SE-BAB Douglas DC-3 G2-214
(c/n 1972)
In 1937 ABA Swedish Air Lines updated its fleet by the
acquisition of four Fokker built DC-3s.
That some of them survived until 1948 when SAS was formed
is evidenced by this lovely shot of
SE-BAB, the second to be
delivered. When with ABA it was named "Hoken", but, in
keeping
with the Viking theme of
SAS, it was renamed "Bele Viking" in 1948 when absorbed into the SAS
fleet.
Interestingly enough, in the early days of SAS, the "originating"
airline still had its identity re-
tained, and the
inscription underneath the aircraft name reads "ABA Sweden". This
autonomy dis-
appeared in the
1950s. SE-BAB was sold in Austria in 1961 as OE-GBD but spent the
last years
of its life as a fire
fighting practice machine at Munich/Riem Airport.