Can you identify this Swedish beauty ...

[ViggeN]

Hi all

A Swedish friend of mine sent me this pic (of a pic ) the other day and she wanted to know what it was.

Unfortunately this is waay before my time ... what are those turning things in front ... The closest thing Google can come up with is a SAAB 17, but it just does not look quite the same.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
V

 

[Greyman]

Looks like a North American Harvard.

 

[ViggeN]

That never occurred to me, it does sort of look like a Harvard ... but I doubt SAAB would stick their emblems on if it was not theirs.

I'm such an idiot, only realised now those 3 crowns are Swedish emblems and NOT SAAB's

Thanks Greyman. We actually had Harvards here, but I didn't recognize it without the silver and orange paint scheme http://planesandchoppers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/316.jpg

 

[A4K]

Welcome to the forum mate!

It is an SK-16, the Svenska Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force, in whose markings it is shown) designation for the North American Harvard (also known as the T-6 or Texan in the US).
South Africa also used Harvards as trainers and aerobatic aircraft for many years, finally retiring them in the early '90s I believe.

Evan

(sorry, clashed posts!)

 

[ViggeN]

A newer pic SE-FVD - Swedish Air Force Historic Flight North American Harvard/Texan (AT-6, 16, SNJ series) at Gothenburg City- Save | ID 117196 | Airplane-Pictures.net

 

[ViggeN]

Welcome to the forum mate!

It is an SK-16, the Svenska Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force, in whose markings it is shown) designation for the North American Harvard (also known as the T-6 or Texan in the US).
South Africa also used Harvards as trainers and aerobatic aircraft for many years, finally retiring them in the early '90s I believe.

Evan

(sorry, clashed posts!)

Yes they were retired in 1994 ... along with my ALL TIME fav ... the Buccaneer Those were the best jungle gyms anyone could ever ask for (I grew up in the air force

 

[Lucky13]

Yip! SAAB built quite a few of them on licence...

 

[A4K]

That's sure one hell of a playground!
I got to investigate a C-47, TBF-1 and Stuart tank as a kid when they were displayed in the open... all in museums now thankfully!

 

[Lucky13]

Gonna get me another one of these in 1/48, one Swedish Airforce and one for h*ll knows!

 

[ViggeN]

Yip! SAAB built quite a few of them on licence...

Hej Lucky, aah good to know

 

[Grampa]

looks it's from royal Södermanland airbase Nyköping near Stigtomta, the Airbase whent in service 1941 to 1980. the base primar mission whas to reconnaissance.

 

[raumatibeach]

That's sure one hell of a playground!
I got to investigate a C-47, TBF-1 and Stuart tank as a kid when they were displayed in the open... all in museums now thankfully!

Where were they mate? I had 2 c-47s/dc3s and a bren gun carrier , one of the dakotas ended up being turned a bar.

 

[Lucky13]

North American Harvard IIb/T-6 Texan/BC-1A/SNJ- /SNJ-2
143 Canada-built Harvard IIb entered service starting in 1947 as Sk 16A. Later on two more were added, one was in a mixed batch with other variants and one had been the Swedish assistant air attache's personal aircraft in the US where he was in charge of purchasing spares for the Sk 16s.

A second batch was purchased in 1952-53, which consisted of a mix of T-6 Texan, BC-1A, different SNJ. As they were incompatible with the earlier ones, 106 of them were designated Sk 16B and the six SNJ-2s Sk 16C.

The Sk 16B/Cs were taken out of service during 1957-58. Some Sk 16A remained flying until 1972.

 

[Lucky13]

Sorry, it was the earlier North American NA 16-4M that SAAB built on licence!

 

[Gixxerman]

Damn! I saw this earlier thought it was a Harvard.

 

[model299]

DARN!! Saw the thread title, and thought I was gonna see a different type of picture..........

 

[ViggeN]

DARN!! Saw the thread title, and thought I was gonna see a different type of picture..........

After watching many years of TV, I might have picked up a trick or two in "false advertising"

 

[A4K]

Where were they mate? I had 2 c-47s/dc3s and a bren gun carrier , one of the dakotas ended up being turned a bar.

G'day mate!

The C-47 was at Silver stream in Lower Hutt, fueslage on blocks and wings stacked on top of each other next to it. A check on the net shows this was C-47 ZK-BYF, later restored and displayed at the Ohakea wing of the RNZAF Museum, going to Gisbourne airport in 2000.
The C-47 on posts at Fielding (ex NZ3556/ ZK-AOK - now a cafe) was a favourite of mine too on the regular travels/ moves round the North Island, and also often saw the Dak on posts at Rotorua (ZK-CAW) a McDonald's restaurant last time I saw it.

The TBF-1 was on open display in the parking lot of small arts'n'crafts/ rest area between Waikanae and Bulls. A check on the net shows this was probably NZ2505, ex Silver stream, which then dispappeared from there, but saw her again (without realising it was the same Avenger) about 10 years later when posted to Wigram in '91.
Being the museum's 'spare' Avenger, she also went on to Gisbourne apparently, for full restoration.

The Stuart and Walker Bulldog, etc were the open air displays at the Waiouru army museum. A plate was removed below the Stuart's engine and as a kid I could crawl in through there and enter the drivers area via the cutout for the missing engine transmission

Subjects of 'continued investigation' in the RNZAF were (at Woodbourne) the retired Safe Air Argosys, RNZAF instructional airframes (Bell 47, Strikemaster, DH 104, etc), Airtrainer wreckage, A-4s, C-130 and P-3K under servicing, and the four retired Air New Zealand F27 Friendships. At Wigram, the RNZAF Museum public displays, and the then privately stored aircraft in the restoration and storage hangars, since also opened to the public since the base closed down.



How about what you saw - which Dak's were they and where was that Bren Gun carrier? Love those things....

 

[raumatibeach]

Hard case, I use to get to play on that same c 47 after we went to the Silverstream tip when we lived in the Hutt,.There was another one down near Red Rocks that was in pretty bad shape , it ended up being a turned into part of a short lived bar down by Wellington airport.
Friends of my mums had a bren gun carrier on their farm up in Whitemans valley,it got retired from farm work and I think someone pulled the motor out for a hot rod or stock car . No doubt they got it at auction from Trentham army base, it's amazing what turns up at those auctions. There's actually a working Bren gun carrier in Paraparaumu now, my son was very stoked when the owner gave him a .45 shell casing he dug out of it when he was restoring it and then we drove behind it and a Willys jeep after a car show .You don't get to do that very often.

 

[A4K]

That is hard case!

Where abouts is Red Rocks? Don't think I ever saw that bird.

That's great re the Bren gun carriers, and a great score for your son too!
A mate who you might know in P'ram, Dean Irain, also told me some relly's of his had one which they used to take bush bashing and racing along the beach. It finally ended up getting caught in a creek in the bush somwhere, and they had to leave it. It's presumably still there rusting away.

Btw, do you know if anything came of the plans to restore the Stuart ('Honey') tank recovered from the QE II park?

Evan