered to the Air Force Flying School (F 5) at Ljungbyhed between 1952 and 1954, followed in 1958 by 14 four-seat 91Cs designated Sk 50C. In 1971-1972 the Safir was replaced as basic trainer by the Scottish Aviation Bulldog (Sk 61), but the remaining aircraft were transferred to the flying wings as liaison and general flying aircraft, until the last ones were withdrawn in 1992-1993. When they were sold off, several squadron-based flying clubs were formed to keep them flying.

Saab restarted production at Linköping in 1954, building 25 Saab 91B-2s for Norway, 30 Saab 91Cs, all for military customers, and 99 Saab 91Ds. Production ended in 1966 with a Saab 91C for Ethiopia, for a total of 323 aircraft including the prototype.

In Norway, the 91B-2s were used by the military flight school at Værnes for selection flights: candidates flew 20 to 25 hours on the Safir before going on to full pilot training in the United States or Canada. The Norwegian Safirs remained in service until 1982, when they were replaced by the Saab MFI-15 Safari. Finland operated 35 91Ds and one 91B until the late 1980s, and Austria used 24 91Ds at its flying school from 1964 until 1992.

The Safir also equipped airline and government flying schools. Air France, Lufthansa and the Dutch Rijksluchtvaartschool (RLS) at Groningen-Eelde all trained their future pilots on it. In Belgium, eight Saab 91Bs were used from 1953 to 1957 by the civil aviation school run by SABENA at Grimbergen.

Many Safirs are still flying in private hands, notably in Scandinavia. In Sweden, the civil display team Team 50, founded in 2012, flies five Sk 50B and Sk 50C Safirs painted in their former Swedish Air Force colours. In Belgium, the Saab 91A OO-JEN (ex-SE-BNU and PH-UEF), registered in 1960, belongs to the BAPA (Belgian Aviation Preservation Association) at Grimbergen.

Variants

  • 91A : Original production version, powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major 10. Three seats. 48 built. Swedish Air Force designation Tp 91.
  • 91B : Three-seat version with a 190 hp (140 kW) Lycoming O-435A. 106 built by De Schelde. Swedish Air Force designation Sk 50B.
  • 91B-D : Improved 91B. Three built by De Schelde.
  • 91B-2 : 91B variant for the Royal Norwegian Air Force, with a constant-speed propeller. 25 built by Saab.
  • 91C : Four-seat version of the 91B, with the fuel tanks moved to the wings and a constant-speed propeller. 11 built by De Schelde and 30 by Saab. Swedish Air Force designation Sk 50C.
  • 91D : Four-seat version powered by a 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming O-360-A1A driving a constant-speed propeller. 99 built by Saab.
  • Saab 201 : First prototype fitted with a scaled-down swept wing of the J 29 Tunnan.
  • Saab 202 : Same airframe fitted with a wing designed for the 32 Lansen.

Operators

Military operators

  • Austria : Austrian Air Force - 24 91Ds from 1964, in service until 1992.
  • Ethiopia : Imperial Ethiopian Air Force - 16 91As from 1947, 8 91Bs and 16 91Cs. Some were still in service in the early 1980s.
  • Finland : Finnish Air Force - 35 91Ds and one 91B, withdrawn in the late 1980s ; Finnish Border Guard.
  • Japan : Technical Research and Development Institute of the Defense Agency - one aircraft.
  • Norway : Royal Norwegian Air Force - 25 91B-2s from 1956 and 5 ex-Swedish 91Bs.
  • Sweden : Swedish Air Force - 20 91As, 76 91Bs and 14 91Cs.
  • Tunisia : Tunisian Air Force - one 91B-D and 14 91Ds.

Civil operators

  • Belgium : SABENA flying school at Grimbergen (8 91Bs, 1953-1957).
  • France : Air France.
  • Germany : Lufthansa.
  • Indonesia : Indonesian Civil Aviation Academy (Curug).
  • Netherlands : Rijksluchtvaartschool (RLS), Groningen-Eelde.
  • Paraguay : Paraguayan Aeroclub.
  • United Kingdom : Kelvin Hughes - one 91C (G-ANOK) used as a development and test aircraft.

Surviving aircraft

Many Safirs remain airworthy in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Museum examples include the last Swedish Air Force Sk 50B (50045) and the fourth Safir built (91A SE-AYC) at the Flygvapenmuseum in Linköping, the 91Ds SF-2 and SF-9 at the Finnish Air Force Museum (Tikkakoski) and the Finnish Aviation Museum (Vantaa), the Norwegian 91B-2 of the Flyhistorisk Museum at Jæren, and the Japanese high-lift research aircraft at Kakamigahara.

References

  • Ford, Daniel. "Enduring Gem: SAAB's long serving Safir trainer". Air Enthusiast, No. 56, Winter 1994, pp. 45-51.
  • "SAAB 91C Safir: Personal Impressions on a Brief Air Test". Flight, Vol. 65, No. 2345, 1 January 1954, pp. 2-3, 21.
  • Smith, Maurice A. "Safir in the Air". Flight, Vol. LII, No. 2026, 23 October 1947, pp. 459-462.
  • Bridgman, Leonard (ed.). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59. London, 1958.
  • Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1961-62 and 1966-67. London, Sampson Low, Marston & Company.
  • BAPA (Belgian Aviation Preservation Association) - SAAB Safir 91A OO-JEN.
  • Avrosys.nu (Lars Henriksson) - Sk 50 SAAB 91B & 91C Safir ; Tp 91 SAAB 91A Safir.
  • Jærmuseet - Flyhistorisk Museum - Saab 91B-2 Safir.

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Saab 91 Safir of Wikipedia ( authors )

Saab 91 Safir

  • Role : Trainer and light touring aircraft.
  • Manufacturer : Saab ; De Schelde (licence).
  • Designer : Anders J. Andersson.
  • First flight : 20 November 1945.
  • Status : retired from military service ; many still flying in private hands.
  • Primary users :
    • Swedish Air Force.
    • Royal Norwegian Air Force.
    • Finnish Air Force.
    • Austrian Air Force.
  • Produced : 1946 to 1966.
  • Number built : 323.
  • Variants :
    • Saab 201.
    • Saab 202.

    Specifications (91A)

  • Crew: 1.
  • Capacity: 2 passengers.
  • Length: 25 ft 7 in (7.8 m).
  • Wingspan: 34 ft 9 in (10.6 m).
  • Height: 7 ft 3 in (2.2 m).
  • Wing area: 146 sq ft (13.6 m²).
  • Aspect ratio: 8.3.
  • Airfoil: root: NACA 23018; tip: NACA 4412.
  • Empty weight: 1,279-1,345 lb (580-610 kg).
  • Gross weight: 2,105 lb (955 kg).
  • Max takeoff weight: 2,370 lb (1,075 kg).
  • Fuel capacity: 29 US gal (110 l), including 6.6 US gal (25 l) reserve.
  • Powerplant: One de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 four-cylinder air-cooled inverted inline piston engine.
  • Power: 145 hp (108 kW).
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed or variable-pitch.
  • Maximum speed: 165 mph (265 km/h, 143 kts).
  • Cruise speed: 146 mph (235 km/h, 127 kts) economical ; 154 mph (248 km/h, 134 kts) maximum cruise.
  • Stall speed: 53 mph (85 km/h, 46 kts).
  • Range: 600 mi (960 km, 520 nmi).
  • Service ceiling: 15,100 ft (4,600 m).
  • Rate of climb: 980 ft/min (5 m/s).

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Saab 91 Safir of Wikipedia ( authors )
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    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).