Sparmann Aircraft Designations

Edmund Ernst Karl Sparmann

Edmund EK Sparmann was born in Vienna and began construction of his firm aircraft - a Blériot XI copy - in Dec 1910. Sparmann's interest was in both airframes and aero-engines (coming to possess a number of patents on the latter subject). In 1914, he became a pilot in the k.u.k. Luftfahrtruppen reserve. Although a serving officer, Sparmann was also detailed to work for kuk FLT suppliers - Jakob Lohner & Co in 1914 and the Albatros-Werke GmbH in 1915.

Returned from the Eastern Front and recuperating from illness, in May 1916 Sparmann was assigned to the Phönix-Flugzeugwerke - initially for quality assurance checks. Working with Leo Kirste, Dipl-Ing Sparmann later worked to improve the flight characteristics of the Phönix D.I - developing the 'Sparmann Wing' used on most following Phönix designs -- including the Phönix D.II and D.III. The latter aircraft took Sparmann on a post-war sales tour to Sweden.

Sparmann elected to remain in Sweden and was hired by AB Enoch Thulins Aeroplansfabrik as a test pilot. When AETA failed, Sparmann joined Gösta Fraenkel to form Nordiska Phönix AB at Göteborg. As Nordiska's Engineer and Technical Head, Sparmann was to which was to build Phönix developments in Sweden. There, Sparmann designed the Phönix C.I-derived 'Dront' multi-purpose aircraft and the D.III-derived 'Phönixjagaren' fighter.

In 1925, Edmund Sparmann took out Swedish citizenship and was offered a position at the newly-formed Flygvapnet's CFM (Centrala Flygverkstaden Malmslätt/Central Air Workshop, Malmslätt). Beginning in 1926, Sparmann was an engineer/test pilot with the CFM's Flygstyrelsen (Aerospace Agency). He remained with CFM until 1932.

In 1932, Sparmann established his own design office at Lilla Essingen, Stockholm. Sparmanns Flygverkstad (Sparmann's Workshop) produced at least 5 distinct designs but only one - the S 1 Sparmannjagar - was produced in any volume. In Aug 1937, the newly-formed Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB) bought Sparmanns Flygverkstad "to get access to the company's competence."

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Aircraft Designs of Edmund EK Sparmann

Edmund Sparmann's Austrian Aircraft Designs

Sparmann Eindecker - 1911 copy of Blériot XI monoplane
- Eindecker built at Wiener Neustadt, never flown

Sparmann-Schulgerät - 1912 powered ground simulator


Edmund Sparmann's Swedish Aircraft Designs


Nordiska Phönix AB, Gothenburg - 1919-1921

Note: There seems to have been no official Nordiska Phönix AB designation style. Nordiska Phönix designs were mostly completed by the Flygkompaniets Tygverkstäder Malmen (FVM), the Army Aviation Workshop at Malmslätt near Linköping. As a result, Nordiska designs are usually assigned 'FVM/Phönix' as maker name.

Military designations changed over the life-span of the Nordiska Phönix designs. In Flygkompaniet service, the Dronten were given 'E' for Eskort designations. In later Flygvapnet service, these same aircraft were given either Ö for Övningsflygplan (Advanced Trainer) or A for Attackflygplan (Attack Aircraft) designations.

By contrast, the D.III-based 'Phönixjagaren' retained their J 1 designation in both Flygkompaniet and Flygvapnet service. Samples of the Phönix C.I and D.III (S-AAA) imported in 1919 were wryly dubbed in Sweden as 'Ur-Phönixen'.

Dront (Dodo) - FVM-assembled Phönix C.I, span 11.0 m, x 30
- Dront: aka Phönix Dront, 1 x 220 hp Benz 6-cyl inline
-- E 1: Flygkompaniet (Signals Corps) desig. for Dront
-- Ö 4: Flygvapnet desig. for 16 Flygkompaniet surv. E 1
-- E 2: Flygkompaniet desig. for Dront with 300 hp HS-8F*
-- * Hispano-Suiza V-8 for 11 x E 2 (incl. 1 x E 1 conv)
-- A 1: Flygvapnet desig. for 2 x surviving E 2 Dronten
-- E 3: Flygkompaniet desig., 250 hp IF V.6 6-cyl inline**
-- ** 2 x 1928 Dront E 1 conv. to Isotta-Fraschini V.6
-- Ö 5: Flygvapnet desig. for ex-E 3 'Isotta-Dronten'
-- Dronten had longer span, wing tanks ('VingtanksPhönix')

Phönixjagaren - Sweden-made Phönix D.III fighter deriv.
- Phönixjagar: 1 x 185 hp BMW 6-cyl inline, span 6.85 m*
-- * Longer wings than Austrian original (at 6.62 m span)
-- J 1 : Flygkompaniet/Flygvapnet Phönixjagaren desig.


