- Mauboussin M.120
-
M.120 Corsaire 
Mauboussin M.123 at Persan-Beamont airfield near Paris in June 1957 Role Trainer Manufacturer Fouga Designer Pierre Mauboussin First flight 1932 Primary user aero clubs and private flyers Number built 116 The Mauboussin M.120 was a trainer and touring aircraft built in France in the 1930s and again in the years following World War II.
Design and production
It was based on a 1931 collaboration between Louis Peyret and Pierre Mauboussin, the Peyret-Mauboussin PM.XII, and like it, was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of wooden construction. The undercarriage was of fixed tailskid type, and the pilot and instructor sat in tandem, open cockpits. Mauboussin built a number of prototypes himself, followed by a small series manufactured for him by Breguet in 1934. The following year, Maryse Hilz set a women's altitude record of 7,388 metres on 24 September in the M.122.
In 1936, Fouga, then a builder of railway rolling stock, purchased all rights to the design as part of an effort to enter the aircraft industry, and was able to secure a contract from the Armée de l'Air to supply the type as the M.123.
Production was restarted by Fouga after the war for the French flying clubs.
One of first M.120s took part in the international touring aircraft contest Challenge 1932, flown by André Nicolle. It completed contest on the last 24th place, but it had the weakest engine of all participants and completing this contest was quite a success anyway.
Variants
- M.120 - original design with Salmson 9 engine
- M.120/32 - examples built by Mauboussin (3 built)
- M.120/34 - examples built by Breguet (10 built)
- M.121P Corsaire Major - version with Pobjoy R engine (4 built)
- M.122 Corsaire Major - version with Salmson 9 engine for Maryse Hilz (1 built)
- M.123 - major production version with Salmson 9 engine (65 built)
- M.124 - first postwar version with Aster 4A engine (1 built)
- M.125 - version with Régnier 4Jo engine (5 built)
- M.126 - version with Salmson 5Ap engine (1 built)
- M.127 - version with Régnier 4Eo engine (2 built)
- M.128 - version with Mathis G4G engine (1 built)
- M.129 aka M.129/48 - definitive postwar version with Minié 4Do engine (23 built)
Specifications (M.123)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two, pilot and instructor
- Length: 6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 11.74 m (38 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.52 m (8 ft 3 in)
- Wing area: 13.0 m2 (140 ft2)
- Empty weight: 349 kg (769 lb)
- Gross weight: 609 kg (1,343 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Salmson 9Adr, 45 kW (60 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 160 km/h (100 mph)
- Range: 650 km (405 miles)
- Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,120 ft)
References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 238.
- Simpson, R. W. (1995). Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. pp. 418.
- aviafrance.com
- M-120 Corsaire at Уголок неба (Russian)
External links
See also
Lists relating to aviation General Aircraft (manufacturers) · Aircraft engines (manufacturers) · Airlines (defunct) · Airports · Civil authorities · Museums · Registration prefixes · Rotorcraft (manufacturers) · TimelineMilitary Accidents/incidents Records Categories:- French civil trainer aircraft 1930–1939
- French civil utility aircraft 1930–1939
- M.120 - original design with Salmson 9 engine
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
