December 2016
Backlit by the setting Paris sun, this Draken was an aircraft added to the collection since my last visit here in 2003. Draken’s design incorporated a distinctive “double-delta” configuration, with one delta wing within another larger delta. The inner wing has an 80° angle for high-speed performance, while the outer 60° wing gives good performance at low speeds. Manufactured by Saab between 1955 and 1974, the Draken was the first fully supersonic aircraft to be deployed in Western Europe. This aircraft was successfully exported to Austria, Denmark, Finland, serving as late as 2005 when Austria retired their fleet. Nikon D500 w/18-200 mm, processed with Aperture.