Page 1 (1)

Svenska Aero AB designed three aircraft in their Falken (Falcon) series - the SA-11 Jaktfalken (”Fighter Falcon”), the SA-12 Skolfalken (”Trainer Falcon”) and  the SA-13 Övningsfalken (”Advanced Trainer Falcon”). First out was SA-12 Skolfalken.  

The company had not achieved much success with its previous project, the SA-10 Piraten. But never the less - despite the setback and despite little interest from the Air Force - Svenska Aero started the design work of an universal trainer aircraft. It would be built in two versions - the basic (Type I) trainer SA-12 Skolfalken and the advanced (type II) trainer SA-13 Övningsfalken.  

The first SA-12 Skolfalken was manufactured as a speculation in 1929. Pilots from the Air Force were hired for the test flights, which took place at Barkarby near Stockholm with start in September the same year. The tests were successful and the managing director of Svenska Aero AB - the well-known aviator and aircraft designer Carl Clemens Bücker, managed to sell the aircraft to the Air Force. The Skolfalken got the official designation Sk 8 and the Air Force registration number 5100.  

The aircraft was transferred to the Air Force Flight Academy at Ljungbyhed (F 5). Some modifications were made. The most important was a new fin and rudder. The flying instructors at Ljungbyhed were very pleased with their Sk 8 and would not mind the Air Force replacing the old Sk 6 Heinkel trainers  with the Sk 8. But,unfortunately for Svenska Aero, the Sk 6’s, with its unreliable surplus engines, hastily had to be grounded for good. There was no time to wait for deliveries from Svenska Aero. Instead, ten de Havilland DH 60T Moth Trainers (Sk 9) were purchased and delivered in 1931. The time between order and delivery was only two months.

The single Sk 8 continued to fly at F 5 for some years. Later it was transferred to F 3 at Malmen, where it was written off in 1938 after 386 hours of use. The story of the single Sk 8 was definitely over in the spring next year, when the aircraft was used as a May bonfire (see photo below).

The Sk 8 was powered by a 5-cylinder Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose air-cooled radial engine of 135 hp. One single aircraft of the above mentioned variant SA-13 Övningsfalken was also built. It was mainly the same design, but powered by a stronger engine. See Ö 8!

Svenska Aero was more fortunate with the fighter Jaktfalken. 1+17 aircraft were purchased by the Air Force, designated J 5 and J 6.  

© Lars Henriksson

Updated 2010-07-10