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NIEUPORT 17

Nieuport 17, Duxford 2011 - pic by Nigel Key
Nieuport 17, Duxford 2011 ©Nigel Key

ROLE
Fighter.

FIRST FLIGHT
January 1916.

The Nieuport 17 is a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by Nieuport Company during World War I.

The larger upper wing has widely spaced spars connected with ribs and cross braced to the leading edge. The smaller lower wing had a single spar and was braced with vee struts each side.

Ailerons were fitted to the upper wing only and were actuated by pull-push rods from the control column.

The elevator and rudder were made from steel tube and controlled by conventional cables and pulleys.

The smaller lower wing gave the pilot increased visibility and the aircraft a superior climb rate to ‘normal’ biplanes. However, at high speed the lower wing was prone to fluttering which could lead to failure if not corrected by the pilot.

The fuselage was constructed from four ash longerons with the upper longerons bowed around the cockpit. The longerons were braced with struts and wires with steel plate joints. The forward sides and top of the fuselage are covered with plywood and the rest covered in fabric.

The engine cowling is made of aluminium with strengthening ribs. It has a pair of holes positioned to allow air to flow over the engine and remove exhaust gases exiting underneath the aircraft.

The early Nieuport had a wing mounted Lewis gun which was replaced by an Alkan-Hamy synchronised Vickers gun which was mounted on the fuselage and fired through the propeller arc.

The Royal Flying Corps used Vickers-Challenger synchronisation gear which proved unreliable so the over-wing Lewis gun was retained for British service.

The Lewis gun was mounted on the Foster mounting which had a curved rail which was designed to allow the pilot to slide the gun back to reload or clear jams, however, it also had the advantage of allowing the gun to be shot upwards into the underside of the enemy aircraft.

PRODUCTION
The Nieuport 17 was produced from 1916, with 3,600 built.

ENGINE
Le Rhone 9Ja, producing 110 hp.

ARMAMENT
1 x Lewis 0.303” machine gun
1 x Synchronised Vickers 0.303” machine gun.

The Nieuport 17 entered service in 1916, replacing the Nieuport 11 and 16 fighters. Escadrille N.57 was the first unit to be entirely equipped with the aircraft on 2 May 1916 and by early 1917 every fighter squadron of the Aeronautique Militaire was equipped.

The Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service ordered the Nieuport fighters as they were superior to the British fighters at the time with Squadrons 1, 11, 29, 40 and 60 and 1, 3 and 4 Wings of the RNAS operating the aircraft.

Many British Empire air aces flew the Nieuport fighters including; Billy Bishop, VC and Albert Ball, VC.

The top-scoring ace in a Nieuport was Captain Phillip Fletcher Fullard of No.1 Squadron RFC, who scored 40 kills.

By mid-1917, the Nieuport fighters were outclassed by the German fighters such as Albatros D.III and so the SPAD S.VII began to replace it in French squadrons and by early 1918 the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 replaced it in the British squadrons.

Crew - 1
Wing Type - Bi-plane
Length - 19ft 0in (5.8m)
Wingspan - 26ft 9in (8.16m)
Height - 7ft 10in (2.4m)
Empty Weight - 825lb (375kg)
Max. Weight - 1,232lb (560kg)
Max. Speed - 110 mph (177 km/h)
Range - 155 miles (250 km)


PHOTOGRAPHS

Nieuport 17, Duxford 2012 - pic by Nigel Key Nieuport 17, Duxford 2012 - pic by Nigel Key Nieuport 17, Duxford 2012 - pic by Nigel Key
Duxford 2012 Duxford 2012 Duxford 2012
Nieuport 17, Duxford 2012 - pic by Nigel Key Nieuport 17, Duxford 2012 - pic by Nigel Key Nieuport 17, Duxford 2012 - pic by Nigel Key
Duxford 2012 Duxford 2012 Duxford 2012
Nieuport 17, Duxford 2011 - pic by Nigel Key Nieuport 17, Duxford 2011 - pic by Nigel Key Nieuport 17, Duxford 2011 - pic by Nigel Key
Duxford 2011 Duxford 2011 Duxford 2011


Photos copyright of ©Nigel Key




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