Latécoère
Laté 28
The Laté 28 was a French single‑engine monoplane produced by the aircraft manufacturer Latécoère in the late 1920s. Developed from the earlier Laté 23, it first flew in 1927 as a mail‑carrying version for the Aéropostale network that linked France with its North‑African and South‑American colonies. Powered by a 500 hp Hispano‑Suiza 12Lb V‑12 engine, the high‑winged design featured a robust wooden fuselage covered in fabric, fixed tailwheel undercarriage and a spacious forward compartment that could hold up to 300 kg of mail or four passengers. The aircraft's long range – up to 2 200 km – and reliable performance allowed pilots such as Jean Mermoz and Antoine de Saint‑Exupéry to complete the arduous trans‑Atlantic legs between Dakar and Natal, establishing the first regular aerial postal service across the ocean. In addition to its commercial role, the Laté 28 served briefly as a reconnaissance and light‑bombardment platform for the French Air Force during the early 1930s. Its success demonstrated the viability of long‑distance fixed‑wing transport and paved the way for more advanced mailliners like the Laté 300 and the pioneering Lockheed Vega, cementing Latécoère’s place in early aviation history.
