The Morane-Saulnier MS.603 was a

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 light aircraft of the late 1940s.

Design and development

The MS.603 was one of three aircraft constructed in the MS.600 series which were built to compete in an officially-sponsored 1947 contest for a light two-seat side-by-side club aircraft to be powered by a engine. The initial MS.600, powered by a Mathis G-4F piston engine, was a fixed gear, low-winged monoplane of mixed construction, with a single fin and the tailplane set just above the fuselage and a clear perspex canopy over a side-by-side cockpit for two persons. All three aircraft, MS.600, MS.602 and MS.603, were ready for flight in 1947 with the MS.600 flying on 4 June 1947. A parallel development, the MS.602, powered by a Minie 4DA piston engine, was similar in most respects to the MS.600 and flew on 24 June 1947. A more powerful derivative emerged as the MS.603, powered by a

Hirth HM 504A-2 The Hirth HM 504 is a four-cylinder air-cooled inverted inline engine. The HM 504 was a popular engine for light aircraft of the 1930s-1940s, and it was used to power a number of Germany's trainer aircraft of World War II. The engine featured a ...

engine and fitted with a fixed tricycle undercarriage. The tailplane was also moved to a high set position on the fin and supported by struts.

Operational history

Initially registered ''F-WCZU'' in the experimental series, and re-registered ''F-PHQY'' in the amateur-operated series, the MS.602 was owned by Messieurs Gambi and Chanson and based at Saint-Cyr-l'École airfield to the west of Paris. By 1983, the aircraft had been withdrawn from service and scrapped. The sole MS.603, construction No. 1, was initially registered ''F-WCZT'' and later re-registered ''F-PHJC''. It was flown for many years by the Aero Club de Courbevoie. By 1963 it was operated by M. Jean Forster, based at

Guyancourt Guyancourt () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris, in the "new town" of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Geography ...

airfield, but was withdrawn from use by 2006 when it was stored at the '' Musee de l'Aviation du Mas Palegry'' - (Mas Palegry Aviation Museum) near

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

.Ogden, 2006, p.149

Variants

;MS.600 :The initial prototype powered by a Mathis G-4F piston engine. One built. ;MS.602 :The derivative intended for production. The MS.602 was powered by a Minié 4.DA.28 piston engine, but otherwise similar to the MS.600. One built. ;MS.603 :The final derivative with tricycle undercarriage was powered by a

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Specifications (MS.603)

Notes

References

Further reading