Enormous, Beautiful, Deadly - the Latécoère 631

[@aviationdeepdive]

This was a hell of a video to research, went digging in a lot of places - but am glad to have got all this info consolidated into one place - hope you enjoy it! Feel free to join our Discord community! - discord.gg/WCevgcufwJ Consider supporting us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/AviationDeepDive

[@AndreJourdan]

J'ai connu le dernier pilote du Late631c'etais Un voisin et je recherche son fils.jlou.Andre.

[@jeffreymcdonald8267]

Well done. Thank you.

[@markbowles2382]

Wow, never heard of this one - but give the brave fr ench credit - it was a very bold time in engineering where bigger meant better - also they had to double down on capacity after already conceiving their design - politics killed many great airplanes of that time, not just in France.

[@ethanboyd7843]

Downloaded it for pc and mobile just for this channel.

[@ethanboyd7843]

What was the helicopteroid commercial craft that got in a vortex state and rolled over atop a manhattan building killing ppl on the ground and ending commercial helo service in the city to this day? I wanna say it was like a hybrid vtol to airfoil thing. Weird name. Would be a great topic for a vid! I'll support that.

[@bigantplowright5711]

That is a new one on me! Everyday a school day. Excellent.

[@psymons9133]

Sad about the copy right issue... But a MOST interesting and well researched topic. Enjoyed it very much.

[@ShamanKish]

Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden for copyright breach.

[@ronaldvrooman9695]

​@@ShamanKishThey knew too much.

[@vanCaldenborgh]

@@ShamanKish Yeah, Eve got sewed by Apple.

[@ShamanKish]

@@vanCaldenborgh 😆🤗

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

The fact that it is in violation of somebody else's copyright establishes that this is *not* a "well researched topic* here. Your simpering post, P. Symons, is 180 degrees incorrrect.

[@Paladin1873]

This makes two plane in a row I've never heard of. Great work.

[@UncleManuel]

Out of all the flying boats this is definitely the most elegant... 😎😎👍👍

[@ronjon7942]

Starting a lecture with a Martin M130 is so AWESOME! Those were some clips I’ve not seen before.

[@ceejay960]

As a fan of big flying boats, particularly the Boeing 314, I'm surprised that I've never heard of this plane. It was truly beautiful! If I were a billionaire I would build a modernized replica of it. Good job on the video and thank you for telling the story of such a rare bird.

[@southlondon63]

Check out the mighty Sunderland derived from the Empire flying boat, more designed for Coastal Command actions but used well after that .

[@thhomasmarks]

I live 43 minutes from McMinnville oregon and am going to see H Hughes' massive wooden Hercules or Spruce Goose coined by its critics. It cost a whopping $350,000 000 in today's dollars.

[@redblack8414]

@ceejay960 Typically American. Totally ignorant of what is going on in the rest of the world.

[@gemini6999]

The 314 even had a whodunit novel called Night Over Water by Ken Follet take place in a 314 during a transatlantic flight.

[@mikejankowski6321]

Your final thought was going to be my comment - that at least one should have been preserved in a museum. All such rare items deserve to be so memorialized.

[@davidholmgren659]

A beautiful aircraft of which I knew very little about. Great presentation... Thank you very much.

[@raydesmond6712]

Wow, I realised you have the correct markings for the crashing aircraft at 13:54 F-BDRD . Kudos! Nice attention to detail

[@fredericmora3431]

Thanks for this Latecoere video!

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thankyou, appreciate that!

[@vernunftiger]

Great video! I'm a life-long aviation buff but I had never heard or this airplane. Such a beautiful plane!

[@alainfournol6786]

Congratulations for the big research work ! this plane is special to me since my grandfather worked at Latecoere on the building and then maintenance of the 631, and he sometimes talked to me about it (by the way I knew nothing of the Boeing 314, just the opposite to most people here). It is a big pity that it lacked anti-ice boots, this is not understandable (even my own plane built 1974 has several). I learned a lot about that beloved plane thanks to your work. I had still pictures from my grandpa, but it is the first time I see videos of her. Little detail : the newspaper in the video is from from the victory of 1918, not the defeat of 1940, but I prefer it like that ;-) Big Thanks to you, continue the good work !

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thanks for the comment, why - that's incredible that your grandfather worked on the 631!

[@JosephDawson1986]

I saw this and had to comment. In the 1930s my great grandfather was a maintainer for the docks , as well as the aircaraft, for the Boing 314. They made stops in Maine for fuel and to load American passengers.

