Latécoère 24

Latécoère · France · first flew 1927 · transport aircraft

The Latécoère 24 was a French three-engine parasol-wing flying boat built in 1927 to test the longer stretches of the South Atlantic crossing. Trials showed it was overweight and consequently performed below specification.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	3 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	23.4 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Parasol wing high above the hull, rectangular and square-tipped
Three engines on the wing upper surface, two tractor and one centre-line pusher
Broad-beamed hull with sponsons and a tailplane at mid height, clear of the water

Look for a stubby, rectangular parasol wing carrying three 500 hp Farman 12 Wd engines with four-bladed propellers, above a broad hull with sponsons.

Specifications

The Latécoère 24 has a length of 23.4 m (77 ft).
It has a wingspan of 30 m (98 ft).
Its maximum speed is 170 km/h (106 mph).
Typical crew: 3.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

In 1926 Latécoère considered ways of crossing the South Atlantic in steps, and the aircraft was designed to cover the 2,250 km leg from the Cape Verde Islands to Fernando de Noronha. It was designed to carry mail, not passengers, and first flew from Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque at the end of 1927.

Variants

Latécoère began to design a similar aircraft with a lighter hull and Renault engines, the Latécoère 27, but it never left the drawing board.

Where you'll see it

Official trials were not encouraging: the aircraft was some 10 per cent heavier than calculated, so speed, range and altitude were below the expected values. There were also concerns about the reliability of the Farman engines.

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