Morane-Saulnier MS.140

MS.140
Role	Air ambulance/Training aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Morane-Saulnier
First flight	c.1927
Number built	1

The Morane-Saulnier MS.140 was designed in France as an ambulance aircraft with the ability to operate from small fields and which could double as a trainer. Only one of these single engine, wooden biplanes was built, first flying about 1927.

Design and development

The MS.140 was designed as an ambulance aircraft, with a hatch behind the pilot into which a stretcher could be slid. For maximum utility a second seat with dual control could be fitted instead, the aircraft then able to perform as a trainer.^[1]

For a 1927 design it was backward looking, particularly in it use of a rotary engine, an 80 hp (60 kW) Le Rhône 9C. It had an all wood structure with fabric covering. The MS.140 was a single bay biplane with wings of equal span but sweepback on the upper wing only. The bays were defined by pairs of parallel interplane struts. On each side a shorter pair of struts ran from the upper fuselage to the upper wing and another pair from the upper fuselage to the lower wing immediately above the attachment point of the main landing leg. The conventional undercarriage had a wide track, with single wheels on a split axle formed from V-shaped struts hinged at the fuselage lower centreline. The fuselage was square sided with a rounded decking, the pilot sitting below a cut-out in the upper wing for upward visibility. The engine was cowled.^[1]

The MS.140 had a generous wing area, giving it a low wing loading of about 25 kg/m³ (5 lb/ft²). Combined with a high lift airfoil section, this gave it the ability to operate from very small fields.^[1]

Operational history

Only one MS.140 was built and there are few reports of its history. It was noted in the Villacoublay aircraft "graveyard" in 1937 and may have been sold to the Republicans at the start of the Spanish Civil War with others from that store.^[1]

Specifications

Data from Howson^[1]

General characteristics

Capacity: 1
Length: 7.43 m (24 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 11.1 m (36 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.13 m (10 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 35 m² (380 sq ft)
Empty weight: 610 kg (1,345 lb)
Gross weight: 864 kg (1,905 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Le Rhône 9C 9-cylinder rotary engine, 60 kW (80 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

Maximum speed: 131 km/h (81 mph; 71 kn)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morane-Saulnier.

1 2 3 4 5 Howson, Gerald (1990). Aircraft of the Spanish Civil War. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. p. 240. ISBN 0-85177-842-9.

Aircraft produced by Morane-Saulnier

Designation Letters	A B C F G GA GB H I L LA M N Nm O P S T TRK U V WR Y AC AE AF AFH AI AN/ANB/ANR/ANL/ANS AR AS BB BH

Numerical Sequence	MoS.1 MoS.2 MoS.3 MoS.4 MoS.5 MoS.6 MoS.7 MoS.8 MoS.9 MoS.10 MoS.13 MoS.21 MoS.22 MoS.23 MoS.25 MoS.26 MoS.27 MoS.28 MoS.29 MoS.30 MoS.31 MoS.32 MoS.33 MoS.34 MoS.35 MoS.42 MoS.43 MoS.50 MoS.51 MoS.53 MoS.121 MoS.129 MoS.130 MoS.131 MoS.132 MoS.133 MoS.134 MoS.136 MoS.137 MoS.138 MoS.139 MoS.140 MoS.141 MoS.147 MoS.148 MoS.149 MoS.152 MS.180 MS.181 MoS.185 MS.200 MS.221 MS.222 MS.223 MS.224 MS.225 MS.226 MS.227 MS.229 MS.230 MS.250 MS.251 MS.275 MS.278 MS.300 MS.301 MS.302 MS.315 MS.316 MS.317 MS.325 MS.340 MS.341 MS.342 MS.343 MS.345 MS.350 MS.405 MS.406 MS.408 MS.410 MS.411 MS.430 MS.433 MS.435 MS.450 MS.470 MS.472 MS.474 MS.470 MS.475 MS.476 MS.477 MS.479 MS.500 MS.501 MS.502 MS.504 MS.505 MS.506 MS.560 MS.570 MS.603 MS.700 MS.701 MS.703 MS.704 MS.730 MS.731 MS.732 MS.733 MS.755 MS.760 MS.880 MS.1500

Names & Nicknames	Alcyon Borel Bullet Criquet Epervier Fleuret Monococque Paris Pétrel Rallye Vanneau

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