Latécoère 26
| Latécoère 26 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Mail-carrying monoplane |
| Manufacturer | Latécoère |
| First flight | 1926 |
| Primary user | Aéropostale |
| Number built | 90 |
The Latécoère 26 was a French monoplane mail plane designed and built by Latécoère.
Development
[edit]The Latécoère 26 was designed in the 1920s as a mail carrier, based on the earlier Latécoère 25 with a longer fuselage, and first flew in 1926. It had a parasol wing with a fixed tailskid landing gear. The main landing gear was both robust and wide-track, to enable the aircraft to land on unprepared surfaces. It was powered by a single nose-mounted Renault 12Ja piston engine, and had room for only two passengers and an open cockpit for the pilot.
Operational history
[edit]Most of the aircraft were operated by Aéropostale on North and West African mail routes; two aircraft were sold in Argentina.
Variants
[edit]- Laté 26
- Initial production variant.
- Laté 26-2-R
- Introduced in 1927 it had a radio compartment.
- Laté 26-3
- Added fuel tank in wing centre-section.
- Laté 26-3-R
- With a balanced rudder.
- Laté 26-6
- Added a co-pilots cockpit in tandem behind the pilot, different landing gear and increased fuel capacity.
- Laté 26-6/2
- Re-engined with a 500hp (373kW) Renault engine and reduced wing area and tail surfaces.
Operators
[edit]
Specifications (26-2-R)
[edit]Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. p. 2293.
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 2 passengers and 5 m³ (176.57 ft³) of mail.
- Length: 17.4 m (57 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 17.40 m (57 ft 1 in)
- Height: 3.90 m (12 ft 1.5 in)
- Wing area: 48.60 m2 (523.14 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,590 kg (3,505 lb)
- Gross weight: 3,364 kg (7,416 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Renault 12Ja V-12 piston engine , 336 kW (450 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 188 km/h (117 mph, 102 kn)
- Range: 680 km (423 mi, 368 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 4,750 m (15,585 ft)
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]
- de Joux, Joseph (September 1984). "Les Latécoère 26". La Fana de l'Aviation (in French). No. 178. pp. 11–16.
- de Joux, Joseph (October 1984). "Les Latécoère 26 (deuxième partir)". La Fana de l'Aviation (in French). No. 179. pp. 17–23.
- de Joux, Joseph (November 1984). "Les Latécoère 26 (troisième partie et fin)". La Fana de l'Aviation (in French). No. 180. pp. 29–31.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. p. 2293.