[@alainfournol6786]

@@JosephDawson1986 Hi Joseph, our grandDads (or great grands) were lucky to work on such pieces of history ...

[@davidgapp1457]

An important video. This is an outstanding presentation which keeps alive the memory of a remarkable, if under-developed and under-tested aircraft. Many thanks for the time and effort poured into making this documentary. Very much appreciated.

[@aviationdeepdive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@justinrovers1]

I was expecting REXS hanger, the art looks sooo similar. He’s a little more in-depth but this is a good video as well

[@anareel4562]

It's really cool that the Mars is still used today as forest fire fighting equipment

[@walterrudich2175]

They are no more in service

[@rescue270]

Both surviving Mars were withdrawn from service and put up for sale some years ago. Hawaii Mars was flown to AirVenture Oshkosh a few years ago and put on water pickup and drop demonstrations, probably in an effort to attract buyers. I believe they now both been donated to museums. Almost certainly they will never fly again.

[@anareel4562]

@@walterrudich2175 I thought they still had 2 out in BC

[@peterwright4647]

@@anareel4562one is for sale now on trade a plane. Waiting on my lotto numbers Lol

[@walterrudich2175]

@@anareel4562 but they put them out of service in 2015 or so

[@kevinhorne9643]

Thank you! Really enjoyed this episode. Sorry about the copyright issue, Bon Chance!

[@Travis_22]

The fact they didn't have any de-icing or anti-icing systems on their aircraft makes me shudder. RIP to the lost.

[@AwesomeAngryBiker]

Was icing even considered back then 🤔?

[@pcka12]

​@@AwesomeAngryBikerWW2 bombers had it

[@kyleb3754]

Or Wi-Fi !!

[@steffenrosmus9177]

​@@kyleb3754who needs that ? Those planes flew so low that you could watch the landscape to kill the time.

[@steffenrosmus9177]

​@@pcka12also some types of fighter planes.

[@XRP747E]

Very good video, highlighting a little known aircraft. Much appreciated, thank you.

[@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus]

Victim of being a pioneer. Beautiful looking plane though. Great video!👍🏻

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thankyou!

[@oxcart4172]

Thanks

[@MichaelSmith-zf1kh]

Thanks!

[@aviationdeepdive]

I really appreciate that!

[@xvdd1]

It is interesting that the 631 overlapped the Sanders Roe SR 45 which never went into service because the demand for flying boats had waned due to more airports being built for land based aircraft so putting the 631's safety record aside it would have been redundant anyway just like the SR 45.

[@MrTerrymiff]

It is a pity that there is no film of take-offs or landings showing the deployment of the wing floats.

[@힐만94]

just found out about this beautiful sea plane because of so many reviews of microsoft flight-sim on youtube. thanks for reviewing it... 👍

Fine documentary

[@collin6238]

I'm an aviation enthusiast but I never knew about this beautiful bird thank you for the video

[@deejannemeiurffnicht1791]

I can't believe I've never heard of this plane before. Well done putting this one together there!

[@quentintin1]

the biggest issue that led to the 631 poor reputation was certainly the circumstances that surrounded the prototypes N°1 had a short testing phase before the germans squirreled it away N°2 never was properly tested and was used a the first production plane in the context of a reindustrialising France, the testing phase was shortened to it's bare minimum, leading to host of issues to remain undiscovered until it hit the users (an issue shared by many state-run programs in the 50's)

[@aviationdeepdive]

Yes good points, I think the nature of the early development really handicapped the aircraft.

[@freddiecunningham2860]

Why ppl don't survive plane crashes?

[@duglandp]

@@freddiecunningham2860 High speed against solid objects has never been a good idea for human beings

[@mesalab3781]

​@@duglandpIn the words of a wise man ''Its not the speed that kills people, suddenly becoming stationary, thats what gets you.''

[@duglandp]

@@mesalab3781 Fair enough

[@raywest3834]

The most beautiful flying boat I've ever seen. Sounds like the specs change may have had something to do with the later problems. A tragic story, well-told. New subscriber.

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thanks!

[@thomasbaker6563]

A Sunderland looks better

[@chrisd8866]

6:10 I know I'm late to the party, but that newspaper is about a previous armistice, the one from 1918 haha

[@loiclaronche5675]

At last ! A video on this forgotten but beautiful aircraft. Thanks a lot

[@EileenPeg]

Peace is not something you wish for. It's something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.

[@ethanboyd7843]

Fantastic work man.

