page_title: Jean Mermoz
section_title: Latécoère
hierarchical_section_title: Jean Mermoz / Career / Latécoère
caption_attribution_description: English: Aircraft w:en:Couzinet 70 Arc-en-Ciel III (F-AMBV) in Fernando de Noronha, 14 June 1934 Français&#160;: L'"Arc-en-Ciel", le 14 juin 1934, atterrit pour première fois à Fernando de Noronha
context_page_description: Jean Mermoz was a French aviator, viewed as a hero by other pilots such as Saint-Exupery, and in his native France, where many schools bear his name. In Brazil, he also is recognized as a pioneer aviator.
context_section_description: Mermoz went on to become an airmail pilot, with Latécoère's company, and almost failed his entry exam by performing dangerous stunts to impress the director. (The director, Didier Daurat had this famous quote: "We don't need acrobats here, we need bus drivers.") He then did a normal, flawless flight and was hired. It was there that Mermoz met Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. At the Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Mermoz travelled to Morocco, Senegal and other African areas.
  In 1926, one of Mermoz's flights ended with an accident, when his plane crashed in the Sahara. He was then taken hostage by a group of rebel Tuaregs, but was fortunately found later alive.
  In 1927, Latécoère began building his own brand of planes to replace the aging World War I aircraft Breguet 14. The Latécoère 25, (or "Laté 25") and, later, the Latécoère 26 and Latécoère 28 proved to be efficient aircraft when flying from Morocco to Senegal, and Mermoz himself flew the types on those routes on multiple occasions.
  But Africa was only the beginning. Latécoère's project was to create a direct airline between France and South America. By 1929, it had become evident that it would be economically viable for France to establish a commercial air route to South America, so Mermoz and others flew over the Andes. Despite Mermoz finding the flying conditions over the Andes to be tough, he became the project's main pilot, determined to reach the Pacific Ocean, and he was able, after multiple stops, to reach Santiago, Chile. During that time, to save time, he decided to fly during the night, using light beacons and flares as guides; and his fellow pilots, for once, were a bit reluctant to see him do it, because they knew it would be their turn next.
  For some time, as transatlantic flights were not yet possible, steamboats linked both halves of the "Line".
  After flying from Saint-Louis, in Senegal, to Natal, Brazil, in 12–13 May 1930, the line was complete at last. Unfortunately, the modified Laté 28 "Comte-de-la-Vaulx" did not prove reliable enough, and had to ditch at sea during the return flight. Mermoz, his two companions and the mail were rescued, but the plane sank during the attempt to tow it.
caption: The Couzinet 70, "Arc-en-Ciel", F-AMBV, flown by Mermoz
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