Between the Wars: Innovation and Industry

The interwar period saw French aviation reach new heights. Manufacturers like Latécoère, Breguet, and Potez pushed technological boundaries. The Latécoère company established the first regular airmail service from France to South America, with pilots like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (later author of "The Little Prince") flying dangerous routes over the Sahara and Andes.

French designers pioneered all-metal construction, retractable landing gear, and pressurized cabins. The Dewoitine D.520 fighter, introduced in 1940, was arguably the best fighter aircraft in the world at that moment, combining speed, maneuverability, and firepower. Had France's military procurement been less chaotic, it might have changed the course of World War II.

Women played important but often overlooked roles in early French aviation. Hélène Boucher set multiple speed records in the 1930s before dying in a crash at age 26. Maryse Bastié became the first French woman to cross the South Atlantic solo. These pioneers faced not just technical challenges but social barriers, fighting for the right to compete and be taken seriously in a male-dominated field.