The Morane-Saulnier MS.300 and MS.301 were 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 confi ...

introductory

trainer aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristi ...

, first flown in 1930. They differed only in engine type. Neither reached production but were developed into two similar trainers, the MS.230 and MS.315, which were made in large numbers.

Design and development

Morane-Saulnier Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier (1881–1964) and the Morane brothers, Léon (1885–1918) and Robert (1886–1968). The company was taken over and diversified ...

's interest in the

configuration began with the

Morane-Saulnier L The Morane-Saulnier L, or Morane-Saulnier Type L, or officially MoS-3, was a French parasol wing one or two-seat scout aeroplane of the First World War. The Type L became one of the first successful fighter aircraft when it was fitted with a si ...

of 1913 and its continuous refinement produced a line of

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

trainers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

and

sports aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

which continued into the 1930s. The layout offered intrinsic stability and a wide field of view from the cockpit. The MS.300, a basic trainer, had a large gap between wing and

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

and a wide track undercarriage, easing the progress of its novice pilots. There were two versions, the MS.300 and MS.301, which only differed in their engines. Most of the two part wing of the MS.300 had constant chord and was swept at 5°. The tips were rounded and there was a deep cut-out in the

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 199 ...

over the fuselage to improve the upward view from the forward cockpit. The wings were built around two pairs of duralumin spars with wooden

ribs The rib cage, as an enclosure that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum in the thorax of most vertebrates, protects vital organs such as the heart, lungs and great vessels. The sternum, together known as the thoracic cage, is a semi- ...

and were canvas covered. They were braced with pairs of near-parallel

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

s from the spars at mid-span to the

and the central wing was joined to the upper fuselage with a pair of transverse inverted-V cabane struts, one to each spar and cross-braced. Narrow chord

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

entirely occupied the

s. The fuselage of the MS.300 was a rectangular section girder constructed of dural in the forward part containing the engine and cockpits, but wooden aft. Fairings produced a more rounded section, its surface metal in the front but fabric behind. The MS.300 had a Salmson 9P nine-cylinder

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

in the nose, whereas the MS.301 had a five-cylinder,

Lorraine 5Pa The Lorraine 5P, also called the Lorraine 100CV, Lorraine 110CV and Lorraine 120CV, was a family of five-cylinder air-cooled radial engines designed and built in France by Lorraine-Dietrich during the 1920s and 1930s. Nominal engine powers were ...

radial. The engine mounting was designed to accept either engine; both were similarly partially enclosed under domed cowlings with cylinder heads protruding for cooling and drove two-blade propellers. The fuel tank, placed behind the engine

firewall Firewall may refer to: * Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts * Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spr ...

in the lower fuselage and between the undercarriage legs, could be jettisoned in flight in case of fire. There were two separate, open cockpits in

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

, the forward one under the rear spar and cut-out and the other immediately behind, near the trailing edge. Removable dual controls were fitted and the aircraft could be flown aerobatically from either cockpit. Its empennage was conventional with a large balanced rudder which reached down to the keel, hinged on a small

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

. The in-flight adjustable, wire-braced, triangular

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropla ...

was mounted on top of the fuselage frame, carrying balanced

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

s. The MS.300 had fixed, conventional

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

with its mainwheels independently mounted on V-struts hinged to the lower fuselage, with vertical Messier

oleo strut An oleo strut is a pneumatic air–oil hydraulic shock absorber used on the landing gear of most large aircraft and many smaller ones. This design cushions the impacts of landing and damps out vertical oscillations. It is undesirable for an airp ...

shock absorbers. These were mounted on the forward wing strut at a point which was strengthened by two additional short struts to the fuselage. Little is recorded about the trials and careers of the MS.300 and 301 and the exact dates of first flights are not known. By early June 1930 the MS.300 had been entered into the rally organised by the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

aero club, where it was to be piloted by Robert Morane, but it was not reported as present the mid-July event. Both variants were completed before December 1930, wearing Air Force markings. ''L'Aérophile'' refers to the two variants as one aircraft, which had by December "at last" completed its trials. The MS.301 was on display at the 12th Paris Salon in December 1930. Though the MS.300/301 did not reach production, it was developed into the successful MS.230 (1,080 produced) and MS.315 (356 produced).

Variants

;MS.300: with Salmson 9P nine-cylinder radial engine ;MS.301: as MS.300 but with

Lorraine 5P The Lorraine 5P, also called the Lorraine 100CV, Lorraine 110CV and Lorraine 120CV, was a family of five-cylinder air-cooled radial engines designed and built in France by Lorraine-Dietrich during the 1920s and 1930s. Nominal engine powers were ...

a five-cylinder radial engine

Design and development

Variants

Specifications (MS.301)

References

Further reading