Flamant MD-312 manufactured by DASSAULT

THE MAKING OF

The birth of the Dassault Flamant was preceded by a call for tenders launched just after the Second World War by the French Air Force for a twin-engine liaison and transport aircraft.

Using his own funds, Marcel Dassault tasked his team of engineers to develop the MB-315 equipped with SNECMA 12S engines, itself derived from the German Argus AS411. In 1946, Marcel Dassault received a firm order for two aircraft allowing liaison flight training as well as navigation and bombardment training.

In the end, 327 aircrafts were delivered to the French government, a great success for the national aircraft manufacturer. Three variants of the aircraft were built for various missions such as navigation and bombing training (MD 311), liaison and flight training (MD 312) and finally a version for overseas and medical missions (MD 315). Deliveries ended in 1954 but some aircraft pursued their careers until 1983 when they were permanently retired from service.

With its robustness and adaptability to various missions, this aircraft was also operated in Cambodia, Cameroon, Madagascar and Tunisia.

OUR FLAMANT

This Dassault MD-312 Flamant, serial number N°.166 has a very peculiar history. After being used as a liaison aircraft in the Air Force between 1960 and 1975, it was relegated to the end of an airport runway as a training aircraft for firefighters. In the 1990s, a former Air Force mechanic suggested to save the aircraft in-extremis from a tragic end that predestined to become aluminum chips.

Supported by a team of enthusiasts and friends, the plane was completely dismantled and then repatriated to the garden of its buyer. A change of residence led the new owner to unfortunately get rid of it in 2017.

Only the cockpit and wings were kept and entrusted to Flight Inspiration®. We could thus create this magnificent Aircraft Skin Keychain from this legendary post-war aircraft.

The shape we choose represent the Flamant MD-312's distinctive vertical stabilizer.