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42-485: During 1966, the French aircraft manufacturer Morane-Saulnier changed its name to SOCATA (which is an abbreviation for Société de Construction d'Avions de Tourisme et d'Affaires , French for "Company for the construction of aircraft for tourism and business") following its acquisition by Sud Aviation . During 2000, SOCATA became a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational aerospace conglomerate EADS ; shortly thereafter,

84-412: A given aircraft after having already received an order for it. Basic airframes would be produced in advance and finished upon order, allowing for customer-specified modifications and optional equipment to be installed as per their demands. While the type was completed upon a single assembly line at the facility, all models, low and top end alike, were finished upon the same line. At the start of 1993, SOCATA

126-541: A joint venture between Mooney Aircraft and the SOCATA Division of Aerospatiale. After several iterations (in which Mooney eventually dropped out), that venture resulted in the turboprop -powered TBM 700 , in which the "M" stands for "Mooney". The 301 prototype did not fly again after 1983. It rested in the Mooney Engineering Department for several years, then its wings were removed and the remainder

168-518: A lower-set engine with small cooling-air inlets, and fixed horizontal stabilizers with trim tab-equipped elevators, as opposed to the pivoting-empennage M20 design. The tapered wing planform was similar to the M20, slightly longer (37.0 feet vs. 36.42 feet for the M20), and with several differences: the airfoil was a low-drag 15% profile NASA NLF(1)-0315 from root to tip; double-slotted Fowler flaps covering 90% of

210-539: A majority 70% stake in SOCATA. During late 2009, it was announced that EADS SOCATA had finalised an agreement with a private company, JetSet International Ltd, for the sale of the type certificate , tooling, components, engineering plans and drawings for the Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris , a jet-powered business jet developed by SOCATA's predecessor. The firm had separately purchased in excess of 30 retired MS760s from

252-436: A number of designs for training and general aviation , but with the threat of war in the late thirties it once again turned to military aircraft. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, it produced a number of parasol wing fighters including the M.S.230 and M.S.315 , but all were of limited performance and were relegated to training duties. Morane-Saulnier had much more success with its dramatically modernized M.S.406 , which

294-501: A number of trainer and civilian aircraft models, the best known of which was the successful "Rallye" series of four-seat STOL semi-aerobatic tourers (see picture above). Morane-Saulnier was purchased by Potez on 7 January 1962, and became SEEMS , the Societe d'Exploitation des Etablissements Morane-Saulnier . In 1966 its civilian models were spun off to form SOCATA , the Societe de Construction d'Avions de Tourisme et d'Affaires , which

336-490: A pressurized fuselage. The Mooney 301 design team was led by Roy LoPresti . It was an attempt to create an alternative to pressurized single-engine airplanes being introduced by Beechcraft , Cessna and Piper Aircraft . Only one prototype was constructed. Further development was carried out by a consortium led by French investors, eventually resulting in the SOCATA TBM . The Mooney Aircraft Company had previously produced

378-421: A rebranding to align the division with its parent company. The history of SOCATA can be traced back to the founding of the French aircraft manufacturer Morane-Saulnier in 1911. During 1966, Morane-Saulnier changed its name to SOCATA (which is an abbreviation for Societe de Construction d'Avions de Tourisme et d'Affaires , French for "Company for the construction of aircraft for tourism and business") following

420-711: A shoulder-mounted wing produced, so the Morane-Saulnier AI was developed, in which the wing was raised above the fuselage. The AI lost out in the competition to the SPAD XIII but was built in limited numbers in case there was a problem with the SPAD; as it turned out it was the AI that suffered structural problems. In parallel to the L the Morane-Saulnier BB was developed for the RFC, which

462-618: A single-engine pressurized aircraft in 1964 ( the M22 Mustang ), which had been a financial disaster and was probably the largest single factor in the company's 1969 bankruptcy (although the Mustang continued to be produced through 1970). By the late 1970s the company was again feeling pressure to offer a pressurized product; Cessna's pressurized 210 had been available for several years, and Piper and Beech had announced their own pressurized single-engine projects. To avoid another M22-type disaster

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504-475: Is located, while the "M" stands for Mooney. At the time of its conception, while several aviation companies had studied or were otherwise considering the development of such an aircraft, the envisioned TBM 700 was the first high-performance single-engine passenger/cargo aircraft to enter production. From the onset, key performance criteria were established, demanding a high level of reliability while also being capable of an unequalled speed/altitude combination amongst

546-470: The Morane-Saulnier G , a wire-braced shoulder-wing monoplane with wing warping. This led to the development of a series of aircraft and was very successful in racing and setting records. The Type G was a 2-seater, and was reduced slightly in size to produce the Morane-Saulnier H , a single-seater, and was given a faired fuselage to produce the Morane-Saulnier N single-seat fighter. The Morane-Saulnier H

588-735: The TB-9 Tampico and the TB-10 Tobago . On 18 December 1980, an improved model of the aircraft, designated as the TB20 , was awarded its type certification by the French aviation authorities. During March 1981, the first delivery of a production TB20 was completed to a German customer. Various improved models of the TB series were subsequently developed. SOCATA adopted a straightforward assembly philosophy at its final assembly facility in Tarbes, choosing to only complete

