Nieuport , later Nieuport-Delage , was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.
59-477: Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in 1902 for the manufacture of engine components the company was reformed in 1909 as the Société Générale d'Aéro-locomotion , and its products were marketed to the aviation industry, including ignition components. During this time they built their first aircraft, a small single-seat pod and boom monoplane. This was destroyed shortly after having been flown successfully, during
118-720: A sesquiplane racer – a type of biplane whose lower wing was much narrower in chord than its top wing. This aircraft was not ready to fly until after World War I had begun but, as the Nieuport 10 , the type saw extensive service with the Royal Naval Air Service (R.N.A.S.) of the United Kingdom and with the French and Russian Flying Services. The performance of the Nieuport 10, and the more powerful Nieuport 12 , which also served with
177-744: A 640 and a 64 are the same. A number of prototypes, especially during the First World War do not have known designations, including developments of the 24/27, and 28 with various engine installations, and structural improvements including monocoque fuselages, modified wing designs which included triplane variants of the Nieuport 10, 17 and 17bis. Several Tellier designs were built under the Nieuport name, including: During World War I, Nieuport aircraft were sometimes referred to by their wing area (in square meters) rather than their official designations. 1910 Great Flood of Paris The 1910 Great Flood of Paris ( French : Crue de la Seine de 1910 )
236-431: A couple of aircraft. Switzerland acquired its examples in 1919, and continued to fly the type throughout the 1920s, retiring their last Nieuport 28s from active service in 1930. The type also found its way into civilian use. Several were used for aerial races ; Nieuport 28 racers were often modified by reducing the wing span by up to five feet and replacing the parallel wing struts with a single I-shaped strut. During
295-530: A false sense of security because the Seine's water level had risen and fallen again in December. Consequently, they largely ignored reports of mudslides and flooding occurring upriver. They were also slow to notice warnings signs within the city as the Seine's water level rose eight meters (26.2467) higher than normal; its water began to flow much faster than normal, and large amounts of debris appeared. By late January,
354-454: A favorite subject for homebuilders wishing to recreate a World War 1 fighter, as its wood construction (some replicas substitute a metal tube fuselage), light weight and availability of modern engines such as the Rotec R3600 nine-cylinder radial, have led to number of replicas being offered as kits. As of 2012 , a number of home-built replicas have taken to the air. Reproductions are found at
413-564: A means of mitigating the dangers of a water landing (ditching), and flotation gear, inflated using compressed air , to prevent the aircraft from sinking. During late 1918, about the time that the type was withdrawn from front line use, the United States Army placed an order for an additional 600 improved Nieuport 28s, which were given the American designation 28A . Although these were mainly intended as advanced trainers, early problems with
472-472: A new model to meet changing requirements". During 1917 the Nieuport company experimented with a number of new designs - including monoplanes, biplanes and triplanes. None of these types achieved production status and never received an official military designation, but the results of tests provided information later used in future Nieuport fighters, including the 28. Several prototypes of the new fighter were constructed. Three different dihedral settings for
531-482: A twin-cylinder horizontally-opposed type producing 28 hp (21 kW) was fitted to the Nieuport II and proved successful. In 1911, the company was reformed specifically to build aircraft while continuing to build components including propellers under the name Nieuport et Deplante . In 1911, Edouard Nieuport (1875–1911), who was one of several aviation minded brothers, died after being thrown from his aircraft, and
590-629: The American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Massachusetts following a two-year restoration by Mikael Carlson in Sebbarp, Sweden . This aircraft was owned by Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz of Tallmantz Aviation for Hollywood film productions from the 1930's until the 1960's before being sold at auction in 1968 to veteran race car driver Jim Hall for $ 14,500. It crashed during an event at the museum, but museum officials have stated their intent to repair
649-908: The Flieger Flab Museum in Dübendorf , and the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne , Switzerland , a U.S. Navy Nieuport 28 at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida , the San Diego Air and Space Museum , and the Smithsonian 's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum , The only airworthy example of the type is on display as of September 2023 at
