Nieuport 28
Nieuport 28 | |
---|---|
Reproduction of a Nieuport 28 in the National Museum of the United States Air Force |
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Type: | Fighter plane |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
First flight: |
June 14, 1917 |
Commissioning: |
March 1918 |
Number of pieces: |
300+ |
The Nieuport 28 (N.28C-1) was a French biplane - fighter that in 1918 during the First World War was first used.
construction
The aircraft was designed by Gustave Delage and flew for the first time in June 1917. Contrary to the connection of the wings with V-struts, as in the Nieuport 27 , two parallel struts were now used. A powerful Gnôme 9N rotary engine with 160 HP (119 kW) was used as the drive.
commitment
First World War
The aircraft was to be used in large numbers by French and American fighter squadrons. However, the French Air Force canceled all orders and preferred the SPAD S.XIII . The machines were delivered to the American Expeditionary Force , or AEF for short . The AEF received a total of 287 machines.
It was the first aircraft that AEF pilots used in aerial combat during World War I. During the second patrol mission of the AEF on April 14, 1918, two enemy machines were shot down. The pilots were Alan Winslow and Douglas Campbell of the 94th Aero Squadron. Although the Nieuport 28 was already considered obsolete and should be replaced by the SPAD S.XIII, American pilots were able to report many more aerial victories than losses of the machine.
The machine was more manoeuvrable than the SPAD, but often had engine problems. The covering could come off in a dive. Nevertheless, the machine was flown by many American pilots, such as Quentin Roosevelt - the son of the former US President Theodore Roosevelt - and the flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker .
Performance comparison
Performance comparison of single-seaters in the front line at the end of the First World War :
Surname | Country | First flight | Commissioning | Engine power | Max. speed | Takeoff mass | Armament ( MG ) | Summit height | number of pieces |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albatros D.III | German Empire | 1916-08-01 | 1917-01-15 | 170 hp | 165 km / h | 886 kg | 2 | 5,500 m | 1352 |
SE5a | United Kingdom | 1916-11-22 | 1917-03-15 | 200 hp | 222 km / h | 880 kg | 2 | 5,185 m | 5205 |
Sopwith Camel | United Kingdom | 1916-12-31 | 1917-06-15 | 130 hp | 185 km / h | 659 kg | 2 | 5,791 m | 5490 |
Sopwith Dolphin | United Kingdom | 1917-03-23 | 1918-02-15 | 200 hp | 211 km / h | 890 kg | 2 | 6,100 m | 2072 |
Albatros D.Va | German Empire | 1917-04-15 | 1917-07-15 | 185 hp | 187 km / h | 937 kg | 2 | 6,250 m | 2562 |
Palatinate D.IIIa | German Empire | 1917-04-15 | 1917-08-15 | 180 hp | 181 km / h | 834 kg | 2 | 6,000 m | 750 |
SPAD S.XIII | France | 1917-04-30 | 1917-05-31 | 220 hp | 222 km / h | 820 kg | 2 | 6,650 m | 8472 |
Nieuport 28 | France | 1917-06-14 | 1918-03-15 | 160 hp | 195 km / h | 740 kg | 2 | 5,200 m | 300 |
Fokker Dr.I | German Empire | 1917-07-05 | 1917-09-01 | 130 hp | 160 km / h | 585 kg | 2 | 6,500 m | 420 |
Sopwith Snipe | United Kingdom | 1917-10-31 | 1918-08-30 | 230 hp | 195 km / h | 955 kg | 2 | 6,100 m | 497 |
LFG Roland D.VIa | German Empire | 1917-11-30 | 1918-05-15 | 160 hp | 190 km / h | 820 kg | 2 | 5,500 m | 353 |
Siemens-Schuckert D.IV | German Empire | 1917-12-31 | 1918-08-15 | 160 hp | 190 km / h | 735 kg | 2 | 8,000 m | 123 |
Fokker D.VII | German Empire | 1918-01-24 | 1918-04-15 | 180 hp | 189 km / h | 910 kg | 2 | 6,000 m | 800 |
Fokker D.VIIF | German Empire | 1918-01-24 | 1918-04-15 | 226 hp | 205 km / h | 910 kg | 2 | 7,000 m | 200 |
Palatinate D.VIII | German Empire | 1918-01-24 | 1918-09-15 | 160 hp | 190 km / h | 740 kg | 2 | 7,500 m | 120 |
Palatinate D.XII | German Empire | 1918-03-31 | 1918-07-15 | 160 hp | 180 km / h | 902 kg | 2 | 5,640 m | 750 |
Fokker D.VIII | German Empire | 1918-05-31 | 1918-07-31 | 110 hp | 204 km / h | 605 kg | 2 | 6,300 m | 289 |
post war period
At the end of the war, another 600 modified N.28A.1s were ordered by the USAS. The machines had minor structural improvements and new Marlin machine guns. The planes were mainly used as training aircraft. Twelve machines went to the US Navy to take off from battleships. After the war, four civil aircraft flew between Paris and London in 1920 during a postal strike in France. The last Nieuport 28 was withdrawn from the Swiss Air Force in the 1930s .
Military users
- Guatemala
- 1 copy
- Switzerland
- Swiss Air Force : 1
Technical specifications
Parameter | Data |
---|---|
crew | 1 |
length | 6.5 m |
span | 8.00 m |
height | 2.48 m |
Wing area | 20 m² |
Empty mass | 533 kg |
Takeoff mass | 740 kg |
drive | 1 × Gnome 9N Monosoupape rotary engine with 160 PS (118 kW) |
Top speed | 195 km / h |
Range | 400 km |
Service ceiling | 5,200 m |
Armament | 2 × 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns |
literature
- EF Cheesman (Ed.): Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Harleyford Publications, Letchworth 1960, pp. 98-99.
- Peter Cooksley: Nieuport Fighters in Action (Aircraft No. 167). Squadron / Signal Publications, Carrollton 1997, ISBN 0-89747-377-9 .
- James J. Davilla, Arthur M. Soltan: French Aircraft of the First World War. Flying Machines Press, Boulder 1997, ISBN 0-9637110-4-0 .
- Theodore Hamady: The Nieuport 28th America's First Fighter. Schiffer Publishing, Atglen 2008, ISBN 978-0-7643-2933-3 .
- Jack Hardwick, Ed Schnepf: A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies. The Making of the Great Aviation Films, General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989.
- Terry C. Treadwell: America's First Air War. The United States Army, Naval and Marine Air Services in the First World War. Airlife Publishing, London 2000, ISBN 1-84037-113-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ AERO, issue 121, p. 3386.