Manufacturer: SAAB

Model: 110

Name: Kadett

Type: Jet armed trainer

Date: 1967

Status: Operational

Country: Sweden

Service: Swedish Air Force

Designation: Sk 50

In 1967, Saab studied a reduced size trainer following the success of their Sk 60 (Model 105) trainer. This was designated Model 110 and procured in 15 examples only by the Swedish Air Force as the Sk 50.

The Kadett, as it was known, was unarmed and used strictly as a primary trainer, being popular with the pilot trainees because of its forgiving handling and great natural stability.

The 14 Kadetts that remained (one had been lost during a ground fire) were exported in 1992 to Sri Lanka, where they continue to train the young recruits of the local air force.

I used a Saab 105 photograph (see below right) with the thought of creating a smaller trainer. First I had to cut out the aircraft from the background, since I wanted to set it in a clouded sky. I then reworked the fuselage in sort of a bonsai technique, cutting here and there to reduce its overall length and make it look smaller. The toughest bit was to recreate the missing right wing, since it was now to be seen.

The Kadett is a bit reminiscent of the much later Fairchild T-46 prototypes, except these had H-tails, not T-tails. However the engine would have had to be different from that of the Model 105 in order for the shorter fuselage to accomodate it.

• Good work again, Stephane! (redstar72)
• That's pretty! An armed variant, a la Cessna A-37 Dragonfly or BAC Strikemaster, would be cool. (pyro-manic)

Yeah, I found the original Saab 105 (Sk 60) too long, and my idea was to come up with an aircraft in the same class as the T-37/A-37.