In 1932 Cyril Uwins set a world altitude record of 13,404 m (43,976 ft) in a Vickers Vespa VII, which the Potez 506 was designed to better.

[1] Flown by Gustave Lemoine, it reached 13,661 m (44,820 ft) on 28 September 1933, an altitude limited by icing of the pilot's eyes as he sat in his open cockpit.

The pilot sat in the rear cockpit, rather than from his usual forward position which was covered over and used to house the barographs and batteries.

Like all of the Potez 25 derived aircraft, the 506 had an all wood structure with fabric covering apart from around the engine and was a single bay sesquiplane with shorter, narrower chord lower wings and outward leaning interplane struts.

On 11 April 1934 the Italian Renato Donati raised the altitude record to 14,433 m (47,352 ft) in a much modified Caproni Ca.113 aircraft, wearing a pressure suit.