The ACAZ T.1 and T.2, very similar to each other, were the first

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

all-metal aircraft, flown in 1924. They were single-engined touring

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

s which seated two. Only two were built.

Development

The first example of ACAZ's all-metal two-seater tourer, registered as the ACAZ T.1 ''O-BAFK'', was first flown in early 1924. It was the first Belgian all-metal aircraft. Its trials went well and on 21 June it was flown to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

to take part in the ''Concours des avions de tourisme'' (touring aircraft contest) but in low cloud it collided with a tree and crashed; happily, there were no deaths. There is little detail recorded specifically on the T.1 apart from a photograph but its replacement, the ACAZ T.2, was noted as ''du même type'' (of the same type). It had made several successful flights by mid-July, just a few weeks after the crash of the T.1, though it was only registered as ''O-BAFM'' on 19 December 1924.

Design

The T.1 and T.2 were designed by

Alfred Renard Alfred Renard (21 April 1895 – 20 June 1988) was a Belgian aviation pioneer. Biography Alfred Renard was born in Anderlecht on 21 April 1895. As a youngster and inspired by the kites he saw his father make,André Hauet, ''Les avions Renard ...

and Emile Allard. Each had a thick profile, two part,

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

high wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

which could be rapidly detached for transport. In plan the wing was basically rectangular but with rounded

leading edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...

s at the tips. The wing was mounted with slight dihedral; its thickness was constant over most of the span but decreased over the outer parts, where its

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in Flight dynamics, roll (or ...

extended aft beyond the

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...

. The engine was a

Anzani 6 Alessandro Anzani developed the first two-row radial from his earlier 3- cylinder Y engine by merging two onto the same crankshaft with a common crankweb. Development By December 1909 Anzani had a 3-cylinder air-cooled true radial engine runn ...

, a six-cylinder

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

mounted uncowled on the nose with its fuel tank behind a

firewall Firewall may refer to: * Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts * Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spre ...

. The

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

was rectangular in cross-section apart from a slightly shaped roof and was built around frames and

longeron In engineering, a longeron and stringer is the load-bearing component of a framework. The term is commonly used in connection with aircraft fuselages and automobile chassis. Longerons are used in conjunction with stringers to form structural ...

s with sheet metal covering. The enclosed cabin, which held two sitting side-by-side, was under the wing and had both forward and side glazing. The fuselage frame in the cabin region was strengthened; access was via a side door. At the rear the

empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...

was conventional, with a

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplane ...

of the same plan as the wings, mounted on top of the fuselage. It carried broad, straight-edged

elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

s with a deep cut-out for movement of the tall, round-tipped

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

which was hinged from a small, triangular

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

. The fixed

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

had mainwheels with stub-axles on short, rigid

duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of '' Dürener'' and ''aluminium''. Its use as a tra ...

tubes from the lower fuselage, giving a track of only . The tailskid was designed to double-up as a forward hook for transport as a trailer.

Operational history

Though ''O-BAFM'' remained on the registrar until 1933 there are few, if any, records of its activities in the French aviation press. No more T.2s were built, as no customers could be found.

Specifications

References

{{ACAZ aircraft T-2 1920s Belgian aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft