Morane-Saulnier I

{{Infobox Aircraft Begin

| name=Type I

| image=Morane-Saulnier I 03.jpg

| caption=

}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type

| type=Fighter

| national origin=France

| manufacturer=Morane-Saulnier

| designer=

| first flight=March 1916

| introduced=

| retired=

| status=

| primary user=Royal Flying Corps

| number built=4

| developed from=Morane-Saulnier N

| variants with their own articles=

}}

The Morane-Saulnier I, also known as the Morane-Saulnier Type I was a French fighter of the 1910s. Essentially a modified Morane-Saulnier N, the Royal Flying Corps possessed a number of them in World War I.

Development

Largely on the advice of Lord Trenchard, the Royal Flying Corps placed an order in 1916 for a more powerful version of the popular Morane-Saulnier N. Morane-Saulnier responded by fitting a 110 hp Le Rhône engine to a Type N, creating what they called the Type I. An order was placed initially for one aircraft, expanding to thirteen by March 1916.

Operational history

However, only four aircraft were ever delivered to the RFC by July 1916, the aircraft having first flown in March of that year under RFC trials. No further production took place because the Morane-Saulnier V afforded more favourable characteristics. However, these Type Is were delivered to the front as combat aircraft and used as late as October 1916.

Variants

;Morane-Saulnier I: company designation

;MS.6 :official French government STAe designation for the I

Operators

; {{UK}}

Royal Flying Corps

Specifications

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing) Bruce 1982, p. 302.

|prime units? = met

|crew=1

|length m=5.82

|length ft=19

|length in=1

|span m=8.24

|span ft=27

|span in=0

|height m=2.50

|height ft=8

|height in=2

|wing area sqm=11.00

|wing area sqft=118.4

|empty weight kg=334

|empty weight lb=736

|gross weight kg=510

|gross weight lb=1,124

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Le Rhône 9J nine-cylinder rotary engine

|eng1 kw=82

|eng1 hp=110

|max speed kmh=168

|max speed mph=104

|endurance=1 hour 20 minutes

|ceiling m=4,700

|ceiling ft=15,420

|armament = *1 x 0.303 in (7.7mm) Vickers machine gun

}}

{{aircontent

|see also=

|related=

|similar aircraft=

|lists=

}}

References

=Citations=

=Bibliography=

{{cite book |last=Bruce|first=J.M. |title=The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)|year=1982|publisher=Putnam|location=London|isbn=0-370-30084-X}}
Bruce, Jack. "The Bullets and the Guns". Air Enthusiast. Nine, February–May 1979. pp. 61–75. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}
{{cite book|last1=Davilla|first1=Dr. James J.|last2=Soltan|first2=Arthur |title=French Aircraft of the First World War|publisher=Flying Machines Press|location=Mountain View, CA|year=1997|isbn=978-1891268090}}
{{cite book |last=Green |first=William |author2=Gordon Swanborough |title=The Complete Book of Fighters |publisher=Salamander Books|location=Godalming, UK|pages=414}}