Twin-engine 6-seat communications and transport aircraft

 

   Mr. Guy Hansez, agent for Belgium and Luxembourg for the Caudron Renault company took the imitative to organize a presentation of the Caudron C.444 Goéland to the Belgian authorities at Evere airfield on 11 March 1936. The for its time very modern looking aircraft was transferred from Paris by Caudron pilots Regnense and Durandeau. In June 1936 the Belgian Government signed a contract for the acquisition of two of these Renault 6Q (220 hp each) engines powered transport aircraft. Both aircraft were delivered to the 3° Régiment based at Evere in September/October 1936. The aircraft were to train crews for the fast reconnaissance and bomber aircraft the Aéronautique Militaire Belge was planning to acquire. In 1938 both AéM Goélands also received a Belgian civil registration to allow them to overfly foreign countries. After the German invasion of Belgium both Goélands fled to Tours (F.) and afterwards to Bordeaux-Merignac where they were to train Belgian crews before they converted to the Lioré-et-Olivier LeO 45 bomber. They ultimate fate of both Caudrons is not known, but it is plausible that they were captured by the Germans.