Sparmanns Flygverkstad, Stockholm - 1932-1937

Sparmann designations followed a simple alpha-numerical pattern - an 'S' for Sparmann followed by a type number (with the possibility of a sub-type letter to follow). Designation display style varied greatly. I have gone with a space without punctuation. But unspaced, hyphenated, and periods are also seen -- a contemporary Sparmann brochure punctuates the Sparmannjagar designation as 'S.1.a.'!

Another internal designation is 'E' with the same type number as in E 4 as an alternative designation for the S 4 fighter project. I am assuming that 'E' is for 'Experimentell' but that is just a guess.

Service designations were also applied by the Flygvapnet. The first is 'P' for Provflygplan (Trials Aircraft) - as in P 1 for the Sparmannjagaren and P 3 for the S 4 fighter. Note that it was Flygvapnet practice to apply its 'P' designation to as-yet-unbuilt projects. What is peculiar is that the P 1 trials designation stuck to the S 1 fighter-trainer throughout its service career - AFAIK, the Flygvapnet never did apply a proper 'Sk' for Skolflygplan designation to the Sparmannjagaren.


S 1 -- 1935 braced monoplane,* spatted main u/c, span 8m
- S 1-A - aka Sparmannjagaren, 1 x 130 hp DH Gipsy Major
-- * Low wooden wing, fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage
-- https://cdn1.cdnme.se/cdn/8-2/28197/images/2008/se-aey2_24533876.jpg
-- http://www.silvervingar.se/F2-bilder-1940.jpg
-- 5v: http://www.svensktmodellflyg.se/users/5466/Sparmann_2.jpg

S 2 -- 1933 amphibian moto-glider, 1 x 18 hp Köller, span 11.14 m
- S 2: aka Sparmann-Stender (after Walter Stender), Sportamfibie
-- http://lae.blogg.se/2009/january/en-annan-sparmann.html
-- https://cdn3.cdnme.se/cdn/8-2/28197/images/2008/s_2b_23882465.jpg
-- http://lae.blogg.se/2015/july/en-annan-sparmann-2-2.html
-- http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,14792.msg148509.html#msg148509

S 3 -- [Project] glider [poss. S 2 or Grunau ESG-1 deriv.*]
-- * EEK Sparmann bought an ESG-1 to Sweden in 1933

S 4 -- [Project] 1934 monoplane* fighter, span 12 m
- S 4: aka E 4 or P 3, 1 x 680 hp Nohab MyS2 Mercury
-- * Low-wing reversed-gull, fixed and spatted u/c
-- Armament: 2 x 12.7 mm, 2 x 8 mm machine guns
- S 4 mock-up ordered by Flygvapnet in 1935
-- Flygvapnet (chose Gloster J 8 Gladiator instead)
-- Front view: http://i.imgur.com/UsxAYHs.jpg

S 5 -- [Project] 1935 military trainer, no details
- S 5: Proposed to SwAF along with ASJA submission
-- Licensed prod'n of Focke Wulf Fw 44J chosen instead
-- https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=6159

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Excellent work my dear Aopohenia,

and also I heard that,there was an aircraft called E.4,intended for trainer.

Thanks Hesham.

E 4 was an alternative designation of the Sparmann S 4 monoplane fighter project - known to the Swedish military as the P 3. The E 4/S 4 only got as far as a mock-up.

Apophenia said:

Thanks Hesham.

E 4 was an alternative designation of the Sparmann S 4 monoplane fighter project - known to the Swedish military as the P 3. The E 4/S 4 only got as far as a mock-up.

Click to expand...

It had a low inverted gull wing,powered by one 675 hp Bristol Mercury VII
radial piston engine.

hesham said:

It had a low inverted gull wing,powered by one 675 hp Bristol Mercury VII
radial piston engine.

Click to expand...

Yes, as already described in reply #2.

The MyS2 Mercury was Nohab's licensed Bristol Mercury VII.