France - 1917 Nieuport 24

The First Round Body Nieuport

In 1917 the Nieuport 17 and the improved N.23 were seen as a dead end. Aviation technology development had rendered it less able to perform as a front line fighter. Gustave Delage took what was learned from previous models and created a new design with a new rounded shape and improvements to make Nieuport aircraft viable again. Even though the new design had some problems it served in several nations well after the end of the Great War.

Nieuport 24

Nieuport 24 N87 Escadrille (Les Chats Noir) Caporal William Wellman, s/n 10 - 1918

William Wellman was an American flying with the French Black Cat Squadron. The paint scheme is the standard aluminum finish with the squadron insignia on the fuselage. The numbers on the rudder are missing. The wing roundels are the standard 4 point scheme. I am not sure if the number ten was painted on the upper wing or not. I assume it was not, however I may be wrong.

Nieuport 24 N561 Escadrille, Roland Garros, s/n 5685 - 1918

This example has a four color camouflage pattern. I have not seen references for the wing pattern. The insignia is a not a squadron one, but a personal one chosen by the famous French ace Roland Garros. The rudder markings are just the serial number.

Nieuport 24bis

Nieuport 24 bis N501 Escadrille, s/n 4487 - 1917

The red rear section adds a lot of sizzle to the standard aluminum finish. The insignia is the late version used by the 501^st squadron. The rudder markings include the tare and loaded weights.

Nieuport 24 bis N502 Escadrille, Adj Basille Sané, s/n 4487 - 1917

This example does not carry the squadron insignia (A circle quarter red and dark blue). However the wide tri-color bands add a lot of visual impact. Sané was flying this plane when he was credited with bringing down a Gotha bomber assigned to Kaghol 1 in 1917.

A Short History of the Nieuport 24

The Nieuport 24 introduced a new fuselage with improved aerodynamic characteristics. Other changes included rounded wingtips, and a tail unit incorporating a small fixed fin and a curved rudder. The tail skid was sprung internally and had a neater appearance than that on earlier Nieuports. Power was provided by a 130 hp Le Rhône rotary engine .

In the event, there were problems with the new tail, most production aircraft of the type were of the Nieuport 24bis model, which retained the fuselage and wings of the 24, but reverted to the Nieuport 17 type tailplane, tail skid and rectangular balanced rudder. The new tail design was finally standardized on the Nieuport 27.

A batch of Nieuport 24bis were built at British Nieuport and General Aircraft Co. in England for the Royal Naval Air Service.

The standard armament of the Nieuport 17 (a synchronized 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers in French service - a 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun on a Foster mounting on the top wing in British service) was retained to save weight and retain a good performance, although many 24s were used as advanced trainers and normally flown without guns.

In the summer of 1917, when the Nieuport 24 and 24bis. were coming off the production line, most French fighter squadrons were replacing their Nieuport 17s with SPAD S.VIIs - and many of the new fighters went to fighter training schools, and to France’s allies, including the Russians, and the British, who used theirs well into 1918, due to a shortage of S.E.5as. A few French units retained the Nieuport through late 1917 - the type was actually preferred by some pilots, especially the famous Charles Nungesser.

Some of the Nieuport advanced trainers bought by the Americans for their flying schools in France in November 1917 may very well have been 24s or 24bis.

Both Poland and Russia continued to use the Nieuport 24 into the the early 1920's. There are many examples where the same plane fought on both sides of the Polish Russian War of 1919-1921. In some cases it was due to defection of the pilot, or the aircraft was captured by the opposing side.

References

1. Nieuport 24. (2010, July 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10: 18, July 23, 2010, from http: //en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nieuport_24&oldid=373176479
2. Escadrille 501 http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille501.htm
3. Nieuport Fighters in Action published by Squadron/Signal Publications.
4. Escadrille 501 http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille502.htm
5. Nieuport Gallery http://www.cbrnp.com/profiles/quarter1/nieuport-gallery.htm
6. Bruce, Jack M. More Nieuport Classics. Air Enthusiast, Number Five, November 1977-February 1978. Bromley, Kent, UK: Pilot Press. pp. 14-28.
7. Cheesman E.F. (ed.) Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War Letchworth, Harletford Publications, 1960 pp. 96-97

Belgium - 1917 Nieuport 11

Three Belgian Aces and The "Bébé"

Early in the war Belgium suffered from a lack of combat aircraft. They had to wait for the French to supply them with hand me down planes which were no longer state of the art. Even though they were hampered with less sophisticated planes their fighting spirit proved to be a factor in their success. The best of the Belgian aviators preferred light but nimble machines which allowed them to out-maneuver their opponents. Today's collection is some of the early combat aircraft flown by the Belgian Air Service.

1^ere Escadrille Belgian Air Service

Nieuport 11 Major Willy Coppens 1st Escadrille - 1917

This example shares a scheme with several other Belgian aircraft, the gray lower fuselage and the dark green upper surfaces. The stylized origami bird is the insignia for the 1st Escadrille. It is unusual in that the aircraft has a Vickers gun mounted on the forward fuselage and not the wing mounted Lewis gun which most Nieuport 11 carried.

2^me Escadrille Belgian Air Service

Nieuport 11 Lieutenant Jan Olieslagers 2nd Escadrille - 1917

This example is painted in a sprayed 2 color camouflage scheme. The Belgian roundel painted below the cockpit is not typical for the Nieuport 11. As in the previous profile the serial numbers on the rudder are over painted. The armament is the standard wing mounted Lewis gun. The lower wing surfaces are finished in yellow varnish.

5^me Escadrille Belgian Air Service

Nieuport 11 Adj. Edmond Thieffry Escadre de Chasse sn N3 Spring - 1917

This yellow varnished example has the unit insignia of a red shooting star bordered in white on the fuselage. The wheel covers bear Thieffry's red central stripe on white field pattern. The rudder has the identification N3 painted on the yellow section.

France - 1916 - 1917 More Nieuport-17

Three French Nieuport-17

I have been working on getting my archive of Nieuport aircraft rebuilt. Hopefully I will have the new master files for the different types finished and I can start fleshing out neglected areas in my collection. Slowly but surely I get closer to where I was before the big crash ate my homework. When I first started my website I was happy with a single profile to give a glimpse into the evolution of aircraft design. Now I seem to be consumed with depth of content. I have passed the 1300 profile mark and the project keeps growing.

Today's post is a small sample of the weekend's work. My recent excursion into post world war one aircraft is moved to a back burner as I get back to basics. I have so many irons in the fire I need to focus a bit more on the main topic of my site. I will still be posting profiles from the Greco-Turkish War and the Polish-Russian conflict. I just need to get back to my roots.

Escadrille N3 Les Cigognes

Nieuport-17 C1 René Dorme “Pere Dorme 3” Escadrille N3 1916

This plane was flown by René Dorme (23 victories) when serving in Escadrille N3 escadrille “des Cigognes” (“The Storks”). The aircraft is finished in the typical aluminum varnish mix used at the time. The legend painted on the forward section reads “Pere Dorme 3”. The all red stork was used as the unit insignia between October 1916 through April 1917. On the top of the fuselage just behind the head rest is a stylized green “Croix Lorraine” (“Cross Lorraine”). The red number 12 is unusual in that it was not painted to align with the center line when the plane is in flight.

Escadrille N15 Casque de Bayard

Nieuport 17 Slt. Fernando Chevillon, Escadrille N15, “DEDETTE III” sn 7 N2054 1917

“Casque de Bayard” translates as “helmet of Bayard” (a famous french Knight of the 16th Century), was used as the insigna of the Escadrille N15. The black version appears on several Nieuports flown by the 15^th Escadrille during 1917. Several variants were used including white and red versions.The name “DEDETTE III” is painted on the forward fuselage. This is the third aircraft Chevillon named Dedette. Some sources show the serial number as N2038. I may have to change the profile to reflect this.

Escadrille N31 Les Archer Grec

Nieuport-17, Pilot Unknown, Escadrille N31, sn 25, 2254- 1917

Escadrille N31 (Founded in September of 1914.) was called “Escadrille l' archer grec” which translates as “Squadron of the Greek Archer”. The escadrille fielded Nieuport 17 between February through April of 1917. The insignia variant used did not have a colored field or solid circle often seen. While this plane is well known. none of the sources I have seen have any information on who piloted number 25.

References

1. The Blueprints.com http://www.the-blueprints.com/
2. Wings Palette http://wp.scn.ru/en/
3. L'escadrille SPA 3: http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille003.htm
4. L'escadrille SPA 15: http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille015.htm
5. L'escadrille_31:http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille031.htm
6. Michel and Guy Vaugeois History of the 7th fighter Wing SHAA 1989
7. From Wikipedia Nieuport 17, "From Wikipedia Nieuport 17"
8. Bruce, Jack. "Those Classic Nieuports". Air Enthusiast Quarterly. Number Two, 1976. Bromley, UK:Pilot Press. pp. 137-153.
9. Cheesman E.F., ed. "Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918" War. Letchworth, UK: Harleyford Publications, 1960.
10. Cooksley, Peter. "Nieuport Fighters in Action". Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-89747-377-9.

Italy - 1916 - Nieuport-Macchi

Italian Manufactured Nieuport 11

While working on profiles for the Nieuport-Macchi 11 I have has a problem. The sources provide very little information on who fllew them and what units they served in. I seem to not be alone coming up dry on the hunt for deeper understanding. I have read those words Pilot and Unit unknown more often than not. I am not fond of being unable to establish the pedigree of a aircraft profile, but sometimes you just have to settle for what you can find.

Italy began to produce their own version of the Nieuport 11. Production was licensed to Macchi who produced several other aircraft including: Hanriot HD-1, and flying boats. It was not till later that Italy produced Italian designed fighters.

Nieuport-Macchi 11, Pilot Unknown, 75º Squadriglia sn Ni1763 - 1916

The broad strip of Italian national colors add visual interest. Italian Nieuport 11s carried their serial numbers on the fuselage and not the rudder. The cowling in this example was not painted. Some drawings show this aircraft with reinforcement tape on the seams. I have done another drawing with them, however I posted this one to show what my old master file looked like in contrast to the new one used for the other profiles.

Nieuport-Macchi 11, Pilot Unknown, Servizio Aeronautico Italiano sn Ni3242 - 1916

This example has a personal insignia which combines the Italian roundel with an ornate letter A. It has the reinforcement tape and the colored wing tips. The port side wingtips are red and the starboard ones are green. The theme is carried on to the cowling which is painted in the red, white, and green sections.

Nieuport-Macchi 11c, Pilot, and sn Unknown, Servizio Aeronautico Italiano - 1916

This example has the same red, white and green theme as above. the thin tri-color wraps around the fuselage. The serial numbers are not painted the aircraft.

France - 1915 Nieuport 11

Three French Nieuport 11 “Bébé”

I have been busy working on new master files and insignias for new profiles. But I took a break to flesh out some of the new profiles. I have always loved the more flamboyant color schemes and I decided to do a batch of Nieuports 11s sporting the French Tri-color scheme which was a popular theme with several pilots.

The Nieuport 11 “Bébé” was an improvement over the Nieuport 10. It was nimble, relatively quick, and easy to fly. In the early war it was a favorite of many pilots serving in French, Italian, Belgian, and Russian air forces.

Nieuport 11 Escadrille N67, sn N571, Spring 1916

I am not sure who was the pilot for this example. However we know it was used by Escadrille N67 during 1915. The dark brown lines along the fuselage is a reinforcement tape used to strengthen the seams where the fabric sections meet. The rudder markings give the serial number and the maximum weight limit for ammunition, fuel, lubricant and pilot. The cowling was painted yellow. The tri-color scheme on the wheel covers adds visual interest.

Nieuport 11 Sous Lt Jean Navarre, Escadrille N67, Verdun Spring 1916

This is one of several Nieuport 11 flown by the famous French Ace Jean Navarre. He was attached to Escadrille N67 which served in the area around Verdun during the Spring of 1916. The rudder markings have the serial number for the aircraft. The pennant style insignia was painted on the top and sides of the fuselage. As was the standard practice no roundels were painted on the fuselage. The reinforcement tape was also used on the wing edges. The cowling is unfinished metal and the wheel covers are simple varnished cloth.

Nieuport 11 Lt. Armand de Turenne, Escadrille N48, sn N1344, 1916

This Nieuport 11 was flown by the French Ace Lt. Armand de Turenne while assigned to Escadrille N48 during 1916. The tri-color theme covers the entire fuselage. Some sources say the forward blue section was in fact plain yellow varnish. The horn and shield was his family coat of arms. The cowling is unfinished metal as with many Nieuport 11. The wheel covers are painted blue. The rudder carries standard markings.

The small Nieuport 11 biplane was affectionately known as the "Bébé" (baby). Originally designed for racing, this light plane was fast and extremely maneuverable. Its only major problem was in the design of its wing struts. In a steep dive, the struts allowed the wings to twist, sometimes with disastrous results. Used by the British and French to counter the Fokker E.III, the Nieuport 11 was disadvantaged by its lack of a synchronized machine gun.

