Lioré et Olivier LeO H-27

Lioré et Olivier · France · first flew 1933 · transport aircraft

The four-engined Lioré et Olivier LeO H-27 was one of three French flying boats competing to carry mail over Air France's South Atlantic routes. Flying later than its competitors, it was not selected.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	21.45 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Four engines in two push-pull pairs mounted above the wing centre section on N-form struts
Two-step flying boat hull with the pilots' cabin well forward
Wing floats mounted below the junctions of the centre and outer panels

A high-wing cantilever monoplane with four 480 kW Hispano-Suiza 12Nbr engines. The tailplane is braced to the top of the hull and set about halfway up a tall fin.

Specifications

The Lioré et Olivier LeO H-27 has a length of 21.45 m (70 ft).
It has a wingspan of 36.8 m (121 ft).
Its maximum speed is 245 km/h (152 mph).
Typical crew: 4.

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

History

The hull was first seen at the Paris Aéro Salon in November 1930, but the aircraft did not fly until 30 December 1933, piloted by Bourdin. It was built in competition with the Latécoère 300 and the Blériot 5190.

Variants

Only one LeO H-27 was built.

Where you'll see it

Air France's South Atlantic routes were flown by the Latécoère 300 instead. The H-27 did make at least one Atlantic crossing when Bourdin flew it to the Antilles towards the end of 1934.

Related aircraft

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