Marcel Brissac uses a Morane aircraft on a number of occasions, beginning with Biggles Works It Out. Although Johns never identified the specific type, but Marcel's Morane had these characteristics:
- it had to be in service in 1951 (date of first appearance in Biggles Works It Out)
- it could be armed with guns - Marcel said in Biggles Works It Out that he planned to put his guns back in and he actually fires them.
- it could carry at least 2. Marcel gives Ginger a ride in Biggles' Combined Operation.
Based on these features, two Moranes fit the bill: Morane Vanneau, with variants designated MS472 to MS475 and the Morane Alcyon.
The Morane-Saulnier Vanneau (Plover) was a single engine two seat advanced trainer which first flew in 1944 and was used by the French Air Force and Navy until the late 1960s. In addition to training duties, the type was also used in the counter-insurgency role in Algeria. The different variants have to do mainly with the type of engine fitted. The one depicted in the picture is an MS472 with a Gnome-Rhône 14M radial engine. The MS475 had a more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 V-12 engine.
The Morane-Saulnier Alcyon was a single engine two-three seat basic trainer which first flew in 1949 (French wikipedia says 1951). It was used mainly by the French Air Force and Navy as a primary trainer but some were modified for the counter-insurgency role.
Of the two options, it is more likely that Marcel would have chosen the Vanneau. The Alcyon had the reputation of being under-powered. Marcel would have needed an aircraft of reasonable performance as he usually worked on his own and had to track down and intercept modern aircraft. In "Works it Out", he intercepted and forced down a DC-3. Such an aircraft, at a cruising speed of 180 knots, would have easily outpaced the Alcyon. The first edition illustrations by Stead also showed that he envisaged a fighter-type aircraft like the Vanneau for Marcel.
List of Books and stories where the Morane appears[]
- Biggles Works It Out
- Biggles' Chinese Puzzle (short story)
- Biggles' Combined Operation
- Biggles Flies to Work
Specifications for the Morance Vanneau[]
- Crew: two
- Length: 9.05 m
- Wingspan:
- Empty weight: 2,351 kg
- Gross weight: 3,125 kg
- Engine: 1 × Gnome-Rhône 14M or Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 V-12 piston engine, (570-860 hp)
- Maximum speed: 445 km/h
- Range: 1,500 km
- Service ceiling: 8500 m
- Armament
- 2 x MAC 1934 7.5 mm wing-mounted machine-guns
- 2 x racks for light bombs