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The Latécoère 28 was a long distance
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
aircraft designed and produced by the French aircraft manufacturer Latécoère. First flown in 1927, it had a fixed tailwheel
undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...
and an enclosed cockpit for its crew of two. When configured for airline use, the Latécoère 28 could accommodate up to eight seated passengers. It was produced in both land and
floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
configurations, being marketed towards the civilian market both as a
mail plane The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...
and passenger
airliner An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest ...
. During its operating life, the Latécoère 28 became the main-stay of
Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...
's predecessor, Aéropostale, which heavily used the aircraft during the 1930s in its efforts to establish intercontinental air mail services and support French colonialism and French cultural influence during the
Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
. Its pilots included famous poets and French men of letters, such as
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Born in Lyon to an French nobility, aristocratic ...
and
Jean Mermoz Jean Mermoz (9 December 1901 – 7 December 1936) was a French people, French aviator, viewed as a hero by other pilots such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and in his native France, where many schools bear his name. In Brazil, he also is recognized ...
, along with numerous veteran pilots from the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.


Development

The Latécoère 28 was a development of the
Latécoère 26 __NOTOC__ The Latécoère 26 was a French monoplane mail plane designed and built by Latécoère. Development The Latécoère 26 was designed in the 1920s as a mail carrier, based on the earlier Latécoère 25 with a longer fuselage, and first fl ...
. A total of about fifty aircraft of several versions were produced between 1927 and 1932. The
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
version, the Latécoère 28-3, was the first to make a postal delivery crossing of the
South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...
when
Jean Mermoz Jean Mermoz (9 December 1901 – 7 December 1936) was a French people, French aviator, viewed as a hero by other pilots such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and in his native France, where many schools bear his name. In Brazil, he also is recognized ...
flew from
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
to
Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...
in 21 hours and a half aboard the ''Comte-de-La Vaulx'' (prototype n° 919) on 12 May 1930

Unfortunately, the plane was lost at sea during the return flight (with no loss of life, nor of mail). Early examples had been furnished with
Renault 12Jbr Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
engines; however, all use of this powerplant was quickly substituted for by Hispano Suiza 12, which waw capable of providing up to 500 hp (370 kW). The floatplane version was equipped with the Hispano Suiza 12Lbr, which could generate to up 650 hp (480 kW).


