As the Air Force did not have any transport aircraft at its disposal before WWII, the mobilization plan of 1937 stated among other things the requisition of a number of smaller civil aircraft (and larger from AB Aerotransport, the national airline) in a state of alert. The smaller aircraft were going to be used for liaison and transport of staff personnel.  

All three existing Swedish Waco UIC-4 were provided to the Air Force in 1940 according to this plan. They were given the Air Force designation Tp 8. Their former civil registration codes were SE-AED, SE-AFF and SE-AFM. SE-AFF crashed with a fatal result only some weeks after the delivery in July of 1940. SE-AFM returned to the civil register in the beginning of 1941. Only former SE-AED was kept for a longer time. It was handed back to its former owner in October 1946.  

The Waco UIC-4 had room for four persons. It was powered with a seven-cylinder radial engine type Continental W-670-K, delivering 220 hp. 

The Swedish-Finnish Association delivered in February 1940 a Waco ZQC-6 to the Finnish defence forces as war aid. The aircraft, (former SE-AHM), was given the Finnish civil registration OH-SLA. This Waco was used by the voluntary Swedish Air Force Wing F 19 during the Winter War between Finland and the USSR. After the end of the Winter War, the aircraft was flown back to Sweden and was acquired by the Air Force. It got the designation Tp 8A. This variant had a seven-cylinder radial Jacobs L-5MB engine. The engine delivered 285 hp.  

All Wacos belonged during their service in the Air Force to the first (red) squadron of  Naval Aviation Wing F 2 at Hägernäs. Except for their main mission - liaison - they were also used for reconnaissance and as target aircraft. 

Main particulars for Tp 8A: Length: 8,40 m. Span: 10,59 m. MTOW 1.700 kg. Max. speed: 260 km/h.

© Lars Henriksson

Updated 2010-02-16