SAF Chelidon (Swallow)

History

In the 1920s, Greece started making its own airplanes by creating the State Aircraft Factory (SAF). Their first plane, called Velos, was made in 1926 using ideas from the Blackburn Dart biplane torpedo bomber. Then in 1927, they made another plane named "Chelidon," which means "Swallow" in English. This one was made to train pilots and do recon missions for the Greek Navy. They planned to build around 18 of these planes, but only one prototype was actually made.

The Chelidon had a biplane design with two seats, one behind the other, and a special engine in the front. It had a cool feature where it could be used on land or in water like a boat.

It flew for the first time on February 20, 1927, after just eight weeks of designing and building. The plane was about 19 feet long and had wings that stretched about 26.9 feet wide. It could go up to a speed of 93 mph, which was good for what it was made for.

They thought about making more of these planes with a stronger engine, but they decided not to. The Greek Navy said they would order 18 of these planes, but they changed their minds because the design wasn't as good as other planes being made at the time. So, only one Chelidon prototype was ever finished. It was used to teach the people working at SAF how to build planes and lasted until 1938, when it was left behind and forgotten.

Specification

Basic

Year of Service: 1927

Origins: Greece

Status: Cancel

Crew: 2

Production: 1

Manufacturer: State Aircraft Factory (SAF) - Greece

Carrier: Greece

Roles

Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scouts

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Education (General)

Develop the ability to become a dedicated student pilot instructor (usually under the supervision of an instructor).

Dimensions and Weight

Length: 19.0 feet (5.80m)

Width/span: 26.7 feet (8.15m)

Performance

Installed: 1 x Salmson 9AC 9-cylinder radial piston air-cooled engine producing 120 hp and driving a two-bladed propeller unit in the nose.

Maximum speed: 93 km/h (150 km/h | 81 kn)