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Scale 1:16  Length 13"  Wingspan 20.5"

Photography by Action Asia Photo
© 2002-8 Action Asia Photo - All Rights Reserved
www.actionasiaphoto.com

The Morane-Saulnier was the forerunner of the first true fighter type aircraft that included in its family other true fighters like the Fokker Eindeckers. It is a parasol monoplane  and had considerable aerodynamic advantages over the bi-planes of the time. Built by the Morane brothers and Raymond Saulnier, the airplane (Type L) was first shown at the Paris Air Show in 1911 where it received great interest from the French military. Production deliveries began in 1913.

When the Great War started in 1914, the Type L was used for reconnaissance and soon proved itself to be one of the fastest planes around. As aerial combat came into being, the Type L easily took on the role of interceptor given its high speed and excellent maneuverability.

The Type N debuted in mid-1914 featuring a large prop spinner that completely covered the engine. Having no ailerons, lateral control was achieved by warping the wings using a complex system of wires.

By mid-1917 the aircraft had progressed to a full-fledged fighter - the A.1 - and sprouted two fixed forward firing machine guns synchronized with the propeller blades.

While the Morane-Saulnier A.1 did suffer from structural failures at times if flown past its limit, it had excellent flight characteristics and was very well liked by its pilots. However, it was withdrawn from combat after only 3 months because of the structural failures and reliability problems with the 160 hp Gnome engine.  Many of the remaining A.1s were refitted with smaller engines that seemed more reliable and were used as advanced trainers for the duration of the war.

Counting all Morane-Saulnier types, about 1.200 were built and some of these machines ended up being flown by the Russians on the Romanian Front with Lt. Ivan Smirnoff becoming the top scoring Russian ace of WW I.

Length:        18 ft 6 in
Wingspan:    27 ft 10 in
Max Speed: 130 mph
Ceiling:         3,500 ft
Engine:         160 hp Gnome rotary

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