3/26/1992: Maiden Flight of the Saab 2000

DALLAS — Today, in 1992, the prototype Saab 2000 took to the skies for the first time. Pilots Eric Sjöberg and Lennart Nordh were at the controls. The flight test engineers were Sture Rodling and Anders Bergstrand.

Swedish plane maker Saab Scania had already succeeded in the regional turboprop market with its 340 airliner. Saab looked at creating a larger, faster variant perceived to meet the demand for the 50-seater market. 

State-of-the-Art Turboprop

The development of the Saab 2000 was way ahead of its time, utilizing the new state-of-the-art computer-aided three-dimensional interactive application, computer-aided design, or CATIA CAD for short. 

Issues with the powerful Allison GMA 2100 turboprop engines led to numerous program delays. Certification was finally granted in March 1994. 

However, its engines also gave the Saab 2000 enormous thrust. This allowed the type to become one of the fastest turboprop aircraft globally, with a maximum cruising speed of 682km/h (368kt). It remains around 100 km/h higher than competing models such as the ATR-42, Fokker 50, and Dash-8-300.

'Concordino'

Swiss regional carrier Crossair (LX) received its first machine (HB-IZC) on August 30, 1994. The airline became the largest operator of the type, flying 34 examples. LX was so impressed with the Saab 2000 that it dubbed it 'Concordino,' highlighting the type's impressive performance. 

Sadly, the type was less successful than Saab had hoped. Competition from regional jet aircraft such as the Embraer and Canadair regional jets led to the program's termination in 1999. Saab delivered the last example (HB-IYH) to LX on April 29, 1999.

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