| 70 Arc-en-Ciel | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Long-range commercial monoplane |
| Manufacturer | Société des Avions René Couzinet |
| First flight | 11 February 1932 |
| Introduction | May 1934 |
| Primary user | Aéropostale |
| Produced | 3 |
The Couzinet 70 was a French three-engined commercial monoplane designed and built by Société des Avions René Couzinet.
The Couzinet 70 Arc-en-Ciel III ('Rainbow') was developed from the 1920s Couzinet 10 Arc-en-Ciel, which first flew on 7 May 1928, the Couzinet 11 and Couzinet 40 by René Couzinet. The Couzinet 70, which was larger than its predecessors, was developed originally as a mail plane for use of Aéropostale's South Atlantic service.
It was a low-wing monoplane that had a fixed tailwheel undercarriage and powered by three Hispano-Suiza 12Nb inline piston engines. The two wing mounted engines could be accessed mid-flight through tunnels in the wing. After route-proving in 1933, the aircraft was modified and re-designated as the Couzinet 71 and entered service with Aéropostale in May 1934.