Friday, April 12, 2013

Aviation Classics Issue 16

Welcome to the first of what I hope will be a succession of  different Aviation Classics, one where we are not covering a single type of aircraft or an event, but instead studying the entire history of one of the great aircraft manufacturers. The choice of Saab for this first issue came about due to a number of factors. Firstly, 2012 is the 75th Anniversary of the founding of what is now a world class giant of the aerospace industry, and secondly, on looking around, I could find very little that covered the history of the company and its highly original products, a situation I found odd. My interest in Saab and its aircraft began at an early age, when as a boy I built the Airfix kit of the mighty Viggen. Placing it among the Phantom, Lightning and other types of its generation, two things became apparent, first of all this was a really big aircraft, and secondly, it didn't look like anything else around, and indeed, still doesn't I was struck by the individuality of it, and this is an impression that has stayed with me even as I have learned more about this company and the country where it was founded.

No comments: