Scottish Aviation Bulldog N689BD, owned by Tull Morgan of Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, and flown by Scott Weaver and Chris Haven (passenger). Photo by Jeff Taylor.

History: The history of the Bulldog began in the late 1960s, when the Beagle Company, builders of the then-popular, civilian Beagle B.121 Pup trainers, began developing a replacement for the RAFs fleet of aging deHavilland Chipmunks. Their design, the B.125 Bulldog, was fitted with a more-powerful 200-hp engine; a constant-speed propeller; longer, strengthened wings; and a strengthened fuselage structure. Before the prototype could be delivered, however, Beagle's financial troubles led it to be liquidated in February 1970.

In May 1970, Scottish Aviation Limited (SAL) announced that it had acquired the development and manufacturing rights, and it resumed production of the Bulldog in 1971. The first customer was Sweden, with other nations following in rapid succession, including Malaysia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Venezuela and Botswana, among others. The Swedish designated the aircraft the SK 61.

The largest customer by far was the Royal Air Force (RAF), which placed an order for 130 Bulldogs in 1972 to be used as primary "flight-aptitude" trainers for their flying cadets in the University Air Squadrons (UASs). The Bulldog served in this role until at least 2000, when it began to be replaced by more modern Grob Tutor T1 trainers. Increasingly, surplus Bulldogs have been appearing at the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) auctions, where many eager bidders from around the world have bought them in anticipation of restoring and flying them as reasonably-priced warbirds.

Nicknames: Unknown

Specifications:
        Engine: One 200-hp Lycoming IO-360 flat-four piston engine.
        Weight: Empty 1,428 lbs., Max Takeoff 2,345 lbs.
        Wing Span: 33ft. 2in.
        Length: 23ft. 3in.
        Height: 8ft. 11.5in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed: 150 mph
            Ceiling: 16,000 ft.
            Range: 620 miles
        Armament: Usually none, but can be fitted with four underwing 7.62 machine-gun pods, fourteen 75mm rockets, or eight Bofors wire-guided missiles.

Number Built:  328

Number Still Airworthy:  At least 20.

Links:
     Beagle Pup and Bulldog Club -- Includes technical information and members' forum.
     DH Support -- Maintenance and regulatory support for the Bulldog.
     SABulldogsUSA.com -- Parts and information source about the Bulldog.
     SK 61 Page -- Information on Bulldogs in Swedish service.
     Scottish Aviation -- Bulldog technical information, parts, photos.
     Skycats' Bulldog Discussion Forum -- Bulletin board and and news.
     Skysport Beagle Airhire, Hertfordshire, UK -- Bulldog training and rental.

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