Morane-Saulnier MS.230

History

This neat aircraft was the main elementary trainer for the French Armée de l'Air throughout the entire decade of the 1930s. In fact, almost all French pilots flying for the Armée de l'Air at the outbreak of World War II had had their earliest flight training in this machine. It was the equivalent of the Stearman trainer in the United States air services and the de Havilland Tiger Moth in the British Royal Air Force. The M.S.230 first flew in 1929 and proved to be an excellent and stable machine that was very easy to fly. It was placed into service in the military flight schools throughout France and was exported abroad to the air forces of numerous other countries. It also became a popular aircraft for sport aviation. The M.S.230 was of metal tubular framing with fabric covering throughout except the forward area of the fuselage, which was metal covered. It had a wide fixed landing gear that made it very stable in takeoff and landing. Unlike other trainers of the time that were largely biplanes, the M.S.230 was a high parasol wing monoplane. It did have the usual tandem cockpit arrangement in the fuselage for the instructor and pupil. Numbers of M.S.230s survived for many years after the war and became civilian trainers and civilian flying club aircraft.

General characteristics

• Crew: 2 (one instructor, one student)

Performance Armament
None