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The first option of a lightweight and
agile jet for executive transport was
offered by Morane-Saulnier, which
would give origin to Socata. As com-
bat aircraft manufacturer, the French
company had put to fly in 1953 the
prototype of a small military training
twin-engine jet with two side-by-side
seats that has not attracted buyers.
Cabin stretching and the inclusion
of two additional seats gave origin to
the MS-760 Paris that, in addition to
training, could be used as liaison and
reconnaissance aircraft. The first cus-
tomers were the French Air Force and
Navy: two hundreds of units delive-
red from 1954. In South America, the
armed forces of Brazil and Argentina
have also operated the model.j tttppp ss ngggeerr r
Soon after beginning production,
the factory announced a partnership
with the US firm Beechcraft to offer
the MS-760 in the US in civilian and
military versions. Demonstration
flights were performed in the main
American cities, inviting businessmen
and celebrities to get to know the air-
craft. Salesmen highlighted the speed
of the small jet, that could reach 650
kilometers per hour, as an attractive
feature to compensate the discomfort
of its smaller than expected cabin, si-
milar to that of a passenger car. They
also showed the easiness of mainte-
nance and substitution of the small
Turbomeca Maboré reactors.
In spite of the efforts, the initiative
did not succeed. Until 1961, when itgave up the partnership, Beech-
craft had only sold two units of
the Paris in the US. Limited mo-
del endurance (less than 1,500
kilometers at full cargo), lack of
market familiarity with jets, high
fuel price and high acquisition
cost (US$ 210,000 including tra-
ining and maintenance contract)
have frightened potential inte-
rested parties. In 1967. Mora-
ne-Saulnier has still attempted
to offer the Paris Jet III, a new
version with more powerful mo-
torization, higher endurance and
enlarged cabin with 6 seats. But,
at that time, competitors had al-
ready occupied the market, with
more competitive machines.