Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris

The Paris has its origins within an earlier jet trainer aircraft developed by French aircraft manufacturer Morane-Saulnier. During the early 1950s, the French Air Force sought a jet trainer suitable to the ab-initio training sector; in response, Morane-Saulnier produced their own submission, designated as the MS.755 Fleuret.[4] However, the military competition was ultimately won by another bid, which was produced in large numbers as the Fouga Magister. Shortly after this failure, Morane-Saulnier decided to embark upon a re-design of the MS.755 to allow it to function as a four-seat liaison aircraft instead; accordingly, the new aircraft was later given the designation of MS.760 Paris.[4][5]

According to aerospace publication Flight International, the adaption from the earlier Fleuret to the Paris had been largely achieved via the elimination of the former's armament, the re-design of the cabin floor to remove the downward ejection hatch arrangement, and the repositioning of the cabin's rear bulkhead slightly aft.[4] To avoid a reduction of the aircraft's available fuel tankage as a result of the latter change, the tank was re-profiled in other areas to expand it. In spite of these changes, the Paris still retained the favourable flying characteristics and did not entirely foreclose its use as a trainer aircraft.[4]

The Paris differed from the majority of liaison aircraft then in service by its use of jet propulsion, instead of a turboprop or piston engine.[4] According to M. Vichou, the head of the design department of Morane-Saulnier, the decision to adopt a pair of Turbomeca Marboré jet engines had been determined to be the superior option available; studies found that a single turboprop engine capable of providing at least 2,000 hp was necessary to produce a comparable performance, which would have resulted in the additional complications of appropriately accommodating a fairly large propeller in the design. Another alternative in using a pair of small turboprop engines was also less convenient than the Marboré engine, which could be positioned relatively low down in the airframe and in close proximity to the aircraft's centre-line.[4]

The all-up weight of the Paris, including a payload of four passengers and 30 kg (66 lb) of baggage, was 3,397 kg (7,470 lb) and its maximum flight speed was 650 km/h (400 mph).[4] According to the manufacturer, it was able to ascend to an altitude of 7,000m (22,900ft) in 18 minutes; at this altitude and at maximum continuous thrust, the aircraft had a flight endurance of 2 hours 45 minutes and a maximum range of 930 miles. In terms of fuel, the main fuselage tank contained up to 1,000 litres (220 gal), while a further 250 litres (55 gal) could be accommodated in each tip-tank.[4] A feature that was intended to be used in emergency situations was the provisioning of the tip-tanks with electrically actuated valves, which enabled the rapid dumping of any remaining fuel. Actuation of the flaps, dive-brake and undercarriage was provided using electric motors delivering power via flexible shafts and Lear electric motors.[4] The nose of the Paris contained much of the avionics and electrical systems, including the radio, alternators, batteries and motors. Access to the engines was provided via a completely detachable tail unit; the wings could also be similarly detached without the necessity of removing the undercarriage.[4] The sizable main canopy was a one-piece moulding, being 8 mm (0.3 lin) thick. For increased passenger comfort, the cabin was both fully pressurized and air-conditioned.[4]

On 29 July 1954, the prototype MS.760, registered F-WGVO (F-BGVO), took off on its maiden flight.[5] Various features of its design, such as its T-shaped vertical stabilizer, low wing, and two Turbomeca Marboré II 400 kg turbojets internally mounted side by side within the aft fuselage, led to the aircraft being largely characterized for its inherent stability during flight. The French military emerged as a crucial early customer for the Paris, ordering a large batch of 50 aircraft to perform liaison duties for both the French Air Force and the French Navy, replacing older types such as the Nord Noralpha and Nord Norécrin. The securing of this order allowed Morane-Saulnier to proceed with quantity production of the type.[4] On 27 February 1958, the first production aircraft performed its first flight. Early aircraft were provided with a total of four seats, two in the front and two in the back, and a retractable tricycle landing gear.

By the early 1960s, the main production focus of Morane-Saulnier firmly set on the Paris.[6] According to Flight International, by May 1961, 100 aircraft had been completed and the type was being manufactured at a rate of four per month. At the same time, roughly 200 aircraft were reportedly on order; while the French Air Force was still the primary customer for the type, additional export sales arrangements had been achieved with ten separate foreign countries.[6] Flight International also reported that Morane-Saulnier had come to two separate agreements to license manufacturing of the Paris to other companies.[6]

As early as 1955, even prior to the Paris having entered into production, it was known that American manufacturer Beech Aircraft held considerable interest in the programme, and was reportedly considered options for producing the type in North America under licence from Morane-Saulnier.[4] For a time, the Paris was the only twin-jet civil aircraft and there was no direct competitors available.[5] In response to this interest, senior design staff at the French company spent considerable time in the United States during the development phase of the programme. Reportedly, by 1955, Beechcraft had requested that the Paris, installed with the latest model of the Marboré engine, be dispatched to North American to perform demonstration flights totalling 500 flight hours.[4] Later that year, this demonstration was conducted, during which the aircraft visited several major cities across both the United States and Canada.[5]

Detailed production plans were mooted by Beechcraft and Morane-Saulnier; one key difference of the projected American-built aircraft was the adoption of the US-built Teledyne CAE J69 engine, a licence-built development of the Marboré, to take the place of the French-built powerplants.[5] Beechcraft led approaches to both the United States Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force, offering the Paris to meet their requirements for a jet-propelled trainer aircraft. During January 1958, the company announced a price of $210,000 for a single US-built Paris, spare parts, maintenance tooling, and a training course to familiarise operators with tending to the needs of the relatively unfamiliar jet engine; this measure was due to relatively few private companies, let alone private operators, possessing any experience with jet propulsion.[7] However, American sales of the Paris were not forthcoming, reportedly, only two sales were made during Beechcraft's tenure as the type's distributor; by early 1961, when Beechcraft chose to abandon all distribution activities involving the type, a number of more advanced business jets, such as the Lockheed JetStar and the North American Sabreliner, had become available and gained traction in the market.[8]

During 1961, production commenced on an improved variant of the type, designated as the MS.760B Paris II, fitted with a pair of Marboré VI 480 kg engines, wingtip fuel tanks, air conditioning, and an enlarged luggage compartment. Following the bankruptcy of Morane-Saulnier in 1961, the company was acquired by aviation firm Potez, who continued development on work on the type for a time.[1] On 24 February 1964, a six-passenger version, designated MS.760C Paris III, performed its first flight; however, there was ultimately no production of this variant. Production of the Paris II ceased, and production of the Paris III never started as hopes of a substantial order to support its launch went unfulfilled.[9] During the type's production run, a total of 153 aircraft (of both Paris I and Paris II variants) were manufactured for several different operators, including the French Air Force, the French Navy, the Argentinian Air Force, and the Brazilian Air Force.

• Dekker, Herman (1987). The Complete Civil Aircraft Reisters of The Netherlands. Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-139-8.
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• Phillips, Almarin., A. Paul Phillips and Thomas R. Phillips. "Biz Jets: Technology and Market Structure in the Corporate Jet Aircraft Industry." Springer Science & Business Media, 2012. ISBN 9-40110-812-9.
• Taylor, John W. R. (1961). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd.