Modell of the month

Model of the month Juli 2023 Nieuport

Kissed awake: Eddie Rickenbackers Nieuport N. 28 C-1

From Original to the model

A significant part of the collections of the air museum Hannover – Laatzen are the more than 1000 scale models , mainly built in the international scales 1/72; 1/48 and 1/32.

That true to original miniature models enable the spectators of museum history an overview , not only at a single sample. Mostly that is the only possibility for having a view on that specific plane,as no original is available any more. Also it is possible to have a glance at development history of aviation by showing timeline and a direct comparison. Even the precision and craftsmanship of the handicraft is worth to see them.

Today in our 'Model of the Month' series we are introducing you to the single-engine fighter reconnaissance aircraft Nieuport N. 28 C-1, which only became a famous aircraft of the First World War on the second attempt.

The models: Type series

In addition to a replica of the Nieuport Type 17 in its original size, the museum presents several designs by the French aircraft manufacturer Nieuport in 1/72 scale in its model showcases for the World War 1914 - '18. In addition to the N. 12 and the N. 17, these are the types “Bebe”, N. 27 and of course the N. 28. The cover model of this article is the Revell kit from 2008, which, apart from the bracing made of drawn plastic burr, was built “out of the box”.

The original: Uncle Sam kisses wallflower awake ...

or: the unexpected success of an emergency solution.

Well, that was close... This French aircraft almost had only three prototypes and no history. When the French high command was urgently looking for a new standard fighter in the summer of 1917, they decided on the SPAD S XIII from Blériot; This meant that the competing model, the Nieuport N. 28, was on the verge of extinction. Fortunately, not only for France, but especially for the established Nieuport construction workshop, the USA entered the war on the side of the Allies at exactly this time, landed its troops in Europe and commemorated its American Expeditionary Forces AEF on site to equip the best French hunter. (After all, they received steel helmets for their infantry from the British...) A 26-year-old mechanic came to Europe in the ranks of the AEF, whose parents had emigrated from Switzerland to the USA 35 years earlier, and who had already driven automobile races there and set a speed record of 214 km/h. We'll talk about this young man later.

Second best

But first we should talk about the airplane. The French army, with its military back against the wall, could not and would not spare a single SPAD. The Nieuport N. 28 designed by Gustave Delage was now used as a replacement: the type, powered by a Gnome-Rhone 9-cylinder rotary engine, was ready for production and the workshops were set up. After the successes with the N. 17 and N. 27 types and basically satisfactory test flights, Nieuport had expected a major order. In fact, the SPAD was ultimately the better aircraft to honor the truth and the technical commission in the high command.

The need was great, time was short, and so an agreement was quickly reached. Uncle Sam kissed the sleeping princess awake - the Americans received exactly 297 of the 300 Nieuport N. 28s built. Within a few weeks, they set up a logistics, repair and training organization for their air force in France: respect! (While our young mechanic promptly registered for the pilot's course. With the credentials of an automobile record driver and engine expert, he was of course accepted for training.)

Dangerous opponent

Shortly thereafter, the first N. 28s reached the US Army Air Service squadrons. However, there was one flaw: the machines were delivered unarmed; machine guns appear to have been scarce on the Allied side at the beginning of 1918. The first missions in March 1918 were purely patrol and reconnaissance flights. But the AEF soon had its aircraft armed with two 7.65 mm Browning machine guns each, which were mounted on the left side of the bow. And which made the biplane, which was only 6.40 m long and weighed 420 kg empty, with a top speed of around 200 km/h, a dangerous opponent for the German air force.

From ch to ck…

And now we come back to the young American of Swiss descent who was already mentioned: Because of anti-German sentiment in the USA, he changed his family name from Rickenbacher to Rickenbacker and took on a second, “unsuspicious” first name: Edward “Eddie”. Vernon Rickenbacker, barely out of flight school, became the most successful American fighter pilot of this period in the last half of the First World War with 26 aerial victories. He flew both the N. 28 and the SPAD (they were probably glad that the AEF was there after all...), distributed his kills between both types and became an American hero as the 'Ace of the Aces'. With him – and other successful pilots from the US Army Air Service – the Nieuport Type 28 ultimately earned a special place in aviation history.

After the war, Rickenbacker founded an automobile company and in 1938 became president of the American airline Eastern Airlines. He survived a plane crash near Atlanta in 1941 and the ditching of a B-17 in 1942, followed by 24 days of distress in the Pacific. Apparently immortal, in 1973, at the age of 83, he was struck down in his old homeland: he died of pneumonia in Zurich - while looking for a medical specialist for his wife.

Full Circle

Postscript: Shortly after the end of the First World War, the Swiss Air Force acquired fourteen N. 28s from the AEF's left-behind armaments, which they operated as training aircraft for around seven years, and one of which is still on display in the Swiss Museum of Transport today - so the circle is complete this story.

And if you find such biographies and technology stories as exciting as we do, then we should get to know each other in person - why not come by the Aviation Museum! You can find us at Ulmer Straße close to the Hanover exhibition center.  

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