SAAB Safir, SK 50B and D served at F 10 from 1997 to 2002.
Engine Power: 190 - 180 horsepower (depending on engine version, either a Lycoming 0-435 or 0-360)
Performance: Maximum speed of 325 kilometers per hour

History

The Saab 91 Safir is a single-engine low-wing general aviation aircraft from SAAB, which first flew on November 20, 1945. The Safir was used by the Swedish Air Force with the Swedish military designations Tp 91, SK 50B, and SK 50C between 1946 and 1993.

The designer was A J Andersson, who had previously designed, among others, the Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann. These two aircraft therefore share many common features. Due to Saab's capacity constraints, a large part of the Safir's production was outsourced to De Schelde in the Netherlands. The Safir was Saab's largest export success before the Saab 340 in terms of the number of aircraft sold. It was used by several flying schools and air forces. A total of 323 units were manufactured with all versions (A-D).

The Safir also holds an unofficial world record for non-stop flight when Carl Gustav von Rosen delivered a Safir from Bromma to Addis Ababa in 30 hours and 52 minutes in 1947. Unfortunately, no barograph was carried, so the record was not recognized.

The prototype aircraft for the Safir program was used in the construction of the experimental aircraft Saab 201 Experimental Aircraft SK 50.

SK 50

Between 1952 and 1992, the Saab 91B and C Safir were included in the Swedish Air Force. The first 20 years as training aircraft for basic flight training. In 1949, the Air Force sought a new aircraft to replace the SK 25. From Saab in Linköping, a Saab 91A Safir equipped with a Lycoming O-435 engine was flown down to F 5 Ljungbyhed in November 1949 for evaluation in the air by seven flight instructors.
After the test flights, the Air Force pointed out some details that needed to be modified, after which Saab submitted a bid on July 12, 1949, with price information for 65, alternatively 80 aircraft for delivery starting in 1952. In 1951, the Air Force ordered 75 units of 91B, which in the Air Force received the military designation SK 50B. Saab, which had already filled its capacity with the production of the Saab 29 Tunnan, outsourced production to De Schelde in Holland. Another Sk 50B was added after the first aircraft was bought back by Saab after four months.

The order was followed in 1959 by an order for an additional 14 aircraft. This time it concerned the version 91C, military designation SK 50C. These aircraft were manufactured in Linköping.

The aircraft were delivered primarily to F 5 Ljungbyhed and used as training aircraft type 1. When SK 61 Bulldog was assigned to the Air Force War School in 1970 as a replacement for SK 50, the remaining SK 50B and Sk 50C were transferred to various squadrons of the Air Force, where they were used for general flight training, liaison flights, and weather reconnaissance. In 1992, when the Chief of the Air Force (CFV) sold off SK 50, several squadron-based civilian flying clubs were formed to, in line with CFV's intention, enable non-flying personnel to obtain pilot licenses and engage in flying.