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Saab 91 Safir

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Saab 91 Safir
Saab 91C of the Swedish Air Force
Role Trainer
National origin Sweden
Manufacturer Saab
Designer A J Andersson
First flight 20 November 1945
Primary user Swedish Air Force
Produced 1946–1966
Number built 323

TheSaab 91 Safir(Swedish forsapphire) is a three (91A, B, B-2) or four (91C, D) seater, singleenginetraineraircraft.The Safir was built bySaab ABin Linköping, Sweden (203 aircraft) and byDe ScheldeinDordrecht,Netherlands(120 aircraft).

Design and development[edit]

Development of the Safir began in 1944 as part of a plan to compensate for reductions in orders for military aircraft when theSecond World Warfinally ended. Three major civil programmes were planned, theType 90 Scandiaairliner, the Type 91 Safir light aircraft and theSaab 92motor car.[1]The Safir was designed by Anders J. Andersson, who had previously worked forBücker,where he had designed the all-woodBücker Bü 181"Bestmann". The Safir thus shared many conceptual design features with the Bestmann. It was primarily of metal construction, although it did have fabric-covered control surfaces.[2]Development was slowed by the need to concentrate on more urgent military work, and byindustrial actionin suppliers.[3]The Safir's first flight took place on 20 November 1945.[4]

While the prototype was first powered by a 130 hp (97 kW) fourcylinderde Havilland Gipsy MajorIC piston engine, the Saab 91A initial production model used a 145 hp (108 kW) Gipsy Major 10.[4]The Gipsy-engine Safir was considered underpowered by military customers, and as a result, the Gipsy was replaced by a six-cylinderLycoming O-435Arated at 190 hp (140 kW), with the re-engined type becoming the Saab 91B,[3]flying on 18 January 1949.[5]The Saab 91C, first flying in September 1953, retained the O-435 engine, but has a revised four-seat cabin.[6][7]The 91D replaced the O-435 with a lighter four-cylinderLycoming O-360-A1Aengine rated at 180 hp (130 kW).[8][6]

As well as its primary role as a trainer/touring aircraft, the Safir was also used as an aerodynamic testbed. The first prototype was used as a platform for low speed testing of the swept wing forSaab 29jet fighter, and was later further modified to test the wing for theSaab 32Lansen fighter.[8]In addition, one ex-Swedish aircraft was sold to Japan, going through a variety of modifications to test high-lift devices for theShin Meiwa PS-1flying boat.[9]

Operational history[edit]

Finnish Saab 91D Safir

Production of the Saab 91A began in 1946, but sales were slow owing to the large numbers of cheap ex-military trainers for sale after the end of the Second World War. Major users of the 91A were the Swedish and Ethiopian Air Forces. In 1951, Sweden ordered 74 91B trainers to replace its remaining Bestmanns, but Saab was busy building J29 Tunnan fighters, so production of the Saab 91B was moved to the Dutch companyDe Scheldeat theirDordrechtfactory. De Schelde continued building the Safir until 1955, completing a total of 120 Saab 91B and 91Cs.[3]

Saab restarted production of the Safir at itsLinköpingfactory in 1954,[6]building 25 Saab 91B-2s for Norway, 30 Saab 91Cs, all for military customers, and 99 Saab 91Ds.[10]Production continued until 1966, when the last Safir, a Saab 91C for Ethiopia, was completed. Total production was 323 aircraft including the prototype.[8]

The Safir was used by the Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Austrian, Tunisian, and Ethiopianair forcesas a trainer aircraft, and a single aircraft was used by theJapan Defense Agencyas anSTOLtest platform.[11]The type remained in Norwegian and Finnish service until the late 1980s, and in Austria until 1992.[8]While it was replaced as a trainer by theScottish Aviation Bulldogin Sweden in 1971, it remained in use as a liaison aircraft, still being in service in 1994.[12]

Major civilian users wereAir France,Lufthansaand theDutchRijksluchtvaartschool(RLS) on theGroningen Airport Eelde,nearGroningen.

During development of theSaab 29,the initial Saab 91 prototype was modified with a scaled-down version of the Saab 29's swept wings; this aircraft was designatedSaab 201 Experimental Aircraft.This same airframe was later fitted with wings designed for theSaab 32 Lansen;this was designatedSaab 202.

