Why the Saab 90 Scandia Became Aviation's Forgotten Upgrade to the DC-3

Video from the channel Flight Heritage about Saab, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 9:12. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

A documentary about the Saab 90 Scandia, a twin-engine airliner with which Saab aimed to succeed the Douglas DC-3 on European short routes, and about why only 18 were built.

The idea arose in December 1943, over a dinner between Ragnar Wahrgren, Saab's director, and Carl Florman, of the airline ABA. The CT project was launched in February 1944: low wing, retractable tricycle gear, all-metal construction, and seating for 24 to 32 passengers. The prototype SE-BCA flew on 16 November 1946 with Claes Smith at the controls, and after testing it switched to Pratt & Whitney R-2180 engines of 1,650 hp with four-blade propellers. ABA ordered ten aircraft in April 1948, Swedish certification arrived in June 1950, and deliveries began in October. The priority given to the Saab 29 Tunnan fighter at the Linköping plant moved production to Fokker, which closed the line in 1954.

The Scandia offered better low-speed handling than the DC-3, a roomier cabin, and a maximum cruise speed of 280 mph. Working against it were cheap surplus C-47s and the lack of an international support network. VASP and Aerovias do Brasil ordered six aircraft, SAS sold its fleet to VASP in 1957, and the last commercial flight was on 22 July 1969. Only one example survives, exposed to the elements, in a museum in Bebedouro (Brazil).