Nieuport 28

By mid to late 1917, the vee-strutted sesquiplane Nieuport design had seen its zenith come and go. The Nieuport 28C-1 was an attempt to return to dominance with a more conventional biplane design. For the first time a Nieuport airplane was fitted with twin forward-firing synchronized machine guns: one Vickers on the top deck and another deep on the port side. In a rare design decision, ailerons were fitted only to the bottom wings. It had good maneuverability but it had a tendency to shed fabric in a high-speed dive, and it was not selected for French service.

The Americans needed a fighter, though, especially with the SPAD 13 allocations aimed for French service, and they purchased 297 of the Nieuport 28. In service it was not popular and its lifetime was only about four months long before being replaced by the SPAD 13. Nevertheless, many American pilots earned their first victories flying the Nieuport 28. They were used by the 27th, 94th, 95th, and 147th Aero Squadrons.

The American's first patrols over enemy lines by the 94th and 95th Aero Squadrons were performed in early to mid March 1918, even though it was not until mid April that guns arrived to arm the planes! On 14 April Alan Winslow and Douglas Campbell scored the A.E.F.'s first victories.

Complaints included a tendency for the engine to catch fire, the fabric to shed from the upper wing, leaky radiators, and vibrations causing fuel leaks.

Card Links

 * 147th Aero Sqn - O'Neill
 * 94th Aero Sqn - Rickenbacker

Aircraft Chart

1:144 Scale

 * Ares: WGF120A Hartney; WGF120B O'Neil; WGF120C Rickenbacker
 * Shapeways: Columbia Aerodrome, Kampfflieger, Reduced Aircraft Factory
 * Metal kit:

1:200 Scale

 * Shapeways: Columbia Aerodrome, Kampfflieger

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

 * Shapeways: Reduced Aircraft Factory
 * Metal Cast:

1:300 Scale

 * Metal kit: Heroics & Ros GWA201

1:350 Scale

 * Shapeways: Kampfflieger