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Hub AI
Nieuport 17 AI simulator
(@Nieuport 17_simulator)
Hub AI
Nieuport 17 AI simulator
(@Nieuport 17_simulator)
Nieuport 17
The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) is a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little larger than earlier Nieuports and better adapted to the more powerful engine than the interim Nieuport 16. Aside from early examples, it had the new Alkan-Hamy synchronization gear, permitting the use of a fuselage-mounted synchronised Vickers gun firing through the propeller disc.
At the time of its introduction in March 1916, the type's outstanding manoeuvrability and excellent rate of climb gave it a significant advantage over fighters on both sides and was described as "the best pursuit plane of the day". It was used by many operators and entered service with every Allied power and copies were also operated by the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Service). Mass-produced by several French firms, the Nieuport 17 and its derivatives were built under licence in Italy by Nieuport-Macchi and in Russia by Dux. Unlicensed copies, notably the Siemens-Schuckert D.I and the Euler D.I, were produced in Germany.
The Nieuport 21 and 23 represented relatively minor alterations. Aerodynamic refinement led to the Clerget-powered 17bis. More powerful versions of the Le Rhône rotary engines with detail improvements resulted in the Nieuport 24, 24bis and 27.
When Gustave Delage was appointed as the chief designer of Nieuport, in January 1914, a series of sesquiplane designs followed. Nieuport had been famous for wire-braced monoplanes and these had reached the limit of their development. The sesquiplane configuration was adopted by Delage as a compromise between the low drag of a monoplane and the greater strength of a biplane. The first of Delage's sesquiplanes was the two-seat Nieuport 10 of 1914, which was followed the next year by the smaller Nieuport 11 single-seater, which in turn was supplemented by the Nieuport 16. The larger engine of the latter aircraft made it nose heavy and increased the wing loading, especially when armed with a synchronised Vickers gun.
Developed in parallel with the conservative Nieuport 16, the Nieuport 17 was slightly larger with longer wings and fuselage, improved aerodynamic form and better balance. It was fitted with the 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône 9J engine and later examples used 120 hp (89 kW) motors.
The upper wings of the Nieuport sesquiplanes used a typical structure for the period, with widely spaced spars connected with full chord ribs and compression ribs, cross-braced internally with wire and by riblets on the leading edge. The lower wing's single spar was directly below the rear spar of the upper wing and was braced with a characteristic Vee strut. The ribs, composed of ash flanges and limewood webs, featured cut-outs to lighten them. Ailerons were fitted on the top wing only and had increased chord towards the wingtips for improved stall response. They were actuated by a pair of push-pull rods that connected torque tubes running to the ailerons to the control column in the cockpit. The horizontal stabilizer, elevator and rudder were built up from welded 20 mm (0.79 in) diameter steel tube and controls for these were provided via conventional cables and pulleys. The angle of incidence on the wings could be adjusted by ground crew via a single pivot joint arrangement, which was originally intended to allow the lower wing to be rotated for low speed flight on the Nieuport 10, but was never used. No adjustment was provided for the tailplane.
Quite apart from the improvement in the pilot's downward view, there were aerodynamic gains from the reduction in area of the lower wing, which on a biplane produces far less lift than the upper wing, yet causes considerable drag. This helped give sesquiplanes a superior climb rate. Unfortunately at very high speeds (at what would now be termed its VNE, or "velocity, never exceed") the lower wing was prone to flutter, an aerodynamic phenomenon not fully understood at the time. The single spar was behind the centre of lift, which at high speeds could cause the lower wing to twist, increasing the angle of attack until the wing stalled, at which point it would return to its normal position, repeating until the wing snapped or the pilot slowed the aircraft.
British Nieuports were modified at No 2 Aeroplane Supply Depot to alleviate this problem. Late in French service, some N.17s had their lower wings replaced with spares intended for the newer Nieuport 24.
Nieuport 17
The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) is a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little larger than earlier Nieuports and better adapted to the more powerful engine than the interim Nieuport 16. Aside from early examples, it had the new Alkan-Hamy synchronization gear, permitting the use of a fuselage-mounted synchronised Vickers gun firing through the propeller disc.
At the time of its introduction in March 1916, the type's outstanding manoeuvrability and excellent rate of climb gave it a significant advantage over fighters on both sides and was described as "the best pursuit plane of the day". It was used by many operators and entered service with every Allied power and copies were also operated by the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Service). Mass-produced by several French firms, the Nieuport 17 and its derivatives were built under licence in Italy by Nieuport-Macchi and in Russia by Dux. Unlicensed copies, notably the Siemens-Schuckert D.I and the Euler D.I, were produced in Germany.
The Nieuport 21 and 23 represented relatively minor alterations. Aerodynamic refinement led to the Clerget-powered 17bis. More powerful versions of the Le Rhône rotary engines with detail improvements resulted in the Nieuport 24, 24bis and 27.
When Gustave Delage was appointed as the chief designer of Nieuport, in January 1914, a series of sesquiplane designs followed. Nieuport had been famous for wire-braced monoplanes and these had reached the limit of their development. The sesquiplane configuration was adopted by Delage as a compromise between the low drag of a monoplane and the greater strength of a biplane. The first of Delage's sesquiplanes was the two-seat Nieuport 10 of 1914, which was followed the next year by the smaller Nieuport 11 single-seater, which in turn was supplemented by the Nieuport 16. The larger engine of the latter aircraft made it nose heavy and increased the wing loading, especially when armed with a synchronised Vickers gun.
Developed in parallel with the conservative Nieuport 16, the Nieuport 17 was slightly larger with longer wings and fuselage, improved aerodynamic form and better balance. It was fitted with the 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône 9J engine and later examples used 120 hp (89 kW) motors.
The upper wings of the Nieuport sesquiplanes used a typical structure for the period, with widely spaced spars connected with full chord ribs and compression ribs, cross-braced internally with wire and by riblets on the leading edge. The lower wing's single spar was directly below the rear spar of the upper wing and was braced with a characteristic Vee strut. The ribs, composed of ash flanges and limewood webs, featured cut-outs to lighten them. Ailerons were fitted on the top wing only and had increased chord towards the wingtips for improved stall response. They were actuated by a pair of push-pull rods that connected torque tubes running to the ailerons to the control column in the cockpit. The horizontal stabilizer, elevator and rudder were built up from welded 20 mm (0.79 in) diameter steel tube and controls for these were provided via conventional cables and pulleys. The angle of incidence on the wings could be adjusted by ground crew via a single pivot joint arrangement, which was originally intended to allow the lower wing to be rotated for low speed flight on the Nieuport 10, but was never used. No adjustment was provided for the tailplane.
Quite apart from the improvement in the pilot's downward view, there were aerodynamic gains from the reduction in area of the lower wing, which on a biplane produces far less lift than the upper wing, yet causes considerable drag. This helped give sesquiplanes a superior climb rate. Unfortunately at very high speeds (at what would now be termed its VNE, or "velocity, never exceed") the lower wing was prone to flutter, an aerodynamic phenomenon not fully understood at the time. The single spar was behind the centre of lift, which at high speeds could cause the lower wing to twist, increasing the angle of attack until the wing stalled, at which point it would return to its normal position, repeating until the wing snapped or the pilot slowed the aircraft.
British Nieuports were modified at No 2 Aeroplane Supply Depot to alleviate this problem. Late in French service, some N.17s had their lower wings replaced with spares intended for the newer Nieuport 24.
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