Design

The Latécoère 28 was a long-range high-wing single-engined
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
. The fuselage, which was highly
streamlined Streamlines, streaklines and pathlines are field lines in a fluid flow. They differ only when the flow changes with time, that is, when the flow is not steady flow, steady. Considering a velocity vector field in three-dimensional space in the f ...
and largely supported by light-metal tubing, was internally divided into three sections, each with its own distinct structure and function. The main landing gear comprised two independent wheels mounted on axles joined to the fuselage and supported by elastic struts that incorporated
shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulics, hydraulic device designed to absorb and Damping ratio, damp shock (mechanics), shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typic ...
s. The recoil from landing was absorbed via a light-metal strut in the plane of the axle, supported at one end by the axle's bend and hinged to the fuselage at the other end; atypically strong carbon-injected steel, which was hardened and tempered after machining, was used. A hinged elastic tail skid was also used to dampen the landing forces.NACA 1930, p. 5. The forwardmost section of the aircraft was the bow, the double tubular framework of which constitutes the engine bed in the form of a girder cradle. Two struts are used to deliver power to the
propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...
, while various accessories of the engine, including the
radiator A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...
,
fire extinguisher A fire extinguisher is a handheld active fire protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergencies. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which ha ...
s, control lines, fuel piping, and oil tank.NACA 1930, pp. 3-4. Maintenance access to the engine was achieved via a removable aluminium hood. Directly behind the engine was two spaces, the pilot's room and the first
baggage hold An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest ...
, the former being above the latter. The pilot's room was provisioned with an ample windshield, and was well ventilated via two sliding overhead doors that was intended to be used for emergency egress if such a circumstance required it; typical access was via a pair of side doors. The chief pilot would be seated on the left, provisioned with an instrument board complete with electric light switches, while the position on the right was equipped with a
radio set An antique radio is a radio receiving set that is collectible because of its age and rarity. Types of antique radio Morse receivers The first radio receivers used a coherer and sounding board, and were only able to receive continuous wave (CW) ...
.NACA 1930, p. 7. The majority of the central section was divided from the pilot's room via two substantial bulkheads, between which were located the fuel tanks; these bulkheads were also the attachment points for both the wings and
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...
.NACA 1930, p. 4. Aft of the bulkhead was the passenger cabin, to the rear of which was the lavatory and a second baggage hold. Both the doors and windows had reinforced metal frames; a total of ten openable windows, along with washable fabric walls, a carpeted floor, ten baggage nets, and three ceiling lights for night flying were present in the passenger cabin.NACA 1930, pp. 3-4, 7. The rear section comprised a relatively simple arrangement of four girders that supported the tail unit; these were braced with
piano wire Piano wire, or "music wire", is a specialized type of wire made for use in piano string (music), strings but also in other applications as Spring (device), springs. It is made from tempering (metallurgy), tempered high-carbon steel, also known ...
s and enclosed in a light wood
cowling A cowling (or cowl) is the removable covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and on outboard boat motors. On airplanes, cowlings are used to reduce drag and to cool the engine. On boats, cowlings ...
. The wing of the Latécoère 28, which was furnished with a pair of
aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...
s and elliptical wingtips, was rigidly attached to the fuselage via a set of oblique
strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. A stay is sometimes used as a synonym for ...
s. The structure comprised two
spars SPARS was the authorized nickname for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve. The nickname was derived from the USCG's motto, "—"Always Ready" (''SPAR''). The Women's Reserve was established by law in November 1942 during Wor ...
composed of rectangular metal tubing, which was intentionally lightened via numerous holes and reinforced using
rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylinder (geometry), cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed e ...
ed channel
flange A flange is a protruded ridge, lip or rim (wheel), rim, either external or internal, that serves to increase shear strength, strength (as the flange of a steel beam (structure), beam such as an I-beam or a T-beam); for easy attachment/transfer o ...
s; the distance between the spars was maintained by metal tubing braced by highly-resistant steel wiring. The
rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs () are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ...
s, which were triangularly-braced spruce
girder A girder () is a Beam (structure), beam used in construction. It is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross section composed of two load-bearing ''flanges'' separated by a sta ...
s with birch plywood
gusset In sewing, a gusset is a triangular or rhomboidal piece of textiles, fabric inserted into a seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Gussets were used at the shoulders, underarms, and hems of traditional shirts and chemi ...
s, determined the wing's profile via their curvature.NACA 1930, pp. 1-2. Reinforced box ribs gave the wing rigidity of the wing at key attachment points, such as with the fuselage and towards the ends of the ailerons; the wing was primarily attached to the fuselage via four bolts, two for each spar. Each of the ailerons, which had an all-metal framework, were fitted with a light-metal horn. As to achieve the desired profile of the elliptical wingtips, the adjacent ribs were reshaped. In anticipation of a potential wing strike, the wing's design incorporated a damage control measure in the form of the spars terminating at two slightly weaker tip sections that would break off in the event of contact.NACA 1930, p. 1. The vertical
empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...
of the tail was outfitted with a triangular
fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...
and a balanced semi-circular
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
.NACA 1930, p. 2. The fin was supported at either end by a cross piece attached to the upper
longeron In engineering, a longeron or stringer is a load-bearing component of a framework. The term is commonly used in connection with aircraft fuselages and automobile chassis. Longerons are used in conjunction with stringers to form structural fram ...
s of the fuselage and was braced via four wires running to the triangular
horizontal stabilizer A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lifting surface located on the tail ( empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplan ...
. The structure of the tail largely comprised light-metal tubular members and stamped ribs, the majority of which was joined using rivets.NACA 1930, pp. 2-3. The exterior was mainly covered by
fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
. Both the rudder and the
elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...
were balanced.NACA 1930, p. 3. The aircraft's flight controls comprised a rudder bar, a wheel for the ailerons and a control stick for the elevator.NACA 1930, pp. 5-6.