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#1732845322627708-625: The Great Flood of Paris in 1909 . A second design flew before the end of 1909 and had the essential form of modern aircraft, including an enclosed fuselage with the pilot protected from the slipstream and a horizontal tail whose aerodynamic force acted downwards, balancing the weight of the engine ahead of the centre of gravity, as opposed to upwards as on contemporaries such as the Blériot XI . Nieuport had trouble obtaining suitable engines for their early designs and resorted to making their own. In 1910
767-552: The Nieuport-Delage NiD.42 . This design first saw light as a shoulder-wing racer (42S), then as single-seat (42 C.1) and two-seat fighters (42 C.2) for the French Air Force, although none of these variants would see service. The Nieuport-Delage 52 , a slightly improved NiD.42 with a metal monocoque fuselage, entered service with Spain where it was also built under licence by Hispano-Suiza , and remained in service well into
826-541: The Royal Flying Corps (R.F.C.) was such that they were used as fighters. Nieuport developed an improved design specifically intended as a fighter – the Nieuport 11 , which was regarded as the "baby" ( bébé ) of the 10, which it closely resembled, except in size. Until the end of 1917, most of the company's output would consist of successive developments of this one design, with more powerful engines, modest increases in overall dimensions, and refined aerodynamics, until
885-522: The Spanish Civil War . By then it was obsolete and would be retired before the end of the conflict. The French bought large numbers of the 62 series (620, 621, 622, 629) which were also derived from the NiD.42 to equip the bulk of the French fighter units until replaced by newer designs in the late 30s. Despite being hopelessly obsolete, several French second-line escadrilles were still equipped with them during
944-426: The 27, including the adoption of a more powerful engine, a twin- machine gun armament, and a new wing structure. For the first time, a production Nieuport fighter was fitted with conventional two-spar wings, top and bottom, in place of the sesquiplane "v-strut" layout of the earlier Nieuports. Both wings featured elliptical wingtips, instead of the angular raked tips common to Nieuport's earlier designs. The upper wing
1003-416: The 31 was the first aircraft to exceed 200 mph (320 km/h) in level flight, while in the hands of Joseph Sadi-Lecointe . At this time, Nieuport became Nieuport-Astra, with the absorption of Société Astra , a company known for aerial balloons, though this name would not be used for long, before becoming Nieuport-Delage, in honour of the work of the chief designer, Gustave Delage, who had been running
1062-451: The 94th and 95th Aero Squadrons received their first SPAD XIIIs and some of their surviving Nieuport 28s were then transferred to the 27th and 147th Aero Squadrons. By the end of August 1918, all four American squadrons were fully outfitted with SPAD XIIIs. The pilots of the 94th and 95th Aero Squadrons welcomed the SPADs, although the 27th and 147th Aero Squadrons were much less enthusiastic about
1121-407: The American pilots (and their ground crews) with the requirements of monosoupape engines reduced these problems, but the definitive solution adopted was simply not completely filling the reserve fuel tank, a move which came at the expense of range. More seriously, a structural problem emerged – during a sharp pull out from a steep dive, the plywood leading edge of the top wing could break away, taking
1180-582: The Germans from charging several employees with espionage, as the last operational Nieuport, the Loire-Nieuport LN.401 was a single-seat, single-engine retractable-gear monoplane dive bomber with an inverted gull wing with a vague similarity to the Junkers Ju 87 . In later three digit designations (except NiD 120 and LN.160), the third numeral represents a sub-variant with a 0 representing a base variant so that
1239-557: The Nieuport 10, 11, 17 and finally the post-war NiD.29 under license. In Russia several companies, notably Dux , built Nieuports of several types including the IV, 10, 11, 16, 17, 21, 23 and 24bis, with the 24bis continuing in production after the Russian Revolution had ended. In Scotland, William Beardmore and Company built the Nieuport 12 under licence, while gradually incorporating many of their own changes. Nieuport & General Aircraft
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#17328453226271298-542: The Nieuport 28. Quentin Roosevelt (the son of former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt ) was shot down and killed flying the type. The 94th and 95th had the task of dealing with the type's teething troubles. Initially undercarriages failed on landing – this was corrected by using heavier bracing wire. The Nieuport 28's 160 hp Gnome 9N rotary engine and fuel system proved to be unreliable and prone to fires. Field improvements to fuel lines, and increased familiarity of
1357-519: The SPAD S.XIII in American service meant that the possibility of re-introducing the Nieuport fighters into the operational squadrons was not discounted, and provision was made for the installation of twin M1917/M1918 Marlin guns , mounted side by side under the center section. The Nieuport 28A was to feature an improved upper wing leading edge structure and a redesigned fuel system, correcting faults in
