The Morane-Saulnier AI (also Type AI) was a French

parasol-wing 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 con ...

fighter aircraft produced by

Morane-Saulnier Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier (aircraft manufacturer), Raymond Saulnier (1881–1964) and the Robert and Léon Morane, Morane brothers, Léon (1885–1918) and ...

during World War I.

Development and design

The AI was developed as a refinement of the

Morane-Saulnier Type N The Morane-Saulnier N, also known as the Morane-Saulnier Type N, was a French monoplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Designed and manufactured by Morane-Saulnier, the Type N entered service in April 1915 with the ''Aéronautique Mili ...

concept, and was intended to replace the

Nieuport 17 The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little larger than earlier N ...

and

SPAD VII The SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and r ...

in French service, in competition with the

SPAD XIII The SPAD S.XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII. During early 1917, the French designer Louis Béc ...

, which it was built as a back-up for. Its

Gnome Monosoupape The ''Monosoupape'' ( French for single-valve), was a rotary engine design first introduced in 1913 by Gnome Engine Company (renamed Gnome et Rhône in 1915). It used a clever arrangement of internal transfer ports and a single pushrod-operated ...

''9N'' 160 CV

rotary engine The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and i ...

was mounted in a circular open-front cowling. The strut braced parasol wing was swept back. The spars and ribs of the circular section fuselage were wood, wire-braced and covered in fabric, and faired out with wood stringers. The production aircraft were given service designations based on whether they had 1

Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a Water cooling, water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more me ...

(designated ''MoS 27'') or 2 Vickers guns (designated ''MoS 29'').Donald 1997, p. 659.

Operational history

Morane-Saulnier AI with the French Air Force

A number of escadrilles were created to operate the AI, but by mid-May 1918, most of the aircraft were replaced by the

.Holmes, 2005. p 36. After structural problems had been resolved, the aircraft were then relegated to use as advanced trainers, with new purpose built examples being designated ''MoS 30''.Lamberton 1960, p. 84. Many were used post-war after having been surplussed off, as aerobatic aircraft, including one which was flown by Charles Nungesser. Fifty-one MoS 30s were purchased by the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

as pursuit trainers.

Variants

;MoS 27 :Fighter variant with one 0.303in (7.7mm)

and powered by a Gnome Monosoupape 9NI rotary engine. ;MoS 29 :Fighter variant with two 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine guns and powered by a Gnome Monosoupape 9NI rotary engine. ;MoS 30 :Unarmed single seat advanced trainer with either a 89kW (120hp) le Rhone 9Jb or a 101kW (135hp) le Rhone 9Jby rotary engine. ;MoS 30bis :Variant of the MoS 30 with a de-rated le Rhone 9Jby engine 67kW (90hp).

Operators

Morane-Saulnier AI with the Belgian Air Force

In addition to military operators, the Morane-Saulnier AI was popular with French aerobatic pilots and a number carried civil registrations. ; *

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...

Morane-Saulnier AI with the Swiss Air Force

; *

Czechoslovakian Air Force The Czechoslovak Air Force (''Československé letectvo'') or the Czechoslovak Army Air Force (''Československé vojenské letectvo'') was the air force branch of the Czechoslovak Army formed in October 1918. The armed forces of Czechoslovakia ce ...

- operated a single MoS.30. ; *

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

** Escadrille MS 156 ** Escadrille MS 158 ** Escadrille MS 161 ; *

Imperial Japanese Army Air Service The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ja, 大日本帝國陸軍航空部隊, Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Kōkūbutai, lit=Greater Japan Empire Army Air Corps) was the aviation force of the Im ...

- Evaluated a single MoS.30 in 1922. ; *

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

- Four aircraft, used for tests and trials. ; *

Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (german: Schweizer Luftwaffe; french: Forces aériennes suisses; it, Forze aeree svizzere; rm, Aviatica militara svizra) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914 as a part of the army and ...

operated at least one aircraft. ; *

- operated 51 MoS.30 trainers.

Survivors

Morane-Saulnier AI, Fantasy Of Flight Museum

Three AIs are flown from

La Ferté-Alais La Ferté-Alais () is a commune in France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is south of Paris. It used to be a fortress closing the access to the French royal estate from the Esson ...

. The

Fantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida. It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami, Florida ...

collection in

Polk City, Florida Polk City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,562 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 2,422. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistica ...

has an AI that was sold to the United States Army Air Service in 1918 for testing at McCook Field in Ohio until being sold off for private use. It later joined the Tallmantz Collection which was then acquired by Fantasy of Flight in 1985 and restored in the late 1980s. Another AI, formerly flown by Charles Nungesser is in the

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum in Rhinebeck, New York. It owns many examples of airworthy aircraft of the Pioneer Era, World War I and the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, and multiple examples of roadworthy antiqu ...

collection, and was flown in the weekend airshows there.

Specifications (MoS 27 C.1, 150 hp Monosoupape)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Angelucci, Enzo. ''The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914-1980.'' San Diego, California: The Military Press, 1983. . * Bruce, J.M. ''War Planes of the First World War: Volume Five Fighters.'' London: Macdonald, 1972. . * * * Donald, David, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.'' Ottawa, Canada: Prospero Books, 1997. p. 659. . * Holmes, Tony. ''Jane's Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide''. London: Harper Collins, 2005. p. 36. . * * Lamberton, W.M. ''Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War.'' Herts, UK: Harleyford Publications Ltd., 1960, pp. 84–85.

External links

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's page on their original Morane-Saulnier AI (misdesignated "A-1", archived June 2014)

Cole Palen flying Old Rhinebeck's Morane AI in early August 1990
{{Authority control 1910s French fighter aircraft AI 1910s French military trainer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1917 Rotary-engined aircraft