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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0026.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY U, 1934 AIR TRANSPORT & COMMERCE THE SOUTH AMERICAN r SERVICES OF AIR-FRANCE;- By G. A. HINKSON ON October 7, 1933, the CompagnieGenerate A^ropostale (Latecoere),which for five and a half yearshad maintained the air-mail ser- vice between Europe and South America, ceased to exist as an independent company, and became merged in the combine Air- France. The decision to unite all the French air companies with a single organisa- tion followed a similar development in other important European countries. Thus, Great Britain is represented by Imperial Airways, Germany by the Deutsche Luft Hansa, Holland by the K.L.M., and Belgium by the Sabena. The other com- panies included in the French combine are Air Orient, Air Union, Cidna, and the Fannan Company. In view of the enormously increased im- portance of commercial aviation there is little doubt that the new organisation will prosper. But as regards South America it was the old Latecoere Company which carried the banner of progress at a time when civil flying was yet in its infancy. Its achievements in fifteen years have been striking. In September, 1918, while the World War was still raging, M. Latecoere approached the French Govern- ment with a scheme for the creation of an aerial postal service between France and South America, the route passing over Morocco and French West Africa. Some time passed without any definite developments; but on Christ- mas Day, 1919, a regular air service was inaugurated as far as Rabat, on the Moroccan Coast. Six years later the route was extended to Dakar, in Senegal. The progress of the company then became rapid. M. Marcel Bouilloux- Lafont, a prominent French commercial and financial magnate with widespread business interests in France and in South America, now took an active part in the fortunes of Late'coere Company. On March 1, 1928, the ten-year-old dream of M. Lat^coere materialised and a regular weekly mail service from Toulouse; to Buenos Aires began functioning, thus bringing Argentina within a MOVING LANDMARKS: A camel caravan crossing the desert in Rio de Oro, as seen from an Air-France machine. week's journey of Europe. In the existing stage of pro- gress it was not possible for aeroplanes to cross regularly the 3,100 kilometres of ocean between Dakar and the Brazilian port, Natal. Accordingly, for this part of the journey a fleet of six small fast steamers was organised. These steamers were old naval patrol boats hired out to the company by the French Ministry of Marine and con- verted to commercial uses. Their names are Revigny, Epernay, Reims, Luneville, Peronne, and Belfort. Each boat has a crew of six officers and twenty men, has a capacity of from 800 to 1,000 tons, is driven by steam turbines and can maintain an average speed of from 16 to 18 knots. The crossing from Dakar to Natal by steamer takes about 4£ days. On arrival at Natal the mails are transferred to another aeroplane which takes them on to Buenos Aires. A more brilliant success for the Latecoere Company was still to come. In July, 1929, the line was extended over the Andes to Santiago de Chile. The difficulties of estab- lishing a regular mail service in all weathers over the THE MARINE EQUIPMENT: One of the fleet of small fast steamers which transport the mails between Dakar and Port Natal. 28
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