The ACAZ C.2, ''Ateliers de Construction Aeronautique de Zeebruge'', was a prototype

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 languag ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

built in the 1920s.

Design and development

Built entirely of

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

metal, it was an advanced design at the time of its first flight in

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...

, but although evaluated by the

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...

, no orders were placed. Of conventional biplane construction, the C.2, registered as ''O-BAFX'', later ''OO-AFX'', incorporated one unique feature - all four of its wings were identical and interchangeable. The aircraft also included space for cameras, allowing it to be used for photo-

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

Operational history

The C.2 was used in a failed aerial expedition by Edmond Thieffry, who with two companions (Joseph Lang and Philippe Quersin), attempted to fly it to

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

, departing Belgium on 9 March 1928, but only getting as far as

Philippeville Philippeville (; wa, Flipveye) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. The Philippeville municipality includes the former municipalities of Fagnolle, Franchimont, Jamagne, Jamiolle, Merlemont, ...

(Belgium). The sole prototype was written off in a crash on 25 January 1933. ACAZ C

Specifications (ACAZ C.2)

References

External links

* {{ACAZ aircraft C.2 1920s Belgian fighter aircraft 1920s Belgian military reconnaissance aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1926