Saab 90 Scandia

what is it?

The Saab 90 Scandia was a civil passenger aeroplane, manufactured by Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB), in Linköping, Sweden. In 1944, as it became clear that hostilities in Europe (the Second World War) would soon end, SAAB realised that the company had to diversify from purely military endeavours if it were to survive. The board therefore decided to manufacture a twin-engined, short- to medium-haul passenger aircraft, as a successor for the Douglas DC-3.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 28 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 450 km/htop speed
• range 2,650 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 32passengers
• size 15.9 tmax take-off weight
• built 18made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 80 years ago, in 1946.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 28 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,650 km: 15× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1946-11-16

introduced

1950

status

retired

number built

18

role

airliner

origin

🇸🇪 Sweden

makers

Saab Group

engines

2× Pratt & Whitney R-2180-E Twin Wasp E / R-2000 Twin Wasp

crew

3

passengers

32

length

21.3 m

wingspan

28 m

height

7.4 m

max take-off weight

15.9 t

top speed

450 km/h

cruise speed

340 km/h

range

2,650 km

ceiling

7,500 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.