1416-570: The SPAD S.XIIIs the Americans actually wanted were initially unavailable due to engine shortages, the Nieuport was offered to the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) as an interim alternative. A total of 297 Nieuport 28s were purchased by the Americans (none of our sources make it clear if this refers only to the initial order or includes Nieuport 28A trainers accepted from the late 1918 contract). The 94th and 95th Aero Squadron received
1475-551: The Seine River flooded Paris when water pushed upwards from overflowing sewers and subway tunnels , then seeped into basements through fully saturated soil and from the sewer system that got backed up, which led to the basements of several buildings sustaining damage. The waters did not overflow the river's banks within the city, but flooded Paris through tunnels, sewers, and drains. These larger sewer tunnels were engineered by Baron Haussmann and Eugene Belgrand in 1878 which magnified
1534-600: The Seine. Over the course of the following week, thousands of Parisians evacuated their homes as water infiltrated buildings and streets throughout the city, shutting down much basic infrastructure. The infrastructure was more vulnerable to flooding because most of it was built within the sewage system in order to avoid cluttering the streets. Police, firemen, and soldiers moved through waterlogged streets in boats to rescue stranded residents from second-story windows and to distribute aid. Refugees gathered in makeshift shelters in churches, schools, and government buildings. Although
1593-621: The USAAS for a short time, the Nieuport 28 was the first fighter to be used on operations by an American squadron. Nieuports were widely used by the Allied air arms, and various models were built under licence in Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom. In Italy, Aermacchi was originally formed as Nieuport-Macchi for the purpose of building various Nieuports under licence. They started with the Nieuport IV, but built
1652-606: The arch of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on the morning of Friday, 8 August 1919. The event was filmed. By the end of 1918, Nieuport had two new fighter types flying, the Nieuport 29 biplane and the Nieuport 31 monoplane both of which had evolved in parallel from the Nieuport 28. They differed from earlier Nieuports in having streamlined wooden monocoque fuselages, and 300 hp (220 kW) Hispano-Suiza engines. Specially modified Nieuport 29 and 31 aircraft set speed and height records, and
1711-448: The basic sesquiplane "v-strut" layout was approaching the limits of its development. The Nieuport 28 design advanced the concept of the lightly built, highly maneuverable rotary engined fighter typified by the Nieuport 17 to the more demanding conditions of the times. Bowers refers to it as being "an excellent example of the step-by-step evolution of a single basic design to its point of ultimate development and then its transition into
1770-537: The change. The Nieuport 28 certainly possessed superior maneuverability to its SPAD replacement. Twelve Army Nieuports were transferred to the U.S. Navy to be flown from launching platforms mounted on the forward turrets of eight battleships, in a similar manner to the Sopwith Camel 2F.1s embarked at this time by the British Royal Navy Grand Fleet . Similarly, they were fitted with hydrovanes as
1829-427: The company through the war years. Also at this time, the seaplane builder Tellier was absorbed, and for a brief time the name Nieuport-Tellier was also used. Despite the many successes achieved with 29 and 31 in setting speed and altitude records, Delage quickly embarked on a new design that was to provide the basis for a family of aircraft that would remain in service until the fall of France during World War II –
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1888-399: The company was taken over by Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe , a famous supporter of aviation development. With his financing, the name was changed to Société Anonyme des Établissements Nieuport , and development of existing designs was continued. A second of the brothers, Charles Nieuport, died in another accident January 24, 1913 after he stalled and spun in, and the position of chief designer
1947-453: The design of the N28 were built to test various features of the Nieuport 29 , including its wooden monocoque fuselage, and alternate engine installations, such as the 300 hp (220 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8Fb , 170 hp (130 kW) Le Rhône 9R , 275 hp Lorraine-Dietrich 8Bd , and 200 hp (150 kW) Clerget 11E . The Nieuport 28's design featured several improvements over
2006-416: The destruction caused by the floods in 1910. In neighboring towns both east and west of the capital, the river rose above its banks and flooded the surrounding terrain directly. Winter floods were a normal occurrence in Paris but, on 21 January, the river began to rise more rapidly than normal. This was seen as a sort of spectacle where people were actually standing in the streets watching the water rise in
2065-483: The event, a shortage of SPADs led to Nieuport 28s being issued to four American squadrons between March and August 1918, becoming the first aircraft to see operational service with an American fighter squadron. Nieuport 28s saw considerable post-war service: in particular 50 from a later production run were shipped to America, and as well as army and naval service these found civilian use, especially in Hollywood films. By
