Monday, October 12, 2009

Big in Brazil

The Blériot 5190 was a French transatlantic mail plane of the 1930s, a large parasol-wing monoplane flying boat. It was of slightly unusual design, with a low-profile hull and the crew compartment housed in the thick pylon that supported the wing. The four engines were arranged with three along the leading edge of the wing, and the fourth on the centreline of the trailing edge. It was constructed for a French government contract to carry airmail to South America.
The first example, christened Santos-Dumont flew on 3 August 1933 and by the end of 1934 had completed two proving flights across the Atlantic Ocean. In February 1935 with Aéropostale's only other transatlantic mailplane, the Latécoère 300 la Croix du Sud, out of commission for maintenance, the Santos-Dumont entered service.
Blériot 5190 Santos Dumont
at Rio de Janeiro, 1935
Water Color By Ian Marshall

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