Nieuport 28

From Wings of Linen
Nieuport 28
Role Fighter
Manufacturer Nieuport
First flight 6 May 1917[1]-June 1917 [2]
Introduction March-April 1918[3][1]
Primary user U.S.A.
Number built 297 [2]
Wingspan 8.00 m (26 ft 3 in)[4]-8.15 m (26 ft 9 in)[5][6][1][7]
Engine 150-160hp Gnome Monosoupape 9Nc rotary
Armament 2×sync. fixed Vickers [note 1]
Crew 1
Max Speed 198 km/h (123 mph) [9][10][6][4] to
206 km/h (128 mph)[11][5][7]
Climb 1,500 m (5,000 ft) in 4:30[11][4]
2,000 m (6,560 ft) in 5:30 [9][5]
3,000 m (10,000 ft) in 9:00[5]-11:30[11][4]
5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 19:48[1]
Ceiling 5,180 m (17,000 ft) [9][10][11][6][4] to
6,000 m (19,700 ft)[7] to
6,100 m (20,000 ft)[5]
Range 400 km (250 mi)[9][1]
Endurance 1:30 [9][10][11][6][4] - 2:00[7]

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. [3]

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.[1]

For more information, see Wikipedia:Nieuport 28.

Timeline

Game Data

Wings of Glory

Official Stats
Availability Maneuver Damage Dmg Points Max Alt. Climb Points
Mar18-Jul18 F A 14 13 2 87
Card Links

Blue Max/Canvas Eagles

Aircraft Chart

Miniatures and Models

1:144 Scale

1:200 Scale

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

1:300 Scale

1:350 Scale

Resources

Orthographic Drawings

References

Notes
  1. Some American planes used twin Marlins instead of Vickers.[8]
Citations
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Ferry'14, p.134.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Davilla, p.405.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Bowers, p.10.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Bowers, p.12.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Lamberton, pp.216-217.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Angelucci, p.42.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Argus Vol. 1, p.53.
  8. Bowers, p.6.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Davilla, p.408.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Munson, p.63.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Guttman, p.35.
Bibliography
  • Enzo Angelucci, ed. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914-1980. New York: The Military Press, 1983 edition. ISBN 0-517-41021-4.
  • Argus Books, Airplane Archive: Aircraft of World War One, Volume 1. Great Britain: Argus Books, 1989. ISBN 0-85242-983-5
  • Peter M. Bowers, Profile Publications 79: The Nieuport 28. Great Britain: Profile Publications Ltd., 1966.
  • Dr. James J. Davilla and Arthur M. Soltan. French Aircraft of the First World War. Flying Machines Press, 1997. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0.
  • Vital Ferry. French Aviation During the First World War. Paris: Histoire and Collections, 2014. ISBN 978-2-35250-370-5
  • Jon Guttman, Windsock Datafile 36: Nieuport 28. Great Britain: Albatros Publications, Ltd., 1992. ISBN 0-948414-44-8
  • W.M. Lamberton and E.F. Cheesman, Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Great Britain: Harleyford Publications Limited, 1960.
  • Kenneth Munson, Fighters 1914-19, Attack and Training Aircraft. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1976. ISBN 0713707607