SOCATA Rallye family

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. As part of efforts to access the lucrative North American market, distributor agreements were formed with multiple US-based companies, such as the Waco Aircraft Company and BFA Aviation, to market, sell, and service the Rallye. These efforts, while not being trouble-free, provided valuable sales of the type.

During 1979, SOCATA (which Morane-Saulnier had previously merged into) decided to rename all of the Rallye series' various models, each being assigned their own individual Gallic names. During the early 1980s, the Rallye was eventually phased out of production in France in favour of the newer Socata TB series. During December 1984, the final SOCATA-built aircraft was delivered; the entire production run had covered approximately 3,300 aircraft. However, the Rallye continued to be produced under licence in Poland by aviation company PZL, which marketed their own models under the PZL Koliber (English: Hummingbird) name. On 18 April 1978, the first flight of a prototype Koliber occurred; quantity production of the type commenced in Poland during the following year.