Morane-Borel monoplane

The Morane-Borel monoplane (sometimes referred to with the retronym Morane-Saulnier Type A or simply the Morane monoplane; company designation Bo.1[1]) was an early French single-engine, single-seat aircraft. It was flown in several European air races.

Morane-Borel monoplane
Emile Taddéoli in ~1911/13
Role Sports plane
Manufacturer Morane brothers and Gabriel Borel
Designer Raymond Saulnier
First flight 1911

Design

The Monoplane was a mid-wing tractor configuration monoplane powered by a 50 hp Gnome Omega seven-cylinder rotary engine driving a two-bladed Chauvière Intégrale propeller. The fuselage was a rectangular-section wire-braced box girder, with the forward part covered in plywood and the rear part fabric covered: the rear section was left uncovered in some examples. The two-spar wings had elliptical ends and were braced by a pyramidal cabane in front of the pilot and an inverted V-strut underneath the fuselage, behind the undercarriage. Lateral control was effected by wing warping and the empennage consisted of a fixed horizontal stabiliser with tip-mounted full-chord elevators at either end and an aerodynamically balanced rudder, with no fixed vertical surface. In later examples the horizontal surfaces were modified, and consisted of a fixed surface with balanced elevators hinged to the trailing edge.[2] The undercarriage consisted of a pair of short skids, each carried on a pair of struts, and a pair of wheels on a cross-axle bound to the skids by bungee cords, and a tailskid.

A two-seat version was later produced, with the fuselage lengthened to 7.0 m (23 ft) and wingspan increased to 10 m (34 ft).[2]

Operational history

The Monoplane achieved fame when Jules Védrines flew one to victory in the 1911 Paris-to-Madrid air race, the only competitor to finish the four-day course. Later in the year he came second in the Circuit of Britain, flying an aircraft powered by a 70 hp Gnome.[3] Another was flown by André Frey in the Paris-Rome race in 1911, finishing third.[4] Emile Taddéoli was another owner of a Morane monoplane.

A two-seat version, powered by an 80 Gnome was entered for the 1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition.[2]

Surviving examples

As of 2007 a single example remained extant, undergoing conservation work at the Canada Aviation Museum.

Operators
 Argentina
 Brazil
 Romania
 United Kingdom

Specifications

From: l'Aérophile, 15 April 1911, p. 170

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Length: 6.50 m (21 ft 6 in)
  • Wingspan: 9.50 m (31 ft 1 in)
  • Wing area: 14 m2 (151 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 200 kg (441 lb)
  • Gross weight: 430 kg (948 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Omega 7-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine , 37 kW (50 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 111 km/h (69 mph, 60 kn)

References
  1. Borel designations | Secret Projects Forum
  2. The Borel MonoplaneFlight 20 July 1912 p. 651
  3. Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Flight 29 July 1911, p.661
  4. Villard, Henry Serrano (1987). Blue Ribbon of the Air. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p. 158. ISBN 0-874-74-942-5.

Further reading
  • Lacaze, Henri & Lherbert, Claude (2013). Morane Saulnier: ses avions, ses projets [Morane Saulnier: Their Aircraft and Projects] (in French). Outreau, France: Lela Presse. ISBN 978-2-914017-70-1.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 193.
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