Morane-Saulnier MS.350

The Morane-Saulnier MS.350 was a French aerobatic trainer flown in 1936. Only one was built, but it had a long career, flying after the war until the 1960s. It was a two-bay biplane with equal-span wings built around duralumin box-spars, powered by a neatly cowled 240 horsepower Renault 6Pei six-cylinder inverted air-cooled inline engine, with a single open cockpit behind the upper wing and a steerable tailskid. It first flew on 8 February 1936 piloted by Michel Detroyat, a well-known aerobatic pilot, whose outstanding displays across pre-war Europe made the aircraft well known. It survived the war and was registered as F-BDYL in 1954 in the name of Jean Cliquet, Morane-Saulnier's chief test pilot.