Hi pilots!
The Society To Operate Retro Mail service has contacted HQ to request the use of our Singularity drive to ensure the mail crosses the Atlantic on schedule.
BACKGROUND
On December 25th of 1918, Latécoère Airlines provided the first civilian international airmail service in the world, when mail was flown from Toulouse, France, to Barcelona, Spain.
Two months later, on the 19th of February 1919, Latécoère extended the airmail service to Casablanca, Morocco, making it the first intercontinental airmail service in the world.
(Compare US airmail Washington DC to New York May 1918, and New York to San Francisco September 1920.)
In 1928, the Africa-South America mail service started. They used a war-surplus destroyer (!) for the Atlantic crossing, linking two existing French airmail routes in Europe and South America. Crossing time: 8 days.
In 1930, the sea link was replaced by air, as described below.
In 1933, the Latécoère 28 was replaced by the seriously weird looking Couzinet 70 Arc-en-Ciel III (wheels, not floats) that made the crossing in 15 hours.
ORIGINAL FULL MAIL ROUTE
FIRST SCHEDULED AIRMAIL CROSSING OF SOUTH PACIFIC
On May 12th 1930, the first mail plane for the French company Aéropostale flew from Africa to South America (Dakar, Senegal to Natal, Brazil). It was a Latécoère 28 with floats. Flight time: 20 hours. Plane lost on return flight from South America to Africa (pilot and mail OK).
Our mission on Monday night will be to complete the return flight to Africa. HQ wants us to deliver the next 50 years worth of mail all in one shot.
Flight plan for Monday is as follows:
Depart: SBNT Augusto Servero Intl, Natal, Brazil
Arrive: GOOY Leopold Sedar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal.
Distance: 1629 nmi
Airplane: C130 Hercules or any cargo prop that can maintain 240 knots indicated at 30,000 ft.
Estimated crossing time: 4.5 - 5 hours
This will be a serious long haul across the Atlantic. Be ready for a long (5 hours!) flight. The Brazilian government has kindly supplied us with an advance copy of this years blockbuster action film that we will watch as an in-flight movie. Please have available some way to view this film as we will all watch it at the same time. Ways to view include: a second monitor, a main monitor (if you trust your auto pilot), an Ipad, Smartphone or even a second computer or laptop. It will be on Youtube so you could also view it on most game consoles or internet enabled TV's. This movie was nominated in 1930 for an academy award and is actually kinda good! I will crack the seal on the canister and reveal the movie at the appropriate time.
As always with these Around the World flights the preferred aircraft is the timeless Captain sim C130 Hercules, but feel free to use any cargo prop that can maintain 240 KIAS at around 30,000 ft. Please do Not bring a jetliner to this event because they stick out like a sore thumb and are a distraction. Many suitable free planes are available from Storms skydrive including the excellent Antinov AN-12 and Howard :http://tinyurl.com/storms-onedrive
Hope to see everyone there!
Happy landings,
Lazer
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