The Max Holste MH.52 was a 1940s

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

-built two-seat touring or training

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

designed and constructed by

Avions Max Holste Avions Max Holste was a French aircraft manufacturer formed in 1933 by the French aeronautical engineer Max Holste. History Following the end of the Second World War the company concentrated on the design of a two-seater light training/touring a ...

Development and construction

Developed in the mid-1940s, the MH.52 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with twin fins and rudders and a fixed

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

. It had a cockpit with side-by-side seating for the pilot and trainee or passenger. The canopy was framed with forward-opening transparent sliding doors. The prototype first flew on 21 August 1945. The aircraft was powered by a variety of inline engines developing between 95 and 150 hp (71 to 112 kW).Simpson, 2005, p.158 A development of the MH.52 was the sole MH.53 Cadet which had a fixed tailwheel landing gear and a lower powered 135 hp (101 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 engine.

Operational history

A total of 13 production aircraft were built by the end of the 1940s. Most were flown by aero clubs and

private pilot A private pilot licence (PPL) or, in the United States, a private pilot certificate, is a type of pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration). The licence requirements are dete ...

s in France, but three examples were delivered to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

Survivors

Two MH.52s survived in the 2000s. No.4 is awaiting restoration to fly at an airfield near Paris. No.11 is privately stored by a group located at an airfield near Bergerac.Ogden, 2006, p.107

Variants

Source: ''The Aircraft of the World''. ;MH.52M :initial model with tricycle landing gear powered by a

Renault 4P The Renault 4P, also called the Renault Bengali Junior, was a series of air-cooled 4-cylinder inverted inline aero engines designed and built in France from 1927, which produced from to . Design and development Charles Lindbergh's Atlantic Ocea ...

engine of . Later changed to a Potez 4D engine of (2 built) ;MH.52G :MH.52M with de Havilland Gipsy Major 1 engine of (6 built) ;MH.52R :MH.52G with Renault 4P-01 engine of (4 built) ;MH.53 :Tailwheel landing gear version of the MH.52G powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 engine. (1 built)

Specifications (MH.52)

Notes

References

* * * * * The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2435/6 {{Max Holste aircraft 1940s French civil utility aircraft 1940s French civil trainer aircraft Max Holste aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1945 Twin-tail aircraft