Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia


A privately owned Alcyon wearing markings of No 51 Escadrilles de Servitude
Role	Basic trainer
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Morane-Saulnier
First flight	1949
Status	Several flown by private owners
Primary user	French Air Force
Number built	208

Designed as a basic trainer for the French military the prototype MS.730 first flew on 11 August 1949. The prototype was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a fixed tailwheel landing gear and powered by a 180 hp (130 kW) Mathis 8G.20 inverted V8 engine. The engine was replaced with a German war-surplus 240 hp (180 kW) Argus As 10 and the prototype flew again in November 1949 as the MS.731. Two further prototypes were built and flown in 1951 designated MS.732, they were each powered by a Potez 6D 02 engine and the original fixed landing gear of the prototype was replaced with retractable main wheels.

The Morane-Saulnier Alcyon (en: Kingfisher) is a two or three-seat basic training monoplane designed and built in France by Morane-Saulnier...

Operational history

The production version that followed was designated the MS.733, with five pre-production aircraft and 200 production aircraft. The aircraft were delivered to the French Navy , the French Air Force and the Cambodian Air Force . Seventy of the French Air Force aircraft were fitted with machine guns for gunnery training and some of these were later converted for counter-insurgency operations (and re-designated MS.733A) for use in Algeria. After the war, some aircraft were sold to Morocco.

The Alcyon was a successful trainer, capable of basic aerobatic maneuvers. It was often used in replacement of pre-war vintage Stampe SV.4 biplanes. Several civilian flying schools, including Air France, used the Alcyon. For the time, it was well equipped with full IFR equipment: two VOR-ILS sets, one ADF set, two VHF radios, a radar altimeter, an attitude indicator, and a directional gyroscope. For this reason, it was often used for navigation training as it was far cheaper to operate than the twin-engine designs commonly used for that task.).

Morane Saulnier aircraft company

Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911
Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris

General characteristics

Crew: 2 or 3
Length: 9.32 m (30 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 11.28 m (37 ft 0 in)
Height: 2.42 m (7 ft 11.25 in)
Wing area: 21.90 m² (235.74 sq ft)

Service name
- Empty weight: 1,260 kg (2,778 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,670 kg (3,682 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Potez 6D.30 inverted inline piston engine , 179 kW (240 hp)

Specifications

Maximum speed: 260 km/h (162 mph
Cruise speed: 230 km/h (143 mph,
Range: 920 km (572 mi, 497 nmi)
Endurance: 4 hours 40 minutes
Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,750 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.0 m/s (985 ft/min)

Armament

- 2 x 7.5mm MAC 1934/M39 machineguns (MS.733A only); training models were unarmed.
- 2 x hardpoints (MS.733A only); training models did not have hardpoints.

Special Links Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company
formed in October 1911

Links to Youtube & Others

MS.733A MS.733 gunnery trainers modified for counter-insurgency role; it served from 1955 to 1959. It was replaced by the T-28S Fennec The COIN upgrade included a SFOM 83 reflector sight (suspended from the cockpit roof), two x 7.5mm MAC 1934/M39 machine guns in the wings (with 500 rounds each), and two under-wing hardpoints. Typical hardpoint loadout used paired Matra Type 14 rocket rails, which held four (stacked 2 x 2) SERAM 28 kg (62 lb) T10 heavy rockets and had a smaller hardpoint between the rocket rails rated for a 50 kg (110 lb) bomb.

MS.760 Paris

Morane-Saulnier Alcyon (en: Kingfisher) is a two or three-seat basic training monoplane aircraft.

Youtube Link

Morane-Saulnier Alcyon (en: Kingfisher) is a two or three-seat basic training monoplane aircraft.

Morane-Saulnier
Morane-Saulnier MS.733 Alcyon