A Vlaicu II
Arts and Crafts School, Bucharest · Romania · first flew 1911 · light aircraft
The A Vlaicu II was the second and last powered aeroplane designed and built by the Romanian pioneer Aurel Vlaicu.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 11.2 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High-wing monoplane of about 10 m span
- Two coaxial, counter-rotating two-bladed propellers 2.4 m in diameter
- Gnome Omega rotary engine of 50 hp
A small high-winged monoplane of the pioneer era, distinguished by its pair of coaxial counter-rotating propellers. Parts of the wreckage are preserved in Romanian museums.
Specifications
- The A Vlaicu II has a length of 11.2 m (37 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10 m (33 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 110 km/h (68 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Construction began in December 1910 at the Arts and Crafts School in Bucharest, and it first flew in April 1911 at Cotroceni airfield. It was an improved version of his earlier A Vlaicu I.
Variants
Only one was built. A replica was constructed between 2004 and 2008 by Fundatia Aerospatiala Romana and Romaero.
Where you'll see it
Vlaicu won prizes at the Aspern flight week near Vienna in June 1912 and flew reconnaissance missions south of the Danube during the Balkan Wars. The aircraft was destroyed on 13 September 1913 in the crash that killed him during an attempt to cross the Carpathians.
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