Top speed 111 km/h Length 6.5 m Manufacturer Morane-Saulnier | Wingspan 9.5 m First flight 1911 Designer Raymond Saulnier | |
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The Morane-Borel monoplane (sometimes referred to with the retronym Morane-Saulnier Type A or simply the Morane monoplane) was an early French single-engine, single-seat aircraft. It was flown in several European air races.
Contents
Design
The Monoplane was a mid-wing tractor configuration monoplane powered by a 50 hp Gnome Omega seven-cylinder rotary engine driving a two-bladed Chauvière Intégrale propeller. The fuselage was a rectangular-section wire-braced box girder, with the forward part covered in plywood and the rear part fabric covered: the rear section was left uncovered in some examples. The two-spar wings had elliptical ends and were braced by a pyramidal cabane in front of the pilot and an inverted V-strut underneath the fuselage, behind the undercarriage. Lateral control was effected by wing warping and the empennage consisted of a fixed horizontal stabiliser with tip-mounted full-chord elevators at either end and an aerodynamically balanced rudder, with no fixed vertical surface. In later examples the horizontal surfaces were modified, and consisted of a fixed surfacee with balanced elevators hinged to the trailing edge. The undercarriage consisted of a pair of short skids, each carried on a pair of struts, and a pair of wheels on a cross-axle bound to the skids by bungee cords, and a tailskid.
A two-seat version was later produced, with the fuselage lengthened to 7.0 m (23 ft) and wingspan increased to 10 m (34 ft).
Operational history
The Monoplane achieved fame when Jules Védrines flew one to victory in the 1911 Paris-to-Madrid air race, the only competitor to finish the four-day course. Later in the year he came second in the Circuit of Britain, flying an aircraft powered by a 70 hp Gnome. Another was flown by André Frey in the Paris-Rome race in 1911, finishing third. Emile Taddéoli was another owner of a Morane monoplane.
A two-seat version, powered by an 80 Gnome was entered for the 1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition.
Surviving examples
In 2007, a single example remains extant, undergoing conservation work at the Canada Aviation Museum
Operators
Specifications
From: [1] l'Aérophile, 15 April 1911, p. 170
General characteristics
Performance