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Meet the aircraft
The French Latécoère 631 was a six-engine flying boat intended for transatlantic passenger service. Its long hull, high wing and radial engines date from the final era of large civil flying boats. The Second World War disrupted development and service.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A pilot remains committed to the flying boat’s cargo work
Demouveaux spoke warmly about the Latécoère after returning from its second France–Indochina cargo journey in 1952. He believed the modifications had made it an excellent aircraft and remained committed to its future. The report captures that confidence at a time when the flying boat was seeking another role after its passenger service. The journey was a crew effort.
Les Ailes, 2 August 1952, signed J. G.; compilation PDF page 7. Reported interview following a second journey to Saigon and back. His confidence is a historical opinion, not a safety finding.
Les Ailes / Entreprises coloniales · Read more ↗Large-flying-boat controls
The 2023 guide illustrates trim and gyropilot controls in the MSFS 2020 cockpit. This older manual does not establish unchanged MSFS 2024 operation.
631 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Microsoft Flight Simulator · 2 min ·
Microsoft Flight Simulator | Local Legend 9: Latécoère 631
Microsoft introduces the Latécoère 631 in its Local Legends series.
Simulator · Microsoft Latécoère 631 · MSFS
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Meet Latécoère 631
The French Latécoère 631 was a six-engine flying boat intended for transatlantic passenger service. Its long hull, high wing and radial engines date from the final era of large civil flying boats. The Second World War disrupted development and service.
Land-based airliners later displaced this approach to long-distance transport. The aircraft's numerous engines and large crew stations reflect the systems and navigation demands of its period.
Latécoère 631
Aircraft type designators
A model-specific ICAO or FAA designator has not been confirmed in the references reviewed for this aircraft.
History & design
A large cabin and a separate crew deck
Les Ailes credits engineer Marcel Moine with the design. Its 1952 description places the crew above the passenger spaces, where facing seats could become bunks. A bar, cabins with reading lamps and a galley gave the interior a ship-like arrangement. Layout details varied between aircraft; the article does not describe one identical cabin across the fleet.
Les Ailes / Entreprises coloniales · France-Hydro: contemporary reports from Les Ailes ↗Compilation PDF pages 1 and 6–7; design credit and cabin description
Passenger accommodation makes way for cargo
The 1949 report describes removing the passenger fittings from aircraft No. 8. A large port-side loading door required reinforcement of the hull structure, while hoists and an internal rail helped move freight aboard. The conversion changed both the interior and the work performed at each stop.
Les Ailes / Entreprises coloniales · SEMAF: contemporary reports from Les Ailes ↗Les Ailes, 20 August 1949 · compilation PDF pages 2–3
The view from the upper deck on a British demonstration flight
A Flight reporter travelled above the passenger cabin with Prévost during a 1947 demonstration over London. The long bow stretching ahead of the windscreen recalled a cabin cruiser. Below, the reporter found curtained cabins and a restaurant bar, while noticing more noise and vibration near the engines. These are an observer’s impressions, not Prévost’s own testimony.
Flight / Stu Richards · The Latécoère 631 in Britain: Flight report reprint ↗1947 Flight passage as reprinted; unverified numerical claims and accident speculation excluded
Development milestones
First flight: 4 November 1942
Wikipedia contributors · Latécoère 631 ↗Latécoère 631 · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1363832860
Pilot accounts
A pilot remains committed to the flying boat’s cargo work
Demouveaux spoke warmly about the Latécoère after returning from its second France–Indochina cargo journey in 1952. He believed the modifications had made it an excellent aircraft and remained committed to its future. The report captures that confidence at a time when the flying boat was seeking another role after its passenger service.
The journey was a crew effort. Demouveaux flew as pilot and captain with a second pilot, navigator, radio operators and mechanics, including staff from Latécoère. The report traces their route through Bizerte, Bahrain and Trincomalee, with part of the flying at night. His enthusiasm belongs to that particular stage of the aircraft’s working life; it does not settle the questions raised by its later history.
