Morane-Saulnier MS.341
| MS.341 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Light aircraft |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Morane-Saulnier |
| First flight | April 1933 |
| Number built | c.40[1] |
The Morane-Saulnier MS.341 was a
Design and development
The MS.341 was a typical Morane-Saulnier parasol wing monoplane, though it was intended to bring this tradition into line with 1930s practice. It was intended for club and training rôles. It was of mixed wood and metal construction. The wing, with 18°[1] of sweep but with no dihedral, was mounted centrally to the upper fuselage by N-shaped cabane struts and braced with similarly arranged lift struts from mid-span to the lower fuselage. The fuselage was flat sided with a curved decking with tandem open cockpits, the forward one under the wing leading edge where the was a cut-out for better visibility. The MS.341 had a fin with a straight leading edge. The tailplane was mounted on top of the fuselage and braced to the fin. The rudder extended to the bottom of the fuselage, moving between the two separate elevators. Both control surfaces were horn balanced[2]
The MS.341 had a conventional undercarriage with a small tailwheel. Single mainwheels were mounted on V-form struts hinged centrally under the fuselage. Vertical shock absorber legs in broad fairings were fixed to the forward lift struts, stiffened at this point with struts to the upper and lower fuselage longerons. Most of the variants in the MS.180 family were powered by air-cooled inverted four cylinder in-line piston engines from either Renault or de Havilland. The exception was the MS.343 variant which had a nine cylinder Salmson 9N radial.[2]
The final variant was the MS.435 which appeared in 1935. It had dihedral on the wings and a taller fin and rudder. The struttage was simplified ...
Operational history
Variants
- MS.340
- Prototype with 90 kW (120 hp) de Havilland Gipsy III inverted in-line engine.
- MS.341
- Prototype re-engined with a 90 kW (120 hp) Renault 4Pdi inverted in-line.
- MS.341/2 and MS.341/3
- Minor modifications, 100 kW (140 hp) Renault 4Pei inverted in-line engine.
- MS.342 and MS.342/2
- 97 kW (130 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Major inverted in-line engine.
- MS.343
- 130 kW (175 hp) Salmson 9Nd radial engine.
- MS.343/2
- 100 kW (135 hp) Salmson 9Nd radial engine.
- MS.435
- Modifications to wings, lift struts, undercarriage and empennage. 100 kW (140 hp) Renault 4Pei inverted in-line engine.
Survivors
A MS.341/3 and a MS.342 are in the Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis collection at Czerny, though neither is on public display; one is being restored.[3]
Specifications (MS.141/3)
Data from Howson[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 6.94 m (22 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 10.2 m (33 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 15.75 m2 (169.5 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 557 kg (1,228 lb)
- Gross weight: 920 kg (2,028 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Renault 4Pei 4-cylinder inverted air-cooled in-line piston, 100 kW (140 hp) at 2,400 rpm[4]
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 200 km/h (120 mph, 110 kn)
References
- ^ a b "Morane-Saulnier MS.340". Retrieved 2011-08-31.
- ^ a b c Howson, Gerald (1990). Aircraft of the Spanish Civil War. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. pp. 242–3. ISBN 0 85177 842 9.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Ogden, Bob (2009). Aviation Museums and Collections of Mainland Europe. Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. p. 182. ISBN 978 0 85130 418 2.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Grey, C.G. (1972). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938. London: David & Charles. ISBN 0715 35734 4.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)