Lioré et Olivier LeO H-246
Lioré et Olivier / Sud-Est · France · first flew 1937 · airliner
The Lioré et Olivier LeO H-246 was a large four-engined flying boat of the late 1930s. It was a parasol monoplane of mixed construction with a duralumin hull.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 21.17 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Parasol monoplane wing carried above the hull
- Four engines in streamlined nacelles ahead of the wing leading edge
- Duralumin flying-boat hull
It is a flying boat with a high parasol wing, with four Hispano-Suiza V-12 engines mounted in streamlined nacelles ahead of the leading edge. The hull has a layout similar to that of the Lioré et Olivier H-47.
Specifications
- The Lioré et Olivier LeO H-246 has a length of 21.17 m (69 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 31.72 m (104 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 330 km/h (205 mph).
- Typical crew: 4-5.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed to meet a 1935 specification for a commercial flying boat for the Mediterranean routes of Air France. The prototype was built by Sud-Est, as the Lioré et Olivier factories had been nationalised at the end of 1936, and first flew from the Étang de Berre on 30 September 1937. Air France ordered six H-246.1 aircraft in January 1938.
Variants
The H-246.1 was the production version, seating 26 passengers. The third production aircraft was completed for the French Navy in June 1940 with a glazed bombardier position in the nose, bomb racks below the wings and four 7.5 mm Darne machine guns.
Where you'll see it
Air France began operations with the prototype on the Marseille-Algiers route on 14 October 1939. In November 1942 German forces seized the single French Navy aircraft and three Air France aircraft, and the Luftwaffe used the three ex-Air France machines for transport tasks, including in Finland. After the war two surviving aircraft restarted the Marseille-Algiers service and remained in use until September 1946.
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