A single Saab 91 Safir was modified as the Saab X1G for research in Japan.

Variants[edit]

Saab Safir 91B trainer taking off from Hahnweide airfield

Operators[edit]

Military operators[edit]

Austria
Ethiopia
  • Ethiopian Air Force- received 16 Saab 91As from 1947, 8 91Bs and 16 91Cs. Some still remained in service in the early 1980s.[8]
Finland
Japan
Norway
Sweden
Tunisia

Civil operators[edit]

Australia
France
Germany
Indonesia
Netherlands
Paraguay
United Kingdom
  • Kelvin Hughes- one 91-C (G-ANOK) used as a development and test aircraft.

Specifications (91A)[edit]

Saab 91B "Safir"

Data fromJane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59,[15]Safir in the Air[16]

General characteristics

  • Crew:1
  • Capacity:2 passengers
  • Length:7.8 m (25 ft 7 in)
  • Wingspan:10.6 m (34 ft 9 in)
  • Height:2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
  • Wing area:13.6 m2(146 sq ft)
  • Aspect ratio:8.3
  • Airfoil:root:NACA 23018;tip:NACA 4412[17]
  • Empty weight:580–610 kg (1,279–1,345 lb)
  • Gross weight:955 kg (2,105 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight:1,075 kg (2,370 lb)
  • Fuel capacity:110 L (29 US gal; 24 imp gal) with 25 L (6.6 US gal; 5.5 imp gal) reserve
  • Powerplant:1 ×de Havilland Gipsy Major X4-cylinder, 108 kW (145 hp)
  • Propellers:2-bladed fixed or variable-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed:265 km/h (165 mph, 143 kn)
  • Cruise speed:235 km/h (146 mph, 127 kn) economical cruise
248 km/h (154 mph; 134 kn) max cruise
  • Stall speed:85 km/h (53 mph, 46 kn)
  • Range:960 km (600 mi, 520 nmi)
  • Service ceiling:4,600 m (15,100 ft)
  • Rate of climb:5 m/s (980 ft/min)
  • Wing loading:73.2 kg/m2(15.0 lb/sq ft) at normal loaded weight
  • Power/mass:0.1049 kW/kg (0.0638 hp/lb)

See also[edit]

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References[edit]

  1. ^Ford 1994,p. 45
  2. ^Ford 1994,pp. 45–47
  3. ^abcFord 1994,p. 47
  4. ^abcdTaylor 1966,p. 125
  5. ^Taylor 1961,p. 134
  6. ^abcdTaylor 1961,p. 135
  7. ^"Have you seen?: 4-place Safir".Flying.Vol. 55, no. 2. August 1954. p. 39.
  8. ^abcdefghijklmnopFord 1994,p. 48
  9. ^Ford 1994,pp. 48–51
  10. ^abcFord 1994,pp. 47–48
  11. ^SAAB Safir s/n 91.201[dead link]Archived2004-11-28 at theWayback Machine
  12. ^Ford 1994,p. 51
  13. ^Flight1 January 1954, p. 2.
  14. ^"SK 50B: Saab 91 Safir".flygvapenmuseum(in Swedish). 3 February 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 18 August 2019.Retrieved18 August2019.
  15. ^Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1958).Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59.London: Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd. pp. 245–246.
  16. ^Smith, 1947, pp. 459–462.
  17. ^Lednicer, David."The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage".m-selig.ae.illinois.edu.Retrieved16 April2019.
  • Ford, Daniel (Winter 1994). "Enduring Gem: SAAB's long serving Safir trainer".Air Enthusiast.No. 56. pp. 45–51.ISSN0143-5450.
  • "SAAB 91C SAFIR: Personal Impressions on a Brief Air Test".Flight.Vol. 65, no. 2345. 1 January 1954. pp. 2–3, 21.Retrieved17 August2019.
  • Smith, Maurice A. (23 October 1947)."Safir in the Air".Flight.Vol. LII, no. 2026. pp. 459–462.Retrieved17 August2019.
  • Taylor, John W. R. (1961).Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62.London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company.
  • Taylor, John W. R. (1966).Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1966–67.London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSaab 91.
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