Morane-Saulnier type G
The wire-braced shoulder-wing monoplane for one pilot and one passenger was developed from older Morane-Saulnier monoplanes in 1912. The type was manufactured under licence by Grahame-White in Hendon in the South of England. It was mostly flown by French and British pilots in the pre-war period. The aeroplanes had a fully covered fuselage and were equipped with a Gnome rotary engine with 80 HP that was the high-end engine of that time period. The French ministry of war issued an order of 94 aeroplanes of the type Morane-Saulnier G but it soon became clear that they were not suitable for military employment. The remaining aeroplanes were then used for the training of pilots.
The version Morane-Saulnier type WR that was built for the Russian government comprised a peculiar "glass-house front part" on the sides of the front fuselage closely in front of the wing assembly. Another model from 1915 also with the designation type G was configured as a single-seated fighter and was powered by a Le-Rhone rotary engine with 80 HP (59 kW).
The aircraft was built only in a few numbers for the French air force and was equipped with a fixed Hotchkiss 8 mm machine gun and a deflector means. In spite of its promising features it was never put into service. The French aircraft manufacturer Raymond Saulnier had begun his work on a machine gun firing in synchronization through the propeller arc form the beginning of 1914 on.
In order to deflect stray bullets due to failing ammunition Saulnier equipped the propeller blades with bullets deflectors made out of sheet-steel. The method, however, fell soon into oblivion again. Only after the outbreak of war it was again used in a Morane-Saulnier type L under the pilot Roland Garros. The simple principle used by Morane-Saulnier was then further developed into the interrupter gear in the Fokker-monoplane. The original type G was developed into the type L form August 1913 on.
Technical data
Morane-Saulnier type G
| Type | two-seated monoplane |
| Power plant | Gnome rotary engine with 80 HP (59 kW) |
| Year of construction | 1912 |
Perfomance
| Maximum speed | 135 km/h |
Dimensions
| Span | 9.63 m |
| Crew | 2 persons |
