Latécoère Laté 28.1
Latécoère · France · first flew 1929 · airliner
The Latécoère Laté 28.1 was a French single-engine parasol-wing mailplane and seaplane used on the South Atlantic air mail routes by Aéropostale in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became famous through the exploits of pioneering aviators including Jean Mermoz.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 13.5 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- French 1930s high-wing monoplane mailplane on floats
- Single Hispano-Suiza or Renault engine
- Parasol-wing configuration over a boat hull or floats
A high parasol-wing monoplane with a single large engine, twin float undercarriage, and a slender fuselage; the configuration is typical of French mailplanes of the period designed for long over-water routes.
Specifications
- The Latécoère Laté 28.1 has a length of 13.5 m (44 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 19.25 m (63 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 196 km/h (122 mph).
- Typical crew: 2, plus mail/passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Laté 28 series was developed by Latécoère to carry mail and limited passengers on the routes linking France with South America via West Africa. Jean Mermoz achieved the first South Atlantic crossing by a heavier-than-air aircraft in a Laté 28 seaplane in 1930, flying from Dakar to Natal in 21 hours.
Variants
The Laté 28 family included landplane and seaplane/floatplane variants; the .1 sub-designation typically indicates the floatplane version. The Laté 28.3 was a later improved variant.
Where you'll see it
Operated by Aéropostale and later Air France on the pioneering South America mail routes in the early 1930s; a few examples also served in military roles with the French Aéronavale.
Related aircraft
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