Puneet Varma (Editor)

Latécoère 500

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Top speed
  
210 km/h

Length
  
18 m

Wingspan
  
31 m

Manufacturer
  
Groupe Latécoère

The Latécoère 500 was a flying boat built in France in 1931 for use on the transatlantic mail route to South America. Designed to a specification by the French aviation ministry, Latécoère also built a passenger-carrying variant, the 501, which actually flew first. The design was a large, parasol-wing monoplane with broad sponsons and a fully enclosed cabin. Three engines were installed on the wing, two tractor-fashion on the leading edge, and one pusher-fashion on the trailing edge.

Contents

The Latécoère 500 was not accepted for service due to its poor flying qualities and was soon scrapped. The 501 flew for a while on passenger routes in the Mediterranean.

Variants

  • Latécoère 500 - mailplane version (1 built)
  • Latécoère 501 - airliner version (1 built)

    • Specifications (Laté 500)

    General characteristics

  • Crew: Three
  • Length: 17.74 m (58 ft 2 in)
  • Wingspan: 31.40 m (103 ft 0 in)
  • Height: 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in)
  • Wing area: 148.3 m2 (1,600 ft2)
  • Empty weight: 4,446 kg (9,802 lb)
  • Gross weight: 2,816 kg (21,641 lb)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Hispano-Suiza 12Jb, 300 kW (400 hp) each

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 210 km/h (130 mph)
  • Range: 4,800 km (3,000 miles)
  • Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)

    • References

    Latécoère 500 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA