Loire 102

Designed for the South Atlantic mail route between West Africa and Brazil, the Loire 101 Bretagne (Brittany) flew for the first time on 12 May 1936. A large superstructure, on the lines of the naval vessels for which the firm was famous, was set-on top of the two-step hull and contained the control cabin and various crew compartments. Forward in the hull was a comfortable cabin for four passengers, to the rear of which were holds for mail, baggage and freight. Set on top of the high braced wing were four 537kW Hispano-Suiza 12Kbrs-1 liquid-cooled engines in tandem pairs. Vibration problems of the Loire 102 were never resolved and the flying-boat was finally scrapped in 1938.