Latécoère 32

Latécoère 32
Latécoère 32.3
Role	Flying boat mail plane Type of aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Latécoère[1]
First flight	1928
Primary user	Aéropostale[1]
Number built	8
Developed from	Latécoère 23

The Latécoère 32 was a flying boat built in France in 1928 for use on Aéropostale's mail routes to North Africa.

Development

A strengthened and enlarged version of the Latécoère 23, it was a parasol-wing monoplane with sponsons for stability in the water and two engines mounted in tandem push-pull configuration on the wing.

Operational history

Put into service on the Marseilles-Algiers and Toulouse-Algiers routes, the aircraft proved most unreliable and were involved in a number of accidents. At the end of 1931, the five surviving examples were re-engined with Hispano Suiza 12Hbr engines^[1] and re-designated Latécoère 32-3,^[1] which persisted in service a little longer.

Eight Latécoère 32's were built with the following construction numbers (numéros d'usine) and registrations:^[1]-

• n^o77 - F-AILN
• n^o78 - F-AILU
• n^o79 - F-AILT
• n^o80 - F-AISN
• n^o81 - F-AISO
• n^o82 - F-AIRU
• n^o84 - F-AITX
• n^o85 - F-AJBK

Variants

• Latécoère 32 - original version with Farman 12We engines.^[1]
• Latécoère 32-3 - remotorised version with Hispano-Suiza 12Hbr engines.^[1]

Operators

• Air France^[1]
• Aéropostale^[1]

Specifications (Latécoère 32-3)

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Capacity: Mail, or up to 4 passengers
• Length: 16.34 m (53 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 28.00 m (91 ft 10 in)
• Height: 6.145 m (20 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 123.0 m² (1,324 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 5,400 kg (11,904 lb)
• Gross weight: 7,500 kg (16,535 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Hispano-Suiza 12Hbr , 373 kW (500 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 202.5 km/h (126 mph, 109 kn) at sea level
• Cruise speed: 172 km/h (107 mph, 93 kn)
• Range: 1,500 km (930 mi, 810 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 4,100 m (13,450 ft) attained in 44 mins
• Rate of climb: 2.87 m/s (565 ft/min) at sea level

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Dornier Do 18

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Latécoère 32.