Potez 62 was a French twin-engine civil airliner, designed by

Henry Potez Henry Potez (Méaulte, 30 September 1891 – Paris, 9 November 1981) was a French aircraft industrialist. He studied in the French Aeronautics School '' Supaéro''. With Marcel Dassault, he was the inventor of the Potez-Bloch propeller which, aft ...

in 1934. The French military adapted this air-frame two-years later to create the

Potez 650 The Potez 650 was a French-built military transport aircraft that saw service in World War II. Derived from the Potez 62 airliner, the 650 was specifically built for paratrooper units. Development The Potez 62 was a high-wing twin-engine monopla ...

History

The prototype of the Potez 62 made its maiden flight on January 28, 1935. The aircraft had been developed from the

Potez 54 The Potez 540 was a French multi-role aircraft of the 1930s. Designed and built by Potez, it served with the French Air Force as a reconnaissance bomber, also serving with the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. Although ob ...

bomber and was constructed as a high-wing monoplane. The wooden fuselage had a composite coating, whereas the wings were covered with fabric and the leading edge was made out of metal. The aircraft was propelled by two Gnôme & Rhône radial engines whose 14 cylinders produced some 870 hp. The engines were mounted in two side cradles, fixed to the fuselage and to the wings. The cabin was divided into two compartments and could accommodate 14 to 16 people. A version equipped with Hispano-Suiza V-engines was ordered by

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global air ...

in 1936. These were used on routes inside

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. By late 1936, many Potez 62s were employed on routes to Europe and the Far East, as the aircraft was robust and reliable, albeit slow. It remained in service until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and one was used by the

Free French Air Force The Free French Air Forces (french: Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free Frenc ...

Variants

;Potez 620 :Twin-engined civil airliner, powered by 1x Gnome-Rhône 14Kirs Mistral Major + 1x Gnome-Rhône 14Kjrs Mistral Major radial engines (LH & RH rotation). Also designated Potez 62-0. ;Potez 621 :Improved version of the Potez 62, powered by 1x

Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs The Hispano-Suiza 12X was an aircraft piston engine designed in France by Hispano-Suiza during the early 1930s. A 12-cylinder Vee, liquid-cooled design, the 12X was used on several aircraft types, some of them being used in limited numbers durin ...

+ 1x

Hispano-Suiza 12Xijrs The Hispano-Suiza 12X was an aircraft piston engine designed in France by Hispano-Suiza during the early 1930s. A 12-cylinder Vee, liquid-cooled design, the 12X was used on several aircraft types, some of them being used in limited numbers during ...

liquid-cooled V12 engines (LH & RH rotation). Also designated Potez 62-1.

Operators

; *

LARES Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ''Lar'') were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an amalgam of these. Lares ...

; *

Pluna PLUNA Líneas Aéreas Uruguayas S.A. was the flag carrier of Uruguay. It was headquartered in Carrasco, Montevideo and operated scheduled services within South America, as well as scheduled cargo and charter services from its hub at Carrasco I ...

Specifications (Potez 620)

History

Variants

Operators

Specifications (Potez 620)

See also

References

Further reading