Jean Mermoz

Jean Mermoz was a prominent French aviator who pioneered airmail routes for the company Aéropostale in the late 1920s. He was instrumental in establishing reliable mail delivery across South America and the South Atlantic.

Jean Mermoz disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean in December 1936 during a scheduled airmail flight. His plane, a Latécoère 300 flying boat named *Croix-du-Sud*, was lost at sea without a trace.

Mermoz is celebrated for successfully completing the first commercial crossing of the South Atlantic Ocean in 1933. He flew from Senegal in West Africa to Natal, Brazil, proving the viability of a permanent transatlantic airmail service.

Early in his career flying the treacherous routes over the Andes mountains, Mermoz piloted Potez 25 biplanes. For his transatlantic journeys, he flew advanced seaplanes like the Latécoère 28 and the Latécoère 300.