Saab 32 Lansen & AJ 37 Viggen | w/ Alf Ingesson-Thoor

In this episode, I chat with Alf Ingesson-Thoor on flying the Saab 32 Lansen and AJ 37 Viggen. He talks about his training, operational squadrons and includes some great stories from both types.
#AircrewInterview #SaabViggen #SaabLansen
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[@bensmith7536]

Can you imagine, 2000 hours in that sweet Swede design, Viggen. I consider by his choice of words, the look and sudden light in his eyes, he still very much loves and admires that aircraft, 40 years later.

[@oskforalltid]

My father flew the Viggen for about 10 years before Switching to Gripen on which he has over 15 years now. He still loves the Viggen it’s his favorite over Gripen

[@bensmith7536]

@@oskforalltid just a thought, maybe, interview your dad, ask him about his Viggen days..... doesn't nee to be Hollywood standard, we would love the hear his history.

[@deadphone9639]

@@oskforalltid According to "Duke", the viggen was more of a hands on plane where you had to maneuver a lot manually, were as Gripen can fly good on it self. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmSUi52el5d2arM quite interesting interview

[@FireAngelOfLondon]

Lovely interview with a really likeable pilot. The Viggen was a formidable aircraft flown by extremely competent pilots. Those Swedish pilots had a big reputation among their allies.

[@bodan1196]

I remember Ingesson-Thoor flying the Saab Safir (Sk50) at airshows. He did a very interesting landing; flying downwind over the runway, pulling up, climbing "a little", going inverted, looping down while putting the gear down and then landing "easy piecey" into the wind. Always impressed me. There are a few videos of him flying the Safir (brilliantly so) at airshows, but I haven't found this particular landing though.

[@FireAngelOfLondon]

@@bodan1196 My own experience was watching a Viggen display at an airshow in the 1970s, and it was very impressive, much more so than I expected. At the same show I spoke to a USAF colonel, a liaison officer who had recently been observing an exercise of the Swedish Air Force. His comment was "I am not allowed to talk details but I am very glad we would be fighting alongside them not against them."

[@christiandalin7260]

I realise I must have seen Alf fly the viggen several times since i was a conscript att Karlsborg in 1988. It was a real treat to see the Viggens fly every day, especially when they excercised display programs, and the sound… It’s impossible not to get impressed by the sound every time. On some occasions we were training on dispersed bases, so we got to see Viggens landing and taking off ”in the woods”, I was part of the maintenance team doing ten minute turnarounds. Wonderful memories! Thank you for doing this video!😊

[@smithwesson373]

YES!!!! This interview was my suggestion, after the finnish pilot about the Draken!!! Cant wait to see this now! Thank you!!

[@davidruddick3346]

Very enthused guy, really came across in this interview how much he loved his flying

[@Skuggan84]

i had to take cover by dropping flat to the ground once when Alf did a display with a prop machines some 20 years ago :P i can still remember the wind from the plane passing above me.. i had talked to him a little a few minutes before and he had told me to stand in the field.. it was an awesome experience :D but scary at the time... im lucky it wasnt a Viggen he flew at the time though ;)

[@mikkoveijalainen7430]

Very enjoyable interview. I've always loved Swedish jets. I must say that if you guys can read Swedish, then I will highly recommend Alf's autobiography to you. An excellent read in my opinion.

[@h01dpl]

This channel is an absolute joy

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers!

[@karlp8484]

By coincidence, talking about flight safety, I met an ex Swedish AF fighter pilot who's colleague pitched a Tunen(?) Barrel SAAB onto its roof on the runway during landing. The plane didn't burn but it took over half an hour to get him out. The plane was only slightly damaged and was repaired. One tough plane.

[@karlp8484]

@@Roger_Gustafsson Thanks for the correct spelling. Yes pitch sensitivity probably due to its short length

[@dirtydave2691]

Really cool aircraft and I have always loved the camouflage scheme. Wonderful interview.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thank you!

[@theflyingfool]

Seems a very nice man, Alf. Once I realised he trained as a psychologist, it made sense. I thought what he said was Swedish for test pilot :D

[@martinborgen]

Just for the record, when Alf mentions the 'Dragon', he is referring to the Saab 35 'Draken' which translates to 'dragon' in english.

