VL SAASKI SKI VERSION

The VL Saaski II was a Finnish training and training aircraft from the interwar period and World War II in the biplane configuration with a fixed landing gear. The drive was provided by a single Siemens-Halske Sh 12 engine with a capacity of 120 HP. The flight of the prototype took place in 1928, and in the same year mass production started, which led to the creation of about 40 examples of this aircraft. VL Saaski was established as a private initiative of a group of aviation enthusiasts and engineers, which initially aimed at creating a civil aircraft. The prototype was designated as VL Saaski I. However, the machine quickly became interested in the Finnish Air Force, which expressed its will to buy it. After the adaptation of the aircraft to military requirements and the change of designation to VL Saaski II, 33 military units were created in the period 1930-1932. Among them, there was also a version of the VL Saaski IIA, i.e. a seaplane with a fixed-float landing gear. The Finnish air force used VL Saaski primarily as training planes, but also used them for photographic reconnaissance and as planes for cooperation with the army. Norway turned out to be the only foreign user of machines of this type.