2124-405: The fabric with it. On the whole, although the pilots of the 94th and the 95th appreciated the maneuverability and good handling of the Nieuport, and were reasonably happy with its general performance, their confidence in the fighter's structural integrity was shaken. The 27th and 147th Aero Squadrons arrived at the front three months later, starting combat operations on 2 June 1918. In July 1918,
2183-404: The first flights were unarmed training flights for pilots to familiarize themselves with the handling and performance of the new type. When deliveries of Vickers guns to the American squadrons finally started in mid-March, and until sufficient guns had been received for all of the fighters to be fully equipped, some aircraft were flown on patrol with only one machine gun fitted. On 14 April 1918,
2242-509: The initial allotments, starting in March 1918. In all, four AEF pursuit squadrons: the 27th , 94th , 95th and 147th Aero Squadrons , flew Nieuport 28s operationally for various periods between March and August 1918. The factory delivered the Nieuport 28s to the Americans in mid-February 1918 without armament . At the time, the AEF had no spare Vickers machine guns to supply to the squadrons, so that
2301-504: The initial production batch. As the Nieuport company were preoccupied with later types, production was undertaken by Lioré et Olivier who had built 170 Nieuport 28As and parts for another 100 by the end of the war, when the remainder of the order was cancelled. Postwar, approximately 50 new Nieuport 28As which had not previously seen service were shipped to the U.S. During the 1920s, Nieuport 28s were also in service with various air forces; Switzerland obtained 15, while Argentina received
2360-458: The invasion of France. The Nieuport-Delage NiD 38 and similar 39 were small airliners of which more than 37 were built. Other types were developed, the majority of which were one-offs or did not result in significant production. The final aircraft developed by Nieuport saw much of its development done by successor companies. In 1932, as a result of the amalgamations taking place in the French aviation industry, Delage retired and Nieuport-Delage
2419-424: The line ended with the Nieuport 27 . As horsepower increased, the "V-strut" Nieuports began to reach their maximum safe flying speed (VNE) more readily and discovered the limitations of the three spars sesquiplane wing form, which then required they avoid sustained power-on dives to avoid the risk of wing failures. By the spring of 1917 the design was being surpassed by the new twin-gun Albatros D.III , and although
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2478-567: The middle of 1917, it was obvious that the Nieuport 17 and its immediate developments, such as the Nieuport 24bis , could provide only moderate performance gains over the standard model, so that they were unable to keep pace with the latest German fighters . In fact, the Nieuport 17 line was already being supplanted in French service by the SPAD S.VII , as quickly as supplies of the Hispano-Suiza engine would allow. It had become increasingly apparent that
2537-559: The plane. In the early 1930s, as the supply of original Nieuport 28s diminished, the Garland-Lincoln LF-1 (Lincoln-Flagg-1) was built in Glendale, California specifically to represent a generic World War I fighter for movie stunt work. While very similar in general appearance, the LF-1 was shorter than a genuine "28", had a steel tube framework, a one-piece upper wing without dihedral, and
2596-580: The process of replacement had begun, Nieuport 27's would still be in front line service in the spring of 1918. Even while still in frontline service, Nieuports of all types were being used at French and American flight training facilities, with the bulk of production from 1917 onwards going to flying schools. Some pilots, notably Albert Ball and Charles Nungesser , preferred the Nieuport due to its sensitive controls and maneuverability. Pilots Eddie Rickenbacker and Billy Bishop flew Nieuport aircraft to some of their first victories. The first major break from
2655-548: The same period, a number of Nieuport 28s made their way to Hollywood where they appeared in the movies, The Dawn Patrol (1930), as well as its remake in 1938 , Ace of Aces (1933) and Men with Wings (1938). The Nieuport 28s appeared in several later films set during World War I, including the Lafayette Escadrille (1958). As well as the replicas, a number of original surviving aircraft are found in museum collections worldwide. Original airframes are located in
2714-467: The second armed patrol of an AEF fighter unit resulted in two victories when Lieutenants Alan Winslow and Douglas Campbell (the first American-trained ace) of the 94th Aero Squadron each downed an enemy aircraft over their own airfield at Gengoult. Several well-known World War I American fighter pilots, including the 26-victory ace, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker , began their operational careers on
2773-534: The sesquiplane design, the Nieuport 28 was the first production Nieuport fighter with two spars to both upper and lower wings, but by the time it was ready for service the French had already chosen the SPAD S.XIII as their primary fighter. Due to a shortage of SPAD S.XIIIs and problems with their engines, the first fighter squadrons of the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) used the Nieuport 28 on operations. While only in operational service with
2832-560: The streets, but no significant outbreak occurred. Jeffrey H. Jackson, Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910 (NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) [REDACTED] Media related to Great flood of Paris in 1910 at Wikimedia Commons Nieuport 28 The Nieuport 28 C.1 , a French biplane fighter aircraft flown during World War I , was built by Nieuport and designed by Gustave Delage. Owing its lineage to
2891-550: The successful line of sesquiplane fighters that included the Nieuport 17 , the Nieuport 28 continued a similar design philosophy of a lightweight and highly maneuverable aircraft. By the time the Nieuport 28 was available, the SPAD XIII had been chosen to equip the escadrilles de chasse of the Aéronautique Militaire for 1918, and this fighter was also the first choice for the projected American "pursuit" squadrons. In
2950-443: The tail unit closely followed that of the Nieuport 27 . By early 1918, when the first production examples of the Nieuport 28 became available, the SPAD S.XIII was already firmly established as the standard French fighter, and the Nieuport 28 was "surplus" from the French point of view. On the other hand, the United States Army Air Service was desperately short of fighters to equip its projected "pursuit" (fighter) squadrons. Since
3009-408: The top wing were tried, including a completely flat wing, and one with marked dihedral that rested very close to the top of the front fuselage. Production aircraft featured an intermediate configuration, which involved a slight dihedral in the upper wing and taller cabane struts, providing room to accommodate a second machine gun, mounted under the wing's center section. Additional prototypes based on
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#17328453226273068-509: The water reached its maximum height at 8.62 meters (28.28 feet) above its normal level. In March, the Seine finally returned to normal levels. Estimates of the flood damage reached some four hundred million francs , or $ 1.5 billion in today's money. The flooding lasted nearly a week, according to one report. Remarkably, despite the damage and duration of the flood, no deaths were reported. There were fears that an outbreak of disease would occur after debris from flooded homes piled into
3127-482: The water threatened to overflow the tops of the quay walls lining the river, workmen were able to keep the Seine back with hastily built levees . Once water invaded the Gare d'Orsay rail terminal, its tracks soon sat under more than a meter (3.28 feet) of water. To continue moving throughout the city, residents traveled by boat or across a series of wooden walkways built by government engineers and civilians. On 28 January
3186-515: Was a catastrophe in which the Seine River , carrying winter rains from its tributaries, flooded the conurbation of Paris , France . The Seine water level rose eight meters (more than 26 feet) above the ordinary level. In the winter of 1909–1910, Paris and the surrounding area experienced higher than normal rainfall which saturated the ground and filled rivers to overflowing. In January 1910, Parisians were preoccupied with daily life and lulled into
3245-472: Was briefly renamed Nieuport again, before merging with Loire Aviation to form Loire-Nieuport, which was then merged into SNCAO during the amalgamations in the French aircraft industry. SNCAO would in turn be merged into the massive conglomerate known as Aérospatiale . During the German invasion of France in 1940 , the company's records were burnt to prevent their falling into German hands. This step didn't prevent
3304-496: Was built in two sections, joined together over the fuselage center-line. The leading edge of both wings was laminated with plywood. Ailerons were fitted to the lower wings only and controlled via torque tubes. In order to provide a more streamlined profile, the fuselage was longer and slimmer, so narrow that its twin Vickers machine guns were offset to port, one between the cabane struts and one just outboard of them. The design of
3363-497: Was fitted with a more powerful 200 hp (149 kW) Wright J-4-B radial engine . A Garland-Lincoln LF-1 (N12237) was featured in Hell in the Heavens (1934), Dawn Patrol (mixed in with authentic Nieuport 28s) (1938), and Men with Wings (1938). It was later used by Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz for other film and television work. In more recent times, the Nieuport 28 has become
3422-504: Was formed to build Nieuport fighters under licence in England, and built 50 Nieuport 17bis scouts for the Royal Naval Air Service before switching to other aircraft. Three weeks after the Paris victory parade in 1919 marking the end of hostilities in World War I, and in protest over being forced to march like infantry in the parade, Charles Godefroy flew a "v-strut" Nieuport fighter through
3481-562: Was taken over by the Swiss engineer Franz Schneider , better known for his work for his next employer, L.V.G. , and his long-running fight with Anthony Fokker over machine gun interrupter / synchronizer patents. Schneider left Nieuport in late 1913. With Schneider's departure, Gustave Delage (no connection to the Delage automobile company) took over as chief designer in January 1914. He began work on
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