Nieuport-Delage Ni-D 29
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| Ni-D 29 | |
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| Type | Single-seat biplane fighter |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Nieuport-Delage |
| Maiden flight | 1918 |
| Introduced | 1922 |
| Primary users | French Air Force Belgian Air Force |
| Number built | 250+ |
The Nieuport-Delage Ni-D 29 was a French single-seat biplane fighter in the C.I category designed and built by Nieuport-Delage for the French Air Force.
[edit] Design and development
The Ni-D was an equal-span biplane with ailerons on both upper and lower wings. It had a fixed tailskid landing gear, a nose-mounted engine and a single open cockpit for the pilot. The prototype Ni-D 29 first flew on the 21 August 1918 powered by a Hispano-Suiza 8Fb engine piston engine, it performed well in test but could not achieve the required ceiling. The second prototype was modified with an increased wingspan and on achieving the required ceiling it was ordered into production in 1920. Production aircraft did not have ailerons on the upper wing and the lower wing ailerons were increased in size.
The first deliveries were made in 1922 to the French Air Force and the typed was popular although it did have a tendency to enter a flat spin. The French military bought 250 aircraft which were built by Nieuport and seven other companies. The Ni-D 29 was to become an important fighter in the 1920s with purchases of 30 by Spain (including 10 Spanish licence built aircraft), 108 by Belgium (87 licensed built by SABCA). The Italian Regia Aeronuatica bought 175 aircraft including 95 built by Macchi as the Macchi-Nieuport 29 and 80 built by Caproni. Sweden bought nine aircraft and designated them J 2.
The Japanese company Nakajima bought a pattern aircraft and built 608 for the Imperial Japanese Army as the Ko-4.
Racing versions of the aircraft were developed and they gained eight world speed records and won the 1919 Coupe Deutsche and the 1920 Gordon Bennet Trophy.
[edit] Operational history
French aircraft were used on operations against insurgents in Morocco including some aircraft converted to carry small bombs. Spanish aircraft were also involved in similar operations in North Africa.
[edit] Variants
- Ni-D 29
- Production aircraft
- Ni-D 29 C.1
- Alternate designation of Ni-D 29 aircraft in French service.
- Ni-D 29 B.1
- Small number of conversions as an experimental assault version to carry six 10kg (22lb) bombs.
- Ni-D 29bis
- Prototype only with reduced wing area and steerable tailskid.
- Ni-D 29G
- Prototypes fitted with a Gnome 9N rotary engine, two later converted to take an Hispano engine and fitted with twin floats and an auxiliary tail float for the Grand Prix de Monaco in 1923. One aircraft was converted as a possible carrier-borne fighter the Ni-D 32RH.
- Ni-D 29D
- Conversion with amn engine supercharger for an attempt on the altitude record, reached 7000m (22,965ft).
- Ni-D 29 E.1
- Trainer variant with a 180hp (134kW) Hispano-Suiza engine and a single synchronised Vickers machine-gun.
- Ni-D 29 SHV
- Seaplane for the 1919 Schneider Trophy contest with reduced wingspan and all military equipment removed, two aircraft built and one was also entered in the 1921 event but neither aircraft actually took part in the races.
- Ni-D 29V
- Lightweight racer developed in 1919 with a wingspan reduced to 6.00m (19ft 8¼in) and the Hispano-Suiza engine boosted to give 320hp (239kW), three aircraft were built.
- NI-D 29Vbis
- One-off conversion with an enclosed cockpit to gain more speed, the pilot had small teardrop windows on each side with little forward visibility. The aircraft was lost in a landing accident in 1921.
- Nakajima Ko-4
- Japanese licence-built Ni-D 29, 608 built.
[edit] Operators
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[edit] Specifications (Ni-D 29)
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 6.49 m (21 ft 3½ in)
- Wingspan: 9.70 m (31 ft 10 in)
- Height: 2.56 m (8 ft 4¾ in)
- Wing area: 26.70 m² (287.41 ft²)
- Empty weight: 760 kg (1675 lb)
- Gross weight: 1150 kg (2535 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8Fb V-8 piston engine, 224 kW (300 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 235 km/h (146 mph)
- Range: 580 km (360 miles