AJ 37 - SAAB 37 Viggen (1972-2005)

Page 9 (of 11)

Another view of AJ 37 Viggen #37047. The aircraft behind is a BAC One-Eleven 525FT (ex. YR-BCM) that belonged to the Romanian aviation company Tamron. The airliner got damaged when landing at Arlanda, Stockholm in 1997. During an otherwise normal landing, strong wind gust led to the right main gear touching down and the nose gear heavily hitting the runway. All passengers could disembark trough the ordinary exits, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and remained for the time being at Arlanda.

How did this airliner get here? Once two Swedish aviation enthusiasts wanted to keep an ex-SAS Sud-Aviation Caravelle in flying condition. At this time the Swedish Air Force still operated two Caravelle III as ELINT aircraft (Designation TP 85, numbers 85172 and 85210). These would soon be replaced by two Gulfstream IV (TP 102B). In 1997, Le Caravelle Club was formed.

The Air Force and Air Force Museum were positive to the ideas, but a problem appeared. The Civil Defence Fire & Rescue School in Halmstad needed a passenger aircraft for their activities.

In 1998, the Air Force grounded their Caravelles. Aircraft #85172 was transferred to the Air Force Museum in Linköping where it still remains. #85210 seemed predestined to what now had been the Air Force Fire & Rescue School in Halmstad, which already had plans to expand its activities in the training of civilian airport fire fighters. For this it was a must to have a training cabin. An easy solution was the # 85210, which already was owned by the Air Force.
 

Le Carvelle Club promised in this critical situation to get an aircraft to the school. After negotiations with the Air Force, the aircraft was temporarily saved. On January 28th, 1999, it made its final flight. The destination was Arlanda airport at Stockholm. The aircraft was now at its new home base, but Le Caravelle Club had to get a replacement aircraft.

Different replacement aircraft alternatives were discussed. One was a HS748, another a Tu-134 from Estonia. A third was the prototype of SAAB 2000. A BAC 1-11 with a landing damage was a fourth. But it appeared problems in all cases, mostly of economic art. Finally the school decided for the BAC 1-11.

In the end of 1999, the fire brigade at Arlanda cut away the wings and fin of the BAC 1-11. The 600 km long journey to Halmstad started. The Caravelle was saved.

The Caravelle, again marked with its old civil registration SE-DAI, has not been airborne since 1999 and will probably never fly again. But the engines have been run with regular intervals and some times the aircraft had been taxed on the runways of Arlanda. Some restorations work back to the civilian version has been made.

See the web site of Le Caravelle Club (in Swedish only).

Updated 2010-02-27