Morane-Saulnier MS.181

MS.180
Morane-Saulnier MS.181 of the Spanish Republican Air Force
Role	Aerobatic aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Morane-Saulnier
First flight	1929
Number built	c.17

The Morane-Saulnier MS.180 is a single engine, single parasol wing aerobatic trainer designed in France in 1929. About seventeen were produced and used in French flying clubs, some surviving World War II and one remaining in use at a club until the 1970s. Before World War II, some were used by Spanish Republican forces to train pilots in the Spanish Civil War. Two MS.181s are still flying.

Morane-Saulnier were well known for their series of parasol wing fighter aircraft. The MS.180 was in that tradition but was designed as an aerobatics trainer, a single seat near contemporary of the two seat but otherwise similar Morane-Saulnier MS.230, somewhat smaller and much lower powered. The aircraft is built from a mixture of wood and metal and, apart from the forward fuselage, is fabric covered. Its swept wing has metal spars and ailerons but wooden ribs. It is carried over the fuselage on inverted V-form metal cabane struts and braced to the lower fuselage with parallel pairs of metal lift struts. The forward fuselage is metal framed and clad but structurally wooden aft. The cockpit is below the wing trailing edge, with a large cut-out for visibility. The tail unit is metal framed, with the tailplane on top of the fuselage, The fin has a rounded leading edge and the rudder extends to the bottom of the fuselage, moving between separate elevators. The MS.180 ha a fixed, conventional undercarriage with single mainwheels mounted on V-form struts hinged to the lower fuselage. The shock absorber legs are near vertical and attached to the forward lift struts; these latter are further braced to the upper fuselage at the leg attachment points. A tailskid completes the landing gear.

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