References

1. From Wikipedia Nieuport 11, "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuport_11"
2. Angelucci, Enzio, ed. "The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft". New York: The Military Press, 1983, p. 53. ISBN 0-517-41021-4.
3. Bruce, J.M. "The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps" (Military Wing). London:Putnam, 1982, p.326. ISBN 0 370 30084 x.
4. Chant, Christopher and Michael J.H. Taylor. "The World's Greatest Aircraft". Edison NJ: Cartwell Books Inc., 2007, p. 14. ISBN 0-7858-2010-8.
5. Cheesman E.F., ed. "Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War". Letchworth, UK: Harleyford Publications, 1960, p. 92. ISBN 978-0-8306-8350-5.
6. Cooksley, Peter. "Nieuport Fighters in Action". Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-89747-377-9.
7. Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the 20th Century Weapons and Warfare". London: Purnell & Sons Ltd., 1967/1969, p. 1989. ISBN 0-8393-6175-0.

U.S.A. - 1918 Nieuport 28 part 3

Three Colorful Nieuports

One of the thing which attracted me to World War One aircraft is the flamboyant color schemes used to identify who was piloting the plane. personal heraldry wass more important than stealth during this period. When America officially entered the war the pilots serving in the American Expeditionary Force many adopted the custom of personalizing their planes. Here are a few of the new examples I have recently finished.

Douglas Campbell 94^th Aero Squadron 1918

Nieuport 28 Douglas Campbell 94^th Aero Squadron sn N6164

Douglas adopted a black star pattern on a red cowling as his personal markings. The wheel covers are a blue variant which was popular with other pilots in the squadron. He did not have roundels painted on the underside of the top wing. The white identifier numbers do not have borders. The small black numbers on the rudder are the serial number.

1st Lt. William F. Loomis 94^th Aero Squadron 1918

Nieuport 28 1st Lt. William F. Loomis 94^th Aero Squadron sn N6181

WIliam Loomis chose a red and white candy stripe pattern on his cowling. The numbers are a bordered block style popular with many of the American squadrons. The rest of the paint scheme is fairly standard.The serial numbers on the rudder are painted over

213^th Training Squadron AEF 1918

Nieuport 28 213^th Training Squadron AEF sn N658 France 1918

Training aircraft used by the United States and Great Britain were often painted in bright colors and patterns. This aircraft flew in France in 1918. The red white and blue paint scheme is based off the American flag. The rudder color scheme is more like the version used in France.The Indian head unit insignia differs from the ones used by the 103^rd Aero Squadron. The black block style numbers are identify that particular plane.

United States - 1918 Nieuport 28 C1

The Four American Nieuport 28 Squadrons

I took a break from the Morane-Saulniers and tackled a much needed master file for the Nieuport 28 C1. Once it was finished I was able to work up a dozen aircraft. My next step is to finish off the remainder of the examples I have found to round things out.

The Nieuport 28 was assigned to four American Aero Squadrons. The largest number were given to the 94^th Aero Squadron. Structural problems with the upper wing made American pilots wary of flying the aircraft as aggressively as they wanted. The Nieuport 28 were soon replaced by the SPAD C1 S.XIII which served the Americans well.

27^th Aero Squadron USAS

Nieuport 28 - 1918

This example served with the 27^th Aero Squadron. The fuselage is painted in the French factory camouflage pattern. The swooping Eagle is the unit insignia. The standard American scheme for placement of national markings was no roundels on the fuselage and a six roundel format. The top wing has roundels on both the top and bottom surfaces, and the lower has roundels on the lower surface only.

94^th Aero Squadron USAS

Nieuport 28 - 1918

This Nieuport was flown by Lt. James.Meissner while serving with the 94^th "Hat and Ring" Squadron. The cowling is painted in a scheme designed by the pilot. The color and type of numbers varied. In this case the numbers are black without a border.

95^th Pursuit Squadron USAS

Nieuport 28 - 1918

The paint scheme for this Nieuport is a bit flashier than some examples. The red and yellow spiral design on the cowling makes for a striking appearance. The kicking mule insignia for the 95^th Pursuit Squadron is shown as white on some profiles and blue on others.

147^th Aero Squadron USAS

Nieuport 28 147^th Aero Squadron - 1918

The basic paint scheme for this Nieuport 28 is a fairly standard French pattern. The Terrier insignia for the 147^th Aero Squadron is a whimsical touch. The numbers are the block bordered style numbers were used by many squadrons.

France - 1917 Nieuport 28

A Reject in American Service

Sometimes you are forced to fight a war with what you have and not what you want. When Americans began fighting in Europe their choices in airplanes were limited to second string planes from France and Britain.