[@lengisen9637]

Kite too

[@thefrecklepuny]

The Viggen always had an enigmatic look about it. Futuristic for its time but not too whacky looking either. The Swedes really ploughed thier own path with the Viggen and the Draken also. Can't think of too many other fighters with full thrust reversers either! The Tornado is another of course.

[@oskforalltid]

The Swedish planes have always designed with our country’s landscape in mind as well as the strategic option of being able to start and land on short country roads in order to be able spread our planes out in the case of war.

[@Aeronaut1975]

Superb! He seems like a really nice guy, thank you both for the great video! I liked the bit where he talked about falling asleep for 20mins with the autoppilot on!

[@simonrichardson5077]

superb video guys,thank you

[@BentHestad]

Great stuff, thanks!

[@LIKWID]

Absolutely brilliant interview. Fantastic stuff!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thank you!

[@ianstewartaviation2634]

Great interview love the Viggen

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks Ian.

[@TheTabugman]

What a lovely interview. I used to have an old Lansen pilot pull me aloft in a Super Cub when I was flying gliders and he was insanely skilled. He told me that Lansen was the last aircraft Saab made and it was just weapon platforms from then on. 😊

[@pungskum]

No Saab made Draken and Viggen after Lansen and now the Gripen

[@mooneyes2k478]

@@pungskum I think you missed the point there. The "aircraft" following the Lansen wasn't aircraft, they were platforms meant to carry weapons.

[@pungskum]

@@mooneyes2k478 aah! I see it now. 🙂. My bad. Lost in translation 😋

[@mooneyes2k478]

@@pungskum :)

[@petraowen7035]

@@mooneyes2k478 Exept then of course for civilian aircrafts of which Saab continued to make long after that.

[@Boolag01]

Please Find yourself an Ex-RNZAF No.2 Sqn pilot to interview about the anti shipping exercises vs the RAN & RAAF in the 1990s. I'd love to see that!

[@per365]

"And the instructor was out of the hospital after a few days" Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!

[@mattiasbjorklund9520]

I read somewhere that there was a shortage of radars for 32 Lansen. At least in the initial years of operation, if not the better part. So only one aircraft per four ship (or even eight ship) actually had a radar. The other ships in the sortie were only along for the ride. If the enemy managed to fight the lead, then the whole sortie essentially went blind.

[@RocketSailing]

Good interview.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks mate.

[@RocketSailing]

@@Aircrewinterview YW, I live 5mins from where the interview took place. :9 Seen Alf in many airshows.

[@johnraina4828]

Awesome

[@jager6863]

What a nice man, pleasure to listen to him. Based on his answers, Did Sweden ever participate in air combat exercises with NATO countries or Finland, etc. Wonder if politics at the time prevented that and if its any different today. Certainly a lot of dis-similar fighters in their neighborhood.

[@petraowen7035]

In, those days i’m not so sure. If it did occure, it was definitely rare occasions. But I served in the army so I barely had first hand information about what the airforce (Flygvapnet) were up to.

[@tonyaughney8945]

The Viggen is my absolute favorite aircraft ever. Saw it fly twice in Sweden and once at home in Ireland. Why no other countries bought it is beyond me.

[@mooneyes2k478]

Because of politics. "You have to buy our aircraft, or we won't supply you with other forms of weapon systems." Notably, Finland got the F18 because the US said they wouldn't sell missiles if they didn't. And, while the plane might be better, it needs to be armed.

[@legust6426]

Charming!

[@donnybigboy2014]

Dude is dope

[@distortedreality4603]

Great interview, the Swedish made some fantastic aircraft ! I'm sure I've read somewhere that the Viggen almost got an intercept on the SR71

[@arudegesture]

Not almost. They did get a radar lock. theaviationgeekclub.com/viggen-vs-blackbird-swedish-air-force-ja-37-fighter-pilots-able-achieve-radar-lock-legendary-sr-71-mach-3-spy-plane/

[@Hiznogood]

Swedish Viggen pilots escorted a damaged Black Bird and fended of several attempts of Warsaw Pacts fighters to force it down. This was classified and just recently was made public. The Swedish airmen was reward uS Air medals for saving that plane and crew! www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/12/30/finally-declassified-swedish-pilots-awarded-us-air-medals-for-saving-sr-71-spy-plane/

[@Mingus8]

Not almost..

