The French Morane-Saulnier M.S. 3G was two-seat aircraft of conventional, wire-braced, shoulder-wing design. The construction was of fabric-covered wood throughout, except for the undercarriage struts which were of steel tube. Banking was achived by wing warping. The aeroplane was delivered with a Gnôme or a Le Rhône rotating engine according to the buyer's choice.

Enoch Thulin, owner of the aviation enterprise with his name, visited the “Salon d’Aeronautique” in Paris in December 1913. The "Salon” was the most important aviation fair in the world at this time. His intention was to buy a modern aircraft to replace his old Blériot XI “Nordstjernan”, earlier owned by Carl Cederström. Among the aircraft displayed at “the Salon” was a Morane-Saulnier M.S .3L, the type with which the French aviator Brindejonc des Moulinais had made a famous flight around Europe in June. He had made stops both in Stockholm and Copenhagen. Thulin was probably interested in this aircraft type before his journey to Paris.

Thulin decided to buy the M.S. 3G powered with an 80 hp Le Rhône engine. He also secured the rights to build both the aircraft and the engine on license in Sweden. In April 1914, Thulin flew himself the aircraft from the factory at Villacoublay home to Landskrona. His friend lieutenant Otto Ask was passenger.

After the World War I hade broken out on the 1st of August 1914, the aircraft was sold to the Army Aviation Company, where the aircraft got the number 5. It was taken out of duty in 1918.

The Thulin Works in Landskrona began to manufacture a Swedish copy of the M.S. 3G, which was called Thulin B. The first aircraft were provided with 50 hp Thulin E (Gnôme) engines. Later 90 hp Thulin A engines were used. Totally eight Thulin B was built 1914 – 1916.

Two Thulin B, fitted with floats, was donated to the Swedish Navy Aviation. See the web page at the chapter Early Navy Aviation.

Two aircraft were sold to Danish army, where they got the designations and names M.S. 1 “Hugin” and M.S. 2 “Munin”. The aircrafts were delivered in October 1915 and June 1916. They were destroyed in crashes in October 1919 respectively October 1917.

Four aircraft were used at Thulin’s Flying School at Ljungbyhed. One of these was used for ice reconnaissance along the coast of northern Sweden the extremely cold winter 1916 (see next page).

The original M.S. 3G was sold to the Swedish Army Aviation Company after the outbreak of WWI. It got the army aviation number 5. The aircraft was destroyed in a crash 1918.

Main dimensions:

Length: 6,88 m. Span: 11,18 m. Height: 3,35 m. Maximum take-off weight: 680 kg. Max. speed: 130 km/h.

© Lars Henriksson

Updated 2011-05-03