Nieuport 28 AEF 94th Aero Squadron

Rejected by the French and British air services, the Nieuport 28 was the first biplane fighter received in large numbers by squadrons of the United States Air Service. A favorite with aces like Harold Hartney, it was fast and maneuverable but had a tendency to shed its upper wing fabric if its pilot pulled out of a steep dive too quickly. The Nieuport 28 was replaced by the less maneuverable SPAD S.XIII.

The Nieuport 28 design was an attempt to adapt the concept of the lightly built, highly maneuverable rotary engined fighter typified by the Nieuport 17 to the more demanding conditions of the times. It was designed to carry an up-to-date armament of twin synchronized machine guns, had a more powerful engine, and a new wing structure — for the first time a Nieuport biplane was fitted with conventional two spar wings, top and bottom, in place of the sesquiplane "v-strut" layout of earlier Nieuport types. Ailerons were fitted to the lower wings only. The tail unit’s design closely followed that of the Nieuport 27, but the fuselage was much slimmer, in fact it was so narrow that the machine guns had to be offset to the left.

By early 1918, when the first production Nieuport 28s became available, the type was already "surplus" from the French point of view. The SPAD S.XIII was a superior aircraft in most respects, and was in any case firmly established as the standard French fighter.

Nieuport 28 AEF 95th Aero Squadron

On the other hand, the United States Army Air Service was desperately short of fighters to equip its projected "pursuit" (fighter) squadrons. The SPAD was initially unavailable due to a shortage of Hispano-Suiza engines — and the Nieuport was offered to, and perforce accepted by, the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), as an interim alternative. A total of 297 Nieuport 28s were purchased by the Americans, and they were used to equip the very first American fighter squadrons, starting in March 1918. All together, four AEF "pursuit" squadrons flew 28s operationally, the 27th, 94th, 95th and 103rd Aero Squadrons.

On 14 April 1918, 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. Several well known WWI American fighter pilots, including Quentin Roosevelt, the son of US president Theodore Roosevelt, as well as American aces like the 26-victory ace, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, began their operational careers on the Nieuport 28.

On the whole the type was not a success, however. Although very maneuverable and easy to fly, its performance turned out to be mediocre and its engine unreliable. More seriously, the mixed plywood/fabric skinning of the wings proved problematic — the fabric which covered the rear portion of the wings tending to "balloon" and become detached from the plywood leading section. Although a solution to this problem was speedily found, the operational Nieuports in American service were replaced with SPADs as soon as sufficient of the latter became available. This process was complete by the end of July 1918.

References

1. From Wikipedia Nieuport 28, "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuport_28"
2. Cheesman E.F. (ed.) "Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War". Letchworth, UK: Harleyford Publications, 1960, p. 94, pp. 98-99, p. 106.
3. Cooksley, Peter. "Nieuport Fighters in Action" (Aircraft No. 167). Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-89747-377-9.
4. Dorr, Robert F. and David Donald. "Fighters of the United States Air Force". London: Aerospace Publishing, 1990. ISBN 0-60055-094-X.
5. Treadwell, Terry C. "America's First Air War". London: Airlife Publishing, 2000, pp. 16-17. ISBN 1-84037-113-7.

France - 1917 Nieuport 23

Evolution of The Nieuport Fighter

The Nieuport 23 in French Service

French Nieuport 23 - 1917

The Nieuport 23 in Belgian

Belgian Nieuport 23 - 1917 Edmond Thieffry

The Nieuport 23 was a fighter aircraft produced in France during the First World War. It was a development of the Nieuport 17 intended to address structural weakness of the earlier type, and most were produced with a lighter version of the Le Rhône 9J engine that powered the Nieuport 17, offering a better power-to-weight ratio. Internally, the main difference between the Types 17 and 23 was a redesigned wing spar in the upper wing. This, however, did not prove satisfactory, and when the fighter displayed an unacceptably high accident rate due to shedding its wings in flight, the Général chef du service aéronautique ordered that either additional reinforcement be added to the wings or that the type be withdrawn from service. One hundred and fifty new sets of wings were ordered to keep the type flying.

External differences included better streamlining of the forward fuselage and a synchronized machine gun mounted on the upper fuselage and firing through the propeller disc. Nieuport 23s ordered for Britain's Royal Flying Corps nevertheless were fitted with machine guns that fired over the top of the upper wing, in the way that the Nieuport 17 had been armed.

Painted Warbirds 1915-1918

A Splash of Color For Easter

I am feeling festive and colorful today, so my choices will be just as bright. Today's theme is a mixed bag of aviation eye candy. The only reason I chose them is they were colorful and fairly new. I tried to refrain from posting the canned history for the planes I have posted before.