630-485: The 1920s. The Type N was developed into the larger and more powerful Morane-Saulnier I and the very similar Morane-Saulnier V , but these were not successful, being too powerful and having inadequate controls. The V was then redesigned to create the Morane-Saulnier AC which substituted ailerons for wing warping and had a strut-braced wing. The AC was not particularly successful, in part because of poor field of view

672-558: The 1960s. Morane-Saulnier's first product was the Morane-Borel monoplane , a development of a monoplane design produced by the Morane company (sometimes called Type A) in partnership with Gabriel Borel). Using a wing-warping mechanism for control, this was the type in which Jules Védrines won the Paris-Madrid race on 26 May 1911. Morane-Saulnier's first commercially successful design was

714-426: The French and Argentinian governments; JetSet International Ltd reportedly had ambitions to refurbish these existing airframes and to install current-generation jet engines and avionics for the purpose of selling them on to operators for approximately $ 550,000. In June 2014, Daher announced that it had acquired the remaining 30% of EADS SOCATA from Airbus Group (formerly EADS), making it a wholly owned subsidiary of

756-563: The Koliber commenced. During the mid-1970s, SOCATA commenced work on what would become the TB family of general aircraft; a key ambition of this new product line was to entirely replace the firm's existing and highly successful Rallye series. As intended, throughout 1979, production of the Rallye family was drawn down as production of the new family ramped up; the initial entry models of which were designated as

798-484: The LoPresti design team (he brought in his own engineers, rather than using Mooney company employees) chose to start with a new design rather than a rework of the existing models (i.e. the M20 and its various upgrades). The 301's general configuration was similar to other Mooney models, differing in details such as an aft-sloping vertical fin , as opposed to the vertical leading edge with forward-swept trailing edge M20 fin,

840-458: The TBM 700 had rapidly proved popular and a good aircraft on its own merits, the services and support facilities SOCATA provided were an initial point of weakness. SOCATA, recognising the critical importance of an effective support infrastructure, invested heavily in improving worldwide support for the type; instead of being solely reliant upon third parties and partnership arrangements with other companies,

882-400: The TBM 700 other single-engined peers. Consequently, during June 1987, a joint venture , named TBM International , was established with the aim of completing development of the TBM 700 design and to perform the manufacture of the new aircraft; the ownership of the joint venture was divided between Mooney and SOCATA's then parent company, Aérospatiale . A pair of separate production lines for

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924-589: The TBM 700 were planned, one located at Mooney's facility in Kerrville, Texas, which was intended to cater to the American market, and the other based at SOCATA's factory in Tarbes, which was set to produce aircraft for customers throughout the rest of the world. However, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Mooney was afflicted by persistent fiscal shortfalls; consequently, in May 1991, Mooney chose to withdraw from participation in

966-474: The awarding of US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification on 28 August 1990. During early 1990, the first delivery of a TBM 700 occurred; the first production batch of 50 aircraft were sold out almost instantly. Early feedback received from operators and pilots was typically positive about the capabilities of the new aircraft, often praising its speed and generous power margins amongst other attributes. According to aerospace publication Flying , while

1008-467: The business was rebranded as EADS SOCATA . On 27 June 2008, EADS announced its intention to sell a controlling interest in EADS SOCATA to French technology business DAHER , but would retain a minority stake in the company. On 3 November 2008, EADS and DAHER announced that they had reached a final agreement for DAHER to acquire a 70% stake in EADS SOCATA. On 7 January 2009, DAHER confirmed its acquisition of

1050-459: The business was rebranded as EADS SOCATA . On 3 November 2008, EADS and French technology business DAHER announced that they had reached a final agreement for DAHER to acquire a 70% stake in EADS SOCATA. In June 2014, DAHER announced that it had acquired the remaining 30% of EADS SOCATA from Airbus Group (formerly EADS). During March 2015, the SOCATA name fell out of use, the company's name having been changed to just Daher at this time as part of

1092-489: The company's acquisition by the state-owned aerospace interest Sud Aviation . During this period of ownership, SOCATA focused its activities on general aviation , manufacturing thousands of light aircraft throughout the latter half of the 20th century. One of the company's more popular products was the Rallye family of general aircraft. During 1979, SOCATA decided to reorganise and rebrand much of its production programmes, one of

1134-477: The company. During March 2015, use of the SOCATA name was formally discontinued, the division having been rebranded as just Daher to more closely align itself with its new parent company. Morane-Saulnier Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers , Léon and Robert. The company was taken over and diversified in

1176-538: The firm developed their own facilities. SOCATA opened its own service center in Florida , as well as establishing a network of distributors capable of both sales and services for the TBM 700. Consequently, during the late 1990s, sales of the type within the North American market rose dramatically. During 2000, SOCATA became a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational aerospace conglomerate EADS ; shortly thereafter,

