Continue reading]]> Le Cercle des Machines Volantes, based in the city of Compiègne, north of Paris, is planning to build a Latécoère 28, a legendary aircraft used by France’s Aéropostale airmail service in the 1930s.

Thanks to the support of the Latécoère foundation, the CMV has acquired and scanned the entire blueprints for the aircraft and is creating a 3D modelisation. Some parts have already been built, notably the instrument panel, equipped with original instruments. The aircraft is to be powered by a Hispano-Suiza V12 engine similar to the original type.

With a 63-feet wingspan, this aircraft was capable of carrying eight passagers over 600 miles at a speed of 140 mph. It will be built using the various skills available among the CMV’s ranks and with the help of many partners specialized in various fields, including the Compiègne Technological University, the Latécoère Foundation, and the Cachan IUT.

More information (in Frenc) from the Cercle des Machines Volantes’ website.