Royal Swedish Aero Club ( sv, Kungliga Svenska Aeroklubben, abbreviated KSAK, previously ''Svenska Aeronautiska Sällskapet'', abbreviated SAS), established in 1900, is today the national organization for Sweden's over 150

flying club A flying club or aero club is a not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft. Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as ...

s and have by the

Swedish Transport Agency The Swedish Transport Agency ( sv, Transportstyrelsen) is a Swedish government agency which is responsible for the regulation of rail, air, sea and road transport and its enforcement. It was formed on 1 January 2009, through a merger of several ...

been authorized to administer the

ultralight aviation Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

in Sweden. The Royal Swedish Aero Club has a wholly owned service company, located at

Bromma Airport Bromma Stockholm Airport (formerly Stockholm-Bromma Flygplats) is a Swedish domestic and minor international airport in Stockholm. It is located west-northwest of downtown Stockholm and is the closest to the city compared to the other commerci ...

, which sells aeronautical maps and other aviation accessories.

History

When the Swedish Aeronautical Society (''Svenska Aeronautiska Sällskapet'', SAS) was established in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

on 15 December 1900, there were only one predecessor in the world, the

Aéro-Club de France The Aéro-Club de France () was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, ...

. The purpose of the society was "to its ability encourage the art of ballooning in Sweden in all its branches", and the first years until about 1910 was mostly about aerostats (balloons) and was later transformed into aerodynes (aircraft). At the Society's initiatives a large number of balloon flights were conducted during the first decade of 1900s. During the early years, a time record were set by Karl Amundson in 1903 at 26 hours from

, Sweden to

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Lake Ilmen Lake Ilmen ( rus, И́льмень, p=ˈilʲmʲɪnʲ) is a large lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia. A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod - wh ...

, Russia; both with the balloon ''Svenske'' (Swede). The observation results from some of the society's expeditions were compiled by the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...

in its documents and were published in German. After 1910 the society's interest was dedicated almost entirely to aircraft rather than on balloons. 1910-1912 "fly weeks" were organized in Stockholm, competitions and air shows around the country, where especially Baron Carl Cederström's ("The Flying Baron") shows attracted great interest. Through the society's activities the first ever aircraft in Sweden was built, and this was donated to the state. In the spring of 1915 an exposition in Stockholm was organized, which highlighted the domestic aircraft manufacturing's position and wishes for its future development.

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

meant greatly increased interest for

military aviation Military aviation comprises military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift ( air cargo) capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a war the ...

, but the society also worked during this era to establish civilian aviation operations. Among other things, the society worked to bring about airports at various locations in Sweden and thus create conditions for scheduled air services.

Oscar II of Sweden Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...

was the society's guardian and in December 1910 the

Crown Prince of Sweden This page is a list of heirs to the Swedish throne. The list includes all individuals who were considered to inherit the throne of the Kingdom of Sweden, either as heir apparent or as heir presumptive, since the accession of the House of Holstei ...

succeeded him. In connection with the 20th anniversary in 1920 the name was changed to the current ''Kungliga Svenska Aeroklubben'' (KSAK). King

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Du ...

became in autumn 1974 the organization's guardian after his deceased grandfather.

Secretary Generals

*1937–1939 – Carl Petersén *1939–1941 – ? *1941–1941 – Harald Enell *1941–1954 – ? *1954–1964 – Nils Söderberg *1965–1969 – Björn Lindskog *1970–1972 – Kjell Rasmusson *1972–1976 – Tore Lundberg *1976–1981 – Wilhelm Wagner *1981–1989 – Sven Hugosson *1989–1996 – Sven Kamsén *1996–1998 – Carl-Johan Rundberg *1998–2017 – Rolf Björkman *2017–present – Lars-Christer Andersson

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.ksak.se/ Aviation organizations based in Sweden Flying clubs Organizations established in 1900