Les Ailes, 2 August 1952, signed J. G.; compilation PDF page 7. Reported interview following a second journey to Saigon and back. His confidence is a historical opinion, not a safety finding.
Read the full account · Les Ailes / Entreprises coloniales ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024631
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
631
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020Latécoère 631
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Latécoère 631
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 43.46 m (142 ft 7 in) |
| Wingspan | 57.43 m (188 ft 5 in) |
| Height | 10.35 m (33 ft 11 in) |
| Wing area | 349.4 m² (3,761 sq ft) |
| Empty weight | 32,400 kg (71,430 lb) |
| Gross weight | 71,350 kg (157,300 lb) |
| Max takeoff weight | 75,000 kg (165,347 lb) |
| Powerplant | 6 × Wright GR-2600-A5B Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engines , 1,194 kW (1,600 hp) each |
| Propellers | 3-bladed constant-speed propellers, 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) diameter |
| Maximum speed | 395 km/h (245 mph, 213 kn) at 1,800 m (5,900 ft) |
| Cruise speed | 295 km/h (183 mph, 159 kn) at 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Range | 6,035 km (3,750 mi, 3,259 nmi) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Large-flying-boat controls631 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The 2023 guide illustrates trim and gyropilot controls in the MSFS 2020 cockpit. This older manual does not establish unchanged MSFS 2024 operation.
Legacy manual; MSFS 2024 interfaces remain unverified
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The clipboard controls starting states and doorsLatécoère 631 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The General page offers cold-and-dark, automatic start and automatic shutdown states, plus door controls.
2023 MSFS 2020 guide · PDF pages 6–7
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Check fuel and oil levels on the Engine pageLatécoère 631 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
This clipboard page displays tank levels because the documented cockpit lacks fuel-level indicators. It also provides a refill control.
MSFS 2020 guide · PDF page 9
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The undercarriage is for ground positioningLatécoère 631 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
Its four-way control moves the aircraft, with a central stop button. The guide explicitly excludes takeoff or landing with this equipment enabled.
MSFS 2020 guide · PDF page 10, visually checked
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Shut down the engines before using the tugLatécoère 631 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The towing page activates the boat only with aircraft engines off. Separate direction and throttle controls move it.
MSFS 2020 guide · PDF page 11
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The gyropilot holds an established heading or altitudeLatécoère 631 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The guide requires the gyropilot and master switches before the hold controls. Its speed-hold function is unused in this version.
MSFS 2020 guide · PDF page 27
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Pilot account
A pilot remains committed to the flying boat’s cargo workLes Ailes, 2 August 1952, signed J. G.; compilation PDF page 7. Reported interview following a second journey to Saigon and back. His confidence is a historical opinion, not a safety finding.
Demouveaux spoke warmly about the Latécoère after returning from its second France–Indochina cargo journey in 1952. He believed the modifications had made it an excellent aircraft and remained committed to its future. The report captures that confidence at a time when the flying boat was seeking another role after its passenger service. The journey was a crew effort.
Louis Demouveaux
Les Ailes / Entreprises coloniales · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Latécoère Model 631 User ManualMicrosoft / aircraft developers Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Latécoère 631Wikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1363832860 · retrieved 2026-09-12 SEMAF: contemporary reports from Les AilesLes Ailes / Entreprises coloniales · 20 August 1949 · cargo conversion; compiled 2024 The Latécoère 631 in Britain: Flight report reprintFlight / Stu Richards · 1947 report reprinted 7 February 2011; observer aboard the demonstration aircraftResource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftDeveloper documentation
City Update II: France and Local Legend IX: Latécoère Model 631 Now Available - News & AnnouncementsMicrosoft Flight Simulator Team · 2023-06-19 · release and package scopeBuilt-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 1 profile choice
Latécoère 631
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Latécoère 631: The profile supplies selected large-transport resistance.
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