[@MarceloBorba-t5m]

High quality video. Thank you.

[@jasonworden8209]

That is one of the coolest planes I've ever seen. I love the nose!!

[@burntsider8457]

An interesting story well told,

[@dougweise7176]

Great work, I really enjoyed . I have also not heard of this aircraft. Your research effort is impressive. Thanks for a very nice historical video.

[@TheGnewb]

This was beautifully informative and I sat through the self published ad but appreciate the timestamp datum.

[@backho12]

A very well done video! Thank you so much

[@NebulaM57]

Wow, this was great! I'd never heard of this aircraft. Well done sir!

[@TheYumChannel]

Been waiting for a video in this aircraft

[@pattywolford]

New subscribed. Thanks.

[@davidbamford4721]

What a thrilling story! It would make a marvellous movie.

[@illuminem]

The newspaper headline shown at 6:10 did not announce the defeat of France in 1940, as narrated, but the defeat of Germany at the end of WW1 in 1918. Other than that, very interesting information on French aircraft technology in the 1940s.

[@alainfournol6786]

exactly, you are right and I was about to write about that ! however it is more heart warming to read that than the newspaper of june 40... keep it unmodified 😁

[@timsarchery]

I hate how KZbin puts copy right down it destroys hard working people like yourself I'll like and subscribe just for that to but I really like your videos very informative and interesting and always well researched great work

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thankyou!

[@old_guard2431]

So, weather. Early in my Coast Guard career I was on a High Endurance Cutter (think lightly-armed frigate) doing Ocean Stations, also called Weather Patrols. We had three a bit over 1/3 of the way across the North Atlantic and the Europeans ran three on their side. We ran a navigation beacon, chased weather balloons twice a day to keep them on radar as long as possible, did oceanographic work. And were there. One mid-Atlantic passenger seaplane ditched successfully near a Coast Guard Cutter. (Bermuda Sky Queen, 1947, Ocean Station Charlie) The program was surplus to requirements by the time I was involved (1970-72) - the civilian airliners had better navigation equipment than we did, and the aircraft doing transatlantic flights were much more reliable than in the early days. It was discontinued in 1974, and a lot of our ragtag fleet of Navy-surplus WW2 seaplane/PT boat tenders, destroyer escorts and the like got a much-deserved retirement. (My ship was built in the 1960s and still soldiers on in the Philippine Coast Guard.)

[@overbank56]

Thanks for this great video. I've loved flying boats for a very long time. I wish these giants of the sea were still flying

[@ArmySigs]

Yes, imagine taking one of those old flying boat trips across the atlantic in that sort of luxury - what an event! Of course not in any of the ones that crashed :)

[@terry351]

What an amazing history, thanks for putting all this effort tomake it!

[@stockseer]

Very well done presentation; I'm a bit of an aviation buff (we were neighbors with Olive Ann Beach and the Wallaces who ran Cessna in the 1950's; and Rutledge who ran Boeing Wichita) and I never knew this story of the French flying boat. Incredible that one has not been preserved for posterity. I appreciate your work on this.

[@visnichba]

This is a wonderful video and a beautiful, if seriously screwed up, airplane. Joined!

[@sreed8570]

In the history of aviation especially the first 50 years, designers and builders were simply making the best airplanes they could considering the materials, processes and techniques that were available to them at the time. When you think about it, its still amazing what they achieved back then. Remember these men were just a few short decades removed from the Wright bro's.

[@ArdeltaTrading]

You sir make excellent thourough and informative documentaries. Also entertaining and watchable.

[@jacquesmichel9232]

Very interesting and informative your video on the Latecoere. I was a teenager when I lost 5 members of my family on the last trip from France to Martinique. It was such a beautiful sea plane right there in the harbor of Fort de France when it was coming to the island. It should have been kept in a museum. Thanks so much 😂😂.

[@karlfriedrich7758]

Great video! You definitely did a lot of research and it's cool learning about a lesser-known plane like this. Keep up the great videos!

[@aviationdeepdive]

Appreciate that, thankyou!

[@TheRumbles13]

Liked and subbed. Thank you for all your hard work.

[@guaporeturns9472]

Love the big , multi-engined prop planes… the more engines the better

[@Dilley_G45]

Do X - 12 engines

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@Dilley_G45 absolutely. Love it

[@JStryker7]

Damn the wings coming off is brutal

[@propman3523]

Great job!

