French Morane Saulnier A1 Fighter

By Crusader1307

By 1917, both Germany and France had been heavily experimenting with a radical "new" aerodynamic design - The Mono-plane. These new single wing aircraft would increase speed and hopefully revolutionize ariel combat. One of France's first attempts was The Morane Saulnier Type A1. Designed as a single-seat Fighter - by 1918, several French Squadrons were created to specifically use The A1. However, political pressure for the current SPAD Fighter production, stopped this move. The new Fighter was regulated into a training Ship for new flyers. Small at just 18 feet long, The A1 had a 27 foot wingspan. The new single wing design increased air speed to an impressive 137 mph. The plane also had a high operational ceiling of 26,500 feet. Designed for a fixed .303 Vickers Machine Gun, The A1 never got the chance to deploy it. By 1918, it was strictly a training plane for new Pilots (and would remain so well into the 1920s).