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An apparently unusual category of aircraft to be designed and built by Svenska Aeroplan, which has concentrated primarily on military aircraft, the Saab-90 Scandia represented the company's attempt to join the post-World War II hunt for the legendary 'pot of gold' that would be the reward for the creator of a Douglas DC-3 replacement. Saab was even less successful than some others, producing a total of only 18 Saab-90 aircraft, including the prototype, between 1948 and 1954. A cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, with retractable tricycle landing gear and powered by two wing-mounted 1081kW Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial engines, the prototype was flown for the first time on 16 November 1946. Accommodation was provided for a flight crew of four or five and 24 to 36 passengers, according to cabin layout. However, only a single order was received for the Saab-90A production version, from the Swedish airline AB Aerotransport, but when this was absorbed into SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) the order was reduced to six. The remaining four aircraft were then sold to Aerovias Brasil (later VASP). Both airlines found them efficient aircraft to operate, resulting in production of two more for SAS and five for VASP,
but that was all. A Saab-90B with a pressurised cabin was planned, but with no demand for the type it was not built.
 | A three-view drawing (800 x 689) |
| MODEL | Saab 90A Scandia |
| ENGINE | 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2180-E1 radial piston engines, 1342kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 16000 kg | 35274 lb |
| Empty weight | 9960 kg | 21958 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 28 m | 91 ft 10 in |
| Length | 21.3 m | 69 ft 11 in |
| Height | 7.1 m | 23 ft 4 in |
| Wing area | 85.65 m2 | 921.93 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Cruise speed | 390 km/h | 242 mph |
| Ceiling | 7500 m | 24600 ft |
| Range | 1480 km | 920 miles |
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COMPANY
PROFILE
FACTS AND FIGURES© Pilots considered the cockpit
glazing to be inadequate, with
most panels too small and the sills
too high. Looking across the
cockpit, the pilot on the opposite
side could see very little. © Two versions were proposed, one with
24 seats in one double row and one
single row, and a 32-seat model with
two double rows. The pressurized Saab
90B version was never built. © The 14-cylinder R-2180 radial
drove a four-bladed variable-pitch
propeller. The Scandia was the
only civil use for the R-2180 (also
known as the Twin Wasp E1)
engine, although a military
version was used in rhe prototype
Piasecki H-16 helicopter. © The elevators and ailerons were
fabric-covered and interchangeable
port and starboard. © After landing a support strut
could be deployed from the
cockpit to keep the aircraft from
tipping backwards during
passenger and baggage loading
and unloading.
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