J.Stroud European Transport Aircraft since 1910 (Putnam)

Latécoére 3 Postal

  At the 1919-20 Paris Aero Show, Forges et Ateliers de Construction Latécoére showed a very clean two-bay biplane. On the side of the fuselage was inscribed, in capital letters, Lignes Aériennes G. Latécoére France Espagne Maroc, and on the rudder could be seen the words Avion Postal Type Toulouse Rabat. It was stated at that time that this type was in service between Toulouse and Rabat. The aircraft exhibited was the Latécoere 3, it bore no registration, and no other examples are known.
  The Latécoere 3 had a fabric-covered duralumin structure, and the Paris Aero Show model had a high gloss finish. The wings were of equal span, and there were balanced ailerons on all four wings, the rudder was balanced and of large area but the triangular fin was very small. The pilot had an open cockpit under the centre section and there was a larger open cockpit aft of the wings - this had two seats in tandem. The 260 hp Salmson Z.9 nine-cylinder water-cooled radial engine was very neatly cowled and drove a two-blade airscrew.


Span 12-57 m (41 ft 3 in); length 7-56 m (24 ft 10 in). Empty weight 1,055 kg (2,325 Ib); loaded weight 1,675 kg (3,692 Ib). Maximum speed 200 km/h (124:2 mph); cruising speed 180 km/h (111-8 mph); range 600 km (372 miles).

Журнал Flight

Flight, December 25, 1919.

The Paris Aero Show 1919

Latecoere. - On this stand there is one single-engined two-seater biplane which, according to the legend painted on the side of the fuselage, is designed for mail carrying. The machine does not, on casual inspection, appear to offer any features of particular interest.