[@Firebrand55]

Never heard of it.....but I have now, thanks to this excellent vid.....well researched and narrated, an absorbing insight int, for me, the Aircraft That Never Was. i can't agree that it was 'beautiful; the nose reminded me of Jimmy 'Schnozzola' Durante!...11/10.

[@aviationdeepdive]

Glad you enjoyed it! It appears the looks are a bit more divisive than I thought!

[@alainfournol6786]

the nose reminds me my Beech Baron 58 so I love it !

[@American_Jeeper]

Well-researched, well-outlined and very well-presented. Also, excellent French pronunciation. Liked and subscribed!

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thank you very much!

[@brendonrutherford5118]

Yip your "French" pronounciations were not merely good but were beauitful even though I don't speak French myself!! Lovely language but still making my mind up on the people themselves!! (ugh)

[@jeanbonnefoy1377]

6:25 strangely enough, this picture of a SE200 dates from 59-60 judging by the Renault 4cv and Dauphine clearly visible parked under the left wing. Anyway, kudos for this video, the Laté 631 being one of my all time favourite planes, certainly one of the most beautiful ever, even with a fate on a par with the sadly infamous British "Empire of the Clouds" R101 airship. Btw, kudos for your excellent pronunciation of French names (at the one and only exception of Amphitrite to be pronunced /AmphitrEEt/ ): it is such a rare feat with English spoken videos. But being a Greek, I guess you certainly know something about languages. As said from a retired translator and interpreter.🤗

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thanks for the info, and appreciate the kind words - means a lot! Should have known to say Amphirite like that… ah well, next time! 😁

[@callenclarke371]

Excellent content about a fascinating (and dangerous) aircraft. Well done.

[@goldgeologist5320]

This reminds me of the Howard Hughes Spruce Goose. But in metal. You should compare size.

[@johncurcio3621]

Well done and interesting.

[@bazoo513]

This was a good one.

[@CRUZER1800]

Very interesting story... Just goes to show the high cost of advancing aircraft technology in the earlier days. Thank you for posting... Russ

[@markbradley2367]

Very interesting. Thank you for producing this. I've always been fascinated by flying boats ,particularly this one as it looked very elegant. Sadly, the old saying that if it looked right then it flew right clearly didn't working this case !

[@davidsheppard1362]

Fascinating documentary.

[@davidk7324]

Thanks for this. I wonder if its appealing aesthetics resulted in too much benefit of the doubt.

[@mikeh.7499]

A good point to ponder there David.very astute.

[@Theintruder100]

Very interesting. I never knew about this aircraft until now.

[@goldgeologist5320]

Great video!

[@ashifabedin]

Sad about the copy right issue... Enjoyed it very much.

[@jiyushugi1085]

Fascinating airplane, never even knew of it. Thanks for the upload. Did the pilots imagine that flying into icing conditions and thunderstorms would not be dangerous on such large aircraft? Get-there-itis? Arrogance? Hard to fathom.

[@JasonMcCord-qk3yb]

I never even knew this aircraft existed! So beautiful, it was, and now has gone the way of the PBM Mariner. (Though at least there exists one non-flying example of the Mariner in a museum.)

[@ronaldbayne1431]

Fascinating. Good video and excellent narrative. Thanks Rmb

[@frenchie7812]

WOW this is a huge work!! Nice job, I have learned a lot here. Thx

[@aviationdeepdive]

Glad it was helpful!

[@306champion]

She was a beautiful bird. I am sure there must be photos of the interior!

[@johncillis3431]

This was an interesting aircraft I did not know much about until it was added to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 as an add-on for sale. Your video adds to my knowledge of an aircraft that might have been in wider use were it not for WWII, then it was made obsolete by the DC6 and Lockheed Constellation. I have flown across the Atlantic 16 times as an air passenger, the Pacific twice and the Caribbean four times, always thinking of these old aircraft as I flew in jet aircraft and their contribution to aviation. Like the Hindenburg, there were tragedies, but civilian aviation has become so much safer over time I think of these tragedies in context and those like you who create videos teach about that context which I avoided during 500,000 miles of business travel and 100,000 miles of personal travel. I found more danger on the ground, as they say, although when I learned to fly in '06 I realized the importance of the pilot in an in-flight emergency, I have been in ground aircraft emergencies and one low fuel in flight emergency because of fog, but I felt calm, knowing I was in the hands of fate, and knowing fate can sometimes keep us calm in a vehicle emergency.

[@robertclark972]

Thought it was odd -- picture of a huge marine plane and the words Deep Dive Aviation ! !