1218-411: The joint venture, leaving SOCATA as the primary company involved in the programme. On 14 July 1988, the first TBM 700 prototype conducted the type's maiden flight . Flight testing proved that virtually all of the established goals of the design had been achieved, leading to quick progress towards production. On 31 January 1990, type certification was received from French authorities; it was followed by

1260-419: The opposite direction. Despite this, many were used as trainers, including a great many that had their wings stripped so they couldn't fly, creating what was known as a Penguin. The Type L has the distinction of being the first fighter aircraft used during World War I when one was fitted with a machine gun firing through the propeller, which was fitted with metal plates to deflect any bullets that struck it. This

1302-542: The prototype occurred on 21 April 1983. Some 70 hours of flight testing were accomplished on that unit during 1983. Production of the 301 had been scheduled to start in 1985 but Mooney suffered another financial crisis during that time: its majority owner, Republic Steel , was acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought in July 1984, and the new owners ordered Republic to divest itself of the Mooney Aircraft Company. The company

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1344-486: The results of which being the renaming of the various models of Rallye series, each one receiving an individual, "more Gallic" name. During the 1980s, the Rallye was gradually superseded and phased out of production in France by the newer Socata TB series. During December 1984, the final Rallye of approximately 3,300 aircraft, an armed R235 Guerrier model, was delivered. However, SOCATA's decision to terminate production in France

1386-455: The subject of producing a turboprop -powered derivative of the 301. The product that emerged from these discussions was a new design, referred to as the TBM 700 , which was considerably heavier than the original 301 while provisioned with more than twice the available power. The prefix of the designation, TBM , originated from the initials "TB", which stands for Tarbes , the French city in which SOCATA

1428-448: The trailing-edge length, with slotted ailerons on the remaining 10%, and with spoilers mounted on the wing's upper surfaces ahead of the flaps to assist the ailerons. The fuselage pressure vessel operated at 5.0 psig, which would provide an equivalent cabin pressure of slightly lower than 9000' MSL when operated at 25,000 MSL. The 301's designation came from its projected top speed, 262 knots, or 301 miles per hour. First flight of

1470-431: Was a Type P built as a biplane. Because the type 'BB' when pronounced in French sounds like Bebe (or baby), this became the type's nickname. Most of these types had no fixed fin, or horizontal stabilizer , with the result that they were not only very sensitive on the controls, but also could not even be flown hands off. One early pilot noted that if one left the aircraft to its own devices it would end up going upside down in

1512-424: Was eventually purchased by Aérospatiale . The company and Saulnier himself had a significant role in the development of the concept of synchronising machine gun fire through an aircraft's propeller. Mooney 301 The Mooney 301 was a prototype aircraft created by American manufacturer Mooney Aircraft Company in 1983. It was a low-wing, single-engine, six-place monoplane with retractable landing gear and

1554-527: Was flown with success by Roland Garros , who would later be considered to be the first French Ace . A similar system was fitted to the Type N pending the arrival of other machine guns, which made the system workable. While flying his modified Type L, Garros crashed on the German side of the lines and the wreckage was examined by Fokker just prior to Fokker producing a similar system. After the war, Morane-Saulnier produced

1596-436: Was held for six weeks by a Minnesota-based investment company (The Morrison Company), then sold again to a French-based consortium led by Alec Couvelaire, a Paris-based Mooney dealer, and by Armand Rivard, the owner of Lake Aircraft . The new owners decided the aircraft was too heavy (200 pounds over target) and too slow for the projected market (300 knots should be the target, according to the new owners). Couvelaire proposed

1638-548: Was manufacturing around 12 aircraft of the TB series per month, by the middle of the year, this had dipped to roughly 8 aircraft per month. During the 1980s, SOCATA, having identified a vacant market position for a purpose-built optimised single-engine aircraft capable of fast personal transport and light cargo duties, became interested in the piston-powered Mooney 301 light aircraft of the Mooney Airplane Company . Accordingly, talks commenced between Mooney and SOCATA on

1680-483: Was modified so that its wings were mounted parasol fashion, above the fuselage to afford the observer a better view, creating the Morane-Saulnier L . The L was then fitted with a faired fuselage as on the N and ailerons to make the Morane-Saulnier LA , which was then completely redesigned (though looking very similar) to make the Morane-Saulnier P which would be the basis for a whole family of aircraft developed in

1722-594: Was not the end of all manufacturing activity. During the 1970s, SOCATA had sold a license for the production of the Rallye 100ST model to the Polish State aviation company PZL , which led to the aircraft being independently constructed in its facilities in Warsaw as the PZL Koliber ( Humming Bird ). On 18 April 1978, the first PZL-built aircraft performed its maiden flight and, during the following year, quantity production of

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1764-636: Was the French Air Force 's most numerous fighter at the start of the war. The 406 was advanced only at the time of its introduction in 1935, and suffered terribly against the more modern Messerschmitt Bf 109s it faced in 1940. During World War II, Morane-Saulnier was operated under German control and built a number of German types including the Fieseler Storch , known after the war as the Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet. Morane-Saulnier also produced

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