[@iananderson7883]

The guy flies 2,000 hours on the Viggen and then gets asked what his favourite aircraft is and he says Piper Super Cub. Ha Ha. Then he says and the Viggen. Cool interview.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers Ian.

[@lennartthilly8271]

100 procent RESPEKT

[@julianolivo921]

It would be great if you could get a U.S Coast Guard pilot on the show.

[@Twirlyhead]

I always have to double-take on the Lansen as it looks so much like a Hawker Hunter; like the Hunter's slightly less pretty sister maybe: think The Corrs. More confusing still as Sweden did operate Hunters.

[@sunkn1]

Amasons vidoeo.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers!

[@musgrovebarry]

How do you set up these interviews sure you don't get them via airforce admin?

[@iskandartaib]

2:11 - looks like a Bf108 (albeit with tricycle gear)? Looked it up.. it's based on another German light plane (Bucker Bu-181).

[@bodan1196]

@iskadartaib It's not based on the Bü181, it just has the same designer. To say that it is, is like saying that the Mona Lisa is based on Leonardo da Vincis' earlier works.

[@smithwesson373]

I would like to know why he wanted to go to the Lansen rather than the Draken, that he was assigned to?

[@alfingesson-thoor1425]

More low lwvel, bigger formations, more weapontraining

[@smithwesson373]

@@alfingesson-thoor1425 Tack Alf. Jag föreslog denna intervjun med dig. Kunde ju ha varit dubbelt så lång, med all ditt engagemang även med historiska flygningen på senare år. Inspirerande.

[@davelindsey6890]

@@alfingesson-thoor1425 I was curious about that also. When I was a boy in the 70's the Viggen was an aircraft that fascinated me and I did not imagine that one day I would hear the testimony of a Viggen pilot. Thank you.

[@Twirlyhead]

As I have said before : the Tunnan is not a "barrel", it is a budgie with a cigarette holder stuck up its arse. What is Swedish for _budgie with cigatette holder stuck up arse_ , anyone ?

[@andersnoren6070]

"En undulat med ett cigarettmunstycke uppkört i röven" ;)

[@Twirlyhead]

@@andersnoren6070 Thanks ! :-) ... Now I see why they went for "barrel" instead.

[@petter5721]

👍🏻

Swenglish ftw! 😄

[@alfingesson-thoor1425]

Of course, I´m swedish :)

[@kowalski7689]

@@alfingesson-thoor1425 skulle du vilja kolla på AJS-37:an i DCS World? Det är alltså den mest realistiska flygsimulator just nu. Hur likt verkar det? Tack för svar:)

[@alfingesson-thoor1425]

@@kowalski7689 Vore intressant

[@johnraina4828]

@@alfingesson-thoor1425 har du tittat på någon simulator på dator? Någon du rekommenderar?

[@gurra63able]

It's a generational issue as before the internet and wide range of global programs you could watch and follow on national Swedish television, later generations could learn a lot more a but english pronunciations/accent just by following british films and TV-series on national TV. He is born in the 1940's or 50's so it is perfectly ok for a Swede in his generation who has not worked most of his life abroad and what is worse is some of our Swedish politicians and great business leaders from the same generation not talking much better english one he does despite almost twenty years in fine schools. But i am certain you already knew it.

[@TheJacogroupie]

I cannot hear which aircraft Alf would have like to have flown, can someone please explain?

[@fredrikekenborg4112]

Draken

[@gnypp45]

Saab J-35 Draken

[@AdurianJ]

You should have asked him about the time when he took a Viggen doing mach 0.97 at 75 feet over a US carrier deck. The US navy had declared a no fly zone over the carrier in Skagerrack between Norway and Denmark. They should not have done that.

[@carpetclimber4027]

@AdurianJ This sounds hilarious! And yes, Swedish pilots were crazy. But also crazy good at their job.

[@mattiasdevlin1363]

Oh dear, 'Luftaffe' is starting to show his venerable age...

[@lexluthor6497]

Bra namn

[@legan8140]

Draken = Dragon in english.