* Latécoère 300, black & white photo, 14 x 20 cm format, wit - Lot 31

* Latécoère 300, black & white photo, 14 x 20 cm format, with a rare dated signature by Lieutenant-Commander Roger Bonnot, aircraft commander. The seaplane christened "Croix du Sud", registered F-AKGF, is photographed on departure from the Etang de Berre - France, in December 1933, in a 30 x 30 cm frame. - The aircraft made its first major flight from December 31, 1933 to January 1, 1934, flying non-stop from the Etang de Berre to Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal, a distance of 3,679.4 km, beating the world record for straight-line distance flown by seaplane. - It was also with this seaplane that, two years later, with Jean Mermoz at the controls, the Laté 300 "Croix du Sud" took off on December 7, 1936 from the Dakar Bel-Air seaplane base for its 25th postal crossing, accompanied by Alexandre Pichodou as second pilot, Jean Lavidalie as flight engineer, Henri Ezan as navigator, and Edgar Cruveilher as radiotelegraphist. After a few "TVBs" (all's well) - at 10:47 a.m. comes the fateful message: "Coupons moteur arrière droit" ("Right rear engine cut-off"), then nothing more...