Operational service

The first aircraft were used by Aéropostale on the African mail routes connecting
Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
and
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
. The aircraft also inaugurated a Paris-Madrid service. The Latécoère 28 became famous in
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
because of the regular mail service it performed between France and
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, amongst other destinations. This aircraft's introduction made it possible to send a letter from Paris to
Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital city, capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's Chilean Central Valley, central valley and is the center ...
in what seemed then like an astonishingly short four days. Previously, the mail steamships had taken weeks or months. The Latécoère 28 was also operated in a military capacity.
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
purchased three aircraft for use as bombers while the French government supplied several to the
Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
during the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
.


Variants

;Laté 28.0 :Initial production with a
Renault 12Jbr Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
engine, 17 built (some later converted to 28.1). ;Laté 28.1 :Further production with a Hispano-Suiza 12Hbxr engine, 29 built. ;Laté 28.2 :Mail carrier, one built (n°948). ;Laté 28.3 :Mail carrier floatplane, five built. Three entered service with Air-France under the erroneous designation Latécoère 28.1/H ;Laté 28.3/H :A wheeled landing gear version of the 28.3, one built. ;Laté 28.3-I :A passenger version of the 28.3, powered by a Gnome et Rhône 14Kb Mistral Major radial engine, one built. ;Laté 28.4-I :A development of the 28.3 with a
Hispano-Suiza 12N The Hispano-Suiza 12N was one of two new V-12 engine designs first run in 1928 and was manufactured by Hispano-Suiza's French subsidiary for the Armée de l’Air. It produced about , was the first to use nitriding, gas nitride hardening and int ...
br engine, one built ;Laté 28.5 :Structurally strengthened version with a
Hispano-Suiza 12N The Hispano-Suiza 12N was one of two new V-12 engine designs first run in 1928 and was manufactured by Hispano-Suiza's French subsidiary for the Armée de l’Air. It produced about , was the first to use nitriding, gas nitride hardening and int ...
br engine. ;Laté 28.6 :For Venezuela powered by a
Hispano-Suiza 12N The Hispano-Suiza 12N was one of two new V-12 engine designs first run in 1928 and was manufactured by Hispano-Suiza's French subsidiary for the Armée de l’Air. It produced about , was the first to use nitriding, gas nitride hardening and int ...
br engine, three built. ;Laté 28.8 :One 28.0 modified with an enlarged wingspan ;Laté 28.9 :Three-seat landplane bomber for Venezuela, three built.


Operators


Civil

; * Aeropostala Argentina ; * Aéropostale *
Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...
; * Aviacon Aeropostal Venezolana *
Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela C.A. is a state-owned airline of Venezuela based in Torre Polar (beer), Polar Oeste in Caracas, Venezuela. It operates domestic services and international services in the Caribbean. Its main base is Simón Bolívar ...


Military

; *
Spanish Republican Air Force The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics () and Naval Aeron ...
; *
Venezuelan Air Force Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela (), is a professional armed body designed to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and airspace. It is a service component of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela. Etymology The organization is al ...


Specifications (Latécoère 28.0)


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * *
"The "Latecoere 28" commercial airplane (French) : a ten passenger high-wing monoplane."
''
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency that was founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its ...
'', 1 March 1930. NACA-AC-112, 93R19679.


External links

*
Latécoère 28
{{DEFAULTSORT:Latecoere 28 1920s French airliners 1920s French mailplanes 2 Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1927