Saab 91 Safir

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

The Saab 91 Safir (Swedish: "sapphire") is a three (91A, B, B-2) or four (91C, D) seater, single engine trainer aircraft. The Safir was built by Saab AB in Linköping, Sweden, (203 aircraft) and by De Schelde in Dordrecht, Netherlands (120 aircraft).

Design and development

The Safir's first flight on 20 November 1945.^[1] The all-metal Safir was designed by Anders J. Andersson, who had previously worked for Bücker, where he designed the all-wood Bücker Bü 181 "Bestmann". The Safir thus shared many conceptual features of its design with the Bestmann.

The Saab 91A is powered by a 125 hp four cylinder de Havilland Gipsy Major 2c piston engine, or a 145 hp Gipsy Major 10 piston engine. The 91B, B-2 and C have a six-cylinder Lycoming O-435A engine with 190 hp.^[2] The 91D has a four-cylinder Lycoming O-360-A1A engine with 180 hp.

The "Safir" was later used as a platform to test at low speeds the new swept wing for the Saab 29 and Saab 32 jet fighters.

Operational history

Finnish Saab 91D Safir

323 units were built in 5 versions (A, B, B-2, C and D). The Safir was used by the Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Austrian, Tunisian and Ethiopean air forces as a trainer aircraft, and a single aircraft was used by the Japan Defense Agency as an STOL test platform.^[3]

Major civilian users were Air France, Lufthansa and the Dutch Rijksluchtvaartschool (RLS) on the Groningen Airport Eelde, near Groningen.

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

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

Variants

Saab Safir 91B trainer airplane just started from Hahnweide airfield.

91A - Original production version, powered by 145 hp (108 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 engine. Three seats.^[1]
91B - Three seat version with 190 hp (140 kW) Lycoming O-435.^[1]
91B-2 - 91B variant for Royal Norwegian Air Force with minor modifications, mainly a constant speed propeller.
91C - Four seat version of 91B, with fuel tanks moved to the wings, and a constant speed propeller.^[4]
91D - Four-seat version, powered by 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming O-360 engine driving a constant speed propeller.^[5]

Operators

Military operators

Austria

Austrian Air Force

Ethiopia

Ethiopian Air Force

Finland

Finnish Air Force Former operator
Finnish Frontier Guard Former operator

Japan

Technical Research and Development Institute

Norway

Royal Norwegian Air Force

Sweden

Swedish Air Force

Tunisia

Tunisian Air Force

Civil Operators

Australia
France

Air France

Germany

Lufthansa

Paraguay

Paraguayan Aeroclub

Specifications (91A)

Saab 91B "Safir"

Data from Safir in the Air^[6]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 2 passengers
Length: 7.80 m (25 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 10.60 m (34 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 13.6 m² (146 sq ft)
Max. takeoff weight: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy Major X four-cylinder air-cooled inline engine, 145 hp (108 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 264 km/h (143 knots, 164 mph)
Cruise speed: 235 km/h (127 knots, 146 mph) (econ cruise)
Stall speed: 85 km/h (46 knots, 53 mph)
Range: 942 km (509 nmi, 585 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.3 m/s (1,050 ft/min)

References

1 2 3 Taylor 1966, p. 125.
↑ Flying Magazine: 39. August 1954. Missing or empty |title= (help)
↑ SAAB Safir s/n 91.201 (dead link)
↑ Flight 1 January 1954, p. 2.
↑ Taylor 1961, p. 135.
↑ Smith, 1947, pp. 459–462.

"Saab 91 C Safir". Flight, 1 January 1954, pp. 2–3, 21.
Smith, Maurice A. "Safir in the Air". Flight, 23 October 1947, pp. 459–462.
Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1961.
Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1966–67. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1966.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saab 91.

SAAB/Saab aircraft

Military aircraft	17 18 21 21R 29 32 35 36 37 38 39 105 210 Tp 100A/C S 100B/D

Civil aircraft	90 91 340/340 AEW&C 2000 MFI-15

Aircraft names	Argus Draken Gripen Lansen Safir Safari Scandia Tunnan Viggen

Swedish Air Force military aircraft designations 1940–present

1-25	B/S/T/Tp 16 Sk 16 B/S 17 B/S/T 18 J 19 J 20 A/J 21 A/J 21R J/S 22 J 23 B/J 24 Tp 24 Sk 25

26-50	Sk 26 B/S 26 J/S 26 J 27 A/J/Sk 28 A/J/S 29 J 30 S 31 A/J/S 32 J 33 J 34 J/S/Sk 35 A 36 AJ/JA 37 A/Sk 38 JAS 39 Tp 45 Tp 46 Tp 47 Sk 50

51-100	Fpl 51 Tp 52 Tp 53 Fpl 54 Tp 54 Tp 55 Sk 60 Sk/Fpl 61 Tp 78 Tp 79 Tp 80 Tp 81 Tp 82 Tp 83 Tp 84 Tp 85 Tp 86 Tp 87 Tp 88 Tp 89 Tp 91

100-	Tp 100 Tp 101 Tp 102 Tp 103

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