[@calderniven8110]

Good stuff, well researched, well presented, well edited. Liked and subbed, looking forward to more!

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thankyou!

[@johnbante5594]

Hope everything works out okay with the complaint you do good work.

[@adotintheshark4848]

It went down in history as one of the most beautiful designs, and it also just went down.

[@Anabsurdsuggestion]

Great video. Well done, fascinating story.

[@caddy-daddy7907]

Heute Abend, am Tag der Deutschen Einheit, den 3. Oktober 2024, wurde mir ihr Kanal vorgeschlagen mit diesem tollen Beitrag, nachdem ich gestern einen Beitrag über die Fiat G.50 Freccia angeschaut hatte. Dem Google Algorithmus sei Dank! Ein wirklich toller und gut gemachter Beitrag, vielen Dank dafür! Habe noch nie von diesem Flugzeug gehört, sehr interessant! Beim Anblick dieser Flugboote bekomme ich immer Fernweh! Habe ihren Kanal natürlich gleich abonniert! Viele Grüße und alles Gute und weiterhin viel Spaß beim Entdecken von Interessanten Flugzeugen!

[@TWE-w1r]

Thought I knew a lot about aircraft of the era, but this was an eye opener. My 'most beautiful' choice as been the Constellation, since I was eight and saw my first one. The 631 gives it a run for its money, but having had a small role in the promotion of the Spruce Goose after acquired by Evergreen Aviation, and a fascination with Howard Hughe's life, and TWA's one-upmanship over Pan AM thanks to the Connie, I will probably remain loyal, but cheat on her with my eyes whenever possible. Great job. Sorry about your YT issue. They've done that without cause to two of my vids, and I rarely do one anymore for cause... happier rumbling alone elsewhere. But then, I don't monetize, and my target audience is rather niche-like.

[@MadgeJosh]

Give thanks for the rain of life that propels us to reach new horizons.

[@DavidJohnson-gh3si]

Excellent video, thank you!

[@TIMMEH19991]

Great video of a plane I'd never heard of before. Thanks!

[@Taketimeout3]

It is one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring planes of all time. It deserved to succeed. The late 30s is the most interesting period in aviation. So many beautiful aircraft like the DH Albatross, one if your next vides, hopefully.

[@pierredecine1936]

Amazing Story - Quite Well Presented !

[@ginog5037]

Fantastic video, very very much appreciate all your hard work. Sorry about the copyright issue 😕

[@brentsummers7377]

Superb in flight clips!😀

[@CFtablet]

The Brazilian diplomat and composer/singer Vinicius de Moraes ("The Girl From Ipanema" - melody by Tom Jobim, lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes) was in this flight between Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo that had an emergency.

[@johntechwriter]

Ah, por que estou tão sozinho? Ah, por que tudo é tão triste? Ah, a beleza que existe A beleza que não é só minha Que também passa sozinha

[@TheLateBird7]

A well rounded video, very enjoying watch. The reenacted part of the iced-wing crash was ... well, chilling. (Pun not intended!) Great french voice acting here. Also the development context is very interesting. I'd not heard of the SE.200 Amphitrite before. I must say, aesthetically that one is even more attractive to me!

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thanks! I also have to admit the SE.200 is a bit more cool looking.

[@vanessabryan786]

The Amphorite was the aircraft that transported Film stars to the first post war Cannes film festival. The Lat. was an incredibly elegant flying boat. The Flight deck was huge like an item from a Jules Vern story.

[@handy335]

Thank you for an excellent informative video! Very well done.

[@wormyboot]

Wow! I subscribed because of this video.

[@aviationdeepdive]

Glad to hear it!

[@cricticalthinking]

Just discovered your channel. It has great potential. The amount of information you provide hits about the right note. Would you consider doing some more modern aircraft as well. I know Aircraft like Concorde, SR71, Airbus A380 have been done many times but your style lends itself to adding another facet to those stories. A bit like different singers covering the same song. All have their merit. The Concorde is unmatched in so many ways not just raw speed but what had to be invented to do that. How many planes even today do you know of can fly you at Mach two in the clothes you are wearing. If anything planes have largely stagnated except in areas of fuel economy and noise levels. If Concorde was a 'quiet' aircraft it would still be flying.

[@PixelatedExistence]

Looked the part, but sadly never lived up to its good looks. Having no de-icing seems like madness today. So many shortcuts were probably taken in building this aircraft. Interesting video!

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

@16:03 Lockheed C-130 Hercules amphibian in the background 😆