SOCATA Rallye family

what is it?

The SOCATA Rallye (English: Rally) is a light aircraft that was manufactured by French aviation company SOCATA. It was originally developed during the 1950s by French aircraft manufacturer Morane-Saulnier as the MS.880. On 10 June 1959, the prototype Rallye conducted the type's maiden flight; on 21 November 1961, type certification for the first production versions of the aircraft, designated as the MS.880B and more powerful MS.885, was awarded. Successive models of the Rallye were developed and manufactured; changes typically involved the installation of more powerful engines, structural strengthening, and the expansion of some of the flight control surfaces, culminating in the MS.890 Rallye Commodore series with higher gross weight and seating for four.

🔎How to recognise it: piston engines · 9.7 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 240 km/htop speed
• range 1,300 kmwithout refuelling
• size 1,050 kgmax take-off weight
• built 3,300made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 67 years ago, in 1959.
• 🏎️Top speed is 1.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 9.7 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,300 km: 7× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1959-06-10

introduced

1961

number built

3,300

role

tourer/trainer aircraft

origin

🇫🇷 France

makers

Daher-SOCATA

engines

Lycoming O-360-A3A

length

7.2 m

wingspan

9.7 m

height

2.8 m

max take-off weight

1,050 kg

top speed

240 km/h

cruise speed

225 km/h

range

1,300 km

ceiling

3,600 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.