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The Latécoère 500 was a flying boat built in France in 1931 for use on the transatlantic mail route to South America. Designed to a specification by the French aviation ministry, Latécoère also built a passenger-carrying variant, the 501, which actually flew first. The design was a large, parasol-wing monoplane with broad sponsons and a fully enclosed cabin. Three engines were installed on the wing, two tractor-fashion on the leading edge, and one pusher-fashion on the trailing edge.

Latécoère 500
Latécoère 501
Role	Flying boat mail plane Type of aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Latécoère
First flight	24 February 1932
Number built	2

The Latécoère 500 was not accepted for service due to its poor flying qualities and was soon scrapped. The 501 flew for a while on passenger routes in the Mediterranean.

Variants

• Latécoère 500 - mailplane version (1 built)
• Latécoère 501 - airliner version (1 built)

Specifications (Laté 500)

General characteristics

• Crew: Three
• Length: 17.74 m (58 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 31.40 m (103 ft 0 in)
• Height: 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 148.3 m² (1,600 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 4,446 kg (9,802 lb)
• Gross weight: 9,816 kg (21,641 lb)
• Powerplant: 3 × Hispano-Suiza 12Jb , 300 kW (400 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 210 km/h (130 mph, 110 kn)
• Range: 4,800 km (3,000 mi, 2,600 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Latécoère 500.

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 564.
• aviafrance.com
• Уголок неба

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