[OT] Morane Saulnier MS-230

[kolibri282]

Just as a wooden boat will stand out from the plethora of plastic tubs in a marina most pre WWII planes will catch your eye immediately. Here are some pictures of a character plane which to me seem to be a real treat to the eye:

http://static1.squarespace.com/stat...08095127662/morane_backlight.jpg?format=1500w

https://www.free-photos.biz/images/t...28-1932_02.jpg

http://tagazous.free.fr/affichage2.php?img=44999

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail...photo/56205841



Perhaps some of you like those as well.

 

[WaspAir]

I'll take two!

(This monoplane looks much better to me than the contemporary biplane Stearman that many Americans find charming. There's just a hint of the Ryan NYP in the lines.)

 

[Brent Smith]

Whole heartedly agree. Especially like the third picture with the turf on the tail skid! Thanks for sharing.

 

[XXavier]

Nicest plane...! Parasol wings are very photogenic...

 

[Richard Anderson]

One was used at the end of the movie “The Blue Max”. Great movie.

 

[kolibri282]

One of my great heroes is Albert Santos-Dumont. His design of the light "Demoiselle" aircraft is as close to Antoine de Saint-Exupery's quote:

Il semble que la perfection soit atteinte
non quand il n'y a plus rien a ajouter,
mais quand il n'y a plus rien a retrancher.

as you could get to at the time, yet two of the coolest moments in aviation history did he create using his dirigibles:
- he was the winner of the Deutsch-de-la-Meurthe prize, being the first to fly around the Eifel tower from Saint Cloud in a given time (and he gave the prize money to the poor in Paris since he was the heir of a very rich Argentine family (pps: Argentine was a very rich country then))
- he flew one of his lighter than air designs to the Champs Elysees, tied the craft to one of the trees and had a coffee in a nearby Café. Just imagine that slim chap tying his airship to a tree like John Wayne would tie a horse in front of a bar....;-)

anyway, here is a beautifully nostalgic picture of ASD rounding the Tour Eiffel,

enjoy!
http://www.merlinprints.com.au/santos-dumont-rounding-the-eiffel-tower-1906

(if you click on the picture to enlarge it you can also save it)

 

[XXavier]

Santos Dumont wasn't Argentinian, but Brazilian... His father was coffee planter, and very rich.







This photograph is from a book written by him on his airships. English version here: http://gutenberg.org/files/42344/42344-h/42344-h.htm

 

[kolibri282]

Quote: Santos Dumont wasn't Argentinian, but Brazilian /Quote
Thank you for putting this straight, Xavier, at least I got the "rich" part right....