Morane-Saulnier Type L

The Morane-Saulnier Type L was a two seat monoplane with a "parasol" wing, which made it excellent for reconnaissance. A single wing was mounted above the fuselage giving the occupants an unobstructed view of the ground.

At the beginning of the war, a swivel gun was mounted in the rear cockpit allowing the observer to shoot at balloons or other aircraft. In April of 1915, French pilot Roland Garros mounted a Hotchkiss machine gun to the fuselage in front of the pilot, allowing a pilot to shoot through the propellor for the first time. The gun was not synchronized to the engine so steel plates were mounted on the propellor to protect it from bullets.

Later models were equipped with synchronized machine guns.

This aircraft was also flown by:
  France
  Great Britain
  Germany
Specifications
Country of Manufacture France
First Year of Service 1913
Wing Span 36.8 ft | 11.2 m
Length 22.5 ft | 6.9 m
Height 12.9 ft | 3.9 m
Weight 1441 lbs | 655 kg
Engine Gnôme 7 cylinder air-cooled rotary engine, 80hp
Top Speed 71.5 mph | 115 km/h
Range 180 miles | 288 km
Armament 1 machine gun
Crew 1 or 2

 


Notes:
Technical Notes:
Made with Autodesk 3D Studio Max - Airplane not including background, 41985 vertices, 55047 faces - All aircraft insignia are modeled as part of the mesh.
Historical Notes:
The instruments in the cockpit are conjecture.
References:
http://www.theaerodrome.com/aircraft/france/morane_l.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_Type_L