Estonian DFW CV 1917

The Estonians captured several abandoned aircraft. this is one of them. It sported the original German camouflage pattern. The subject was a good change of pace for me. I had done several versions of the DFW C.V in German schemes. This example allowed me to do a version without the fairing over the engine.

The D.V and its related designs were used as a multi-role combat aircraft, for reconnaissance, observation, bombing by Germany and Austro-Hungary during World War I. They were also used by the Ottoman Empire in Palestine. In the hands of a skilled pilot it could outmaneuver most allied fighters of the period. It remained in service until early 1918 though 600 were still in use by the Armistice of 11 November 1918. Most were scrapped according to Versailles Treaty in 1919.

Fokker D.VII Willi Gabriel Jasta 11 - 1918

Yes, I know it is another Fokker D.VII, but I have always liked this paint scheme. I had an obsessive moment a couple days ago and I had to knock out this profile. The interplay between the bright solid color sections and the streaked under painting is satisfying.

Fokker Dr.I - Rudolph Klimtke Jasta 27 - 1917

If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times, I hate repeating myself. However in this case I will make an exception. I had procrastinated for a long time on this profile. I was lazy and it took me a while to draw up the anchor. I could have posted a brighter colored Dr.I but this one has been less covered by other profilers.

Nieuport 11 "Bébé" (baby) - 1915

Another very cheery paint scheme on this Nieuport 11. Bold tricolor stripes and wheels. What's not to like? So many examples are plain varnished linen. I was glad I saw an example of this long ago and made my own version.

The small Nieuport 11 biplane was affectionately known as the "Bébé" (baby). Originally designed for racing, this light plane was fast and extremely maneuverable. Its only major problem was in the design of its wing struts. In a steep dive, the struts allowed the wings to twist, sometimes with disastrous results. Used by the British and French to counter the Fokker E.III, the Nieuport 11 was disadvantaged by its lack of a synchronized machine gun.

Belgian Hanriot H.D.1 - 1916

This is another favorite of mine. I like the silver and blue paint scheme and the white origami bird insignia. Top it off with the Belgian colors on the rudder and it is a pleasing combination of colors.

The Hanriot HD.1 was a French World War I single seat fighter. Rejected for service with French squadrons in favor of the SPAD S.7, the type was supplied to the Belgians and the Italians who used it very successfully.

France - 1916 Nieuport 17

A Nimble Answer to the Albatros Threat

French Nieuport 17 1916

Most examples of Charles Nungesser show his silver Ni-17 serial number N1895. There are several of another Nieuport-17 which he had piloted serial number N1490. The plane is depicted in a brown and green camouflage pattern and cone de penetration mounted forward of the prop.

British Nieuport 17 - 1916

The British also flew the Nieuport-17. This example is painted in standard British colors. This plane also sports a red cone de penetration mounted forward of the prop. This was not used on many Nieuports.

Estonian Nieuport 17 - DUK - 1917

The Estonian Air Force used this Russian Nieuport 17 which was built by DUKS.

Many of the French and British aces began their careers flying the Nieuport 17. The highly maneuverable "Superbébé" was a larger, improved version of the Nieuport 11. Like its predecessor, it was initially equipped with a Lewis gun but was upgraded to a synchronized Vickers machine gun. Helping end Germany's domination of the air war, the Nieuport 17 easily out-climbed and outperformed the Fokker E.III. The superior design was so successful that German high command ordered it copied.

France - 1916 Nieuport-11C

Je' suis Le Grande Canard!

Nieuport Triplane - 1916

I can hear you groaning, "Oh no! another odd bird!" Yes, I have a passion for bizarre aircraft. When I first saw a drawing of this aircraft I took a old Airfix Nieuport 17 kit I had not built and kit-bashed one for my very own. Needless to say when I started doing computer drawn aircraft profiles I had to make one out of pixels. This example is one of the triplanes evaluated by the RFC.

The First World War had more than its share of journeys down the wrong road of development. During the triplane craze every design firm churned out their own attempt at creating the new wonder weapon. Many manufacturers modified existing airframes for use as triplanes, none of them were particularly impressive.

The Nieuport Triplane was an experimental design built by the French and tested by the British Royal Flying Corps. As with many of the attempts to build successful triplanes by aircraft manufactures, the design was doomed to failure. The design was never adopted as a production aircraft because of the poor handling characteristics due to the aircraft's unusual wing configuration.