Jodel D.140 Mousquetaire

Single Piston

The Jodel D.140 Mousquetaire is a French four-seat touring aircraft that brought the elegance of wood-and-fabric construction into the modern light aircraft era. Designed by Jean Délémontez and built by Société Aéronautique Normande (SAN) from 1958 to 1965, the Mousquetaire expanded the successful Jodel lineage from two-seat homebuilts to a practical family tourer with side-by-side front seating and a rear bench. Its distinctive cranked wing and graceful lines made it instantly recognizable on European airfields throughout the 1960s. Powered by a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360 engine, the D.140 offered respectable cross-country performance for its era, cruising around 120 knots with a range exceeding 500 nautical miles. The type's wooden construction (spruce spars, plywood skinning, and fabric-covered control surfaces) required more maintenance expertise than contemporary all-metal designs, but rewarded owners with light handling and a forgiving stall. Approximately 250 examples were built before production ceased, with many exported to the United Kingdom and other European countries where the type remains popular among vintage aircraft enthusiasts. The Mousquetaire competed directly with American designs like the Piper Cherokee and Cessna 172, but never achieved their commercial success outside France. Today it occupies a cherished niche in the European general aviation fleet, prized for its classic aesthetics and connection to the golden age of French light aircraft manufacturing. SkyMeter has tracked 23 flights across 10 airframes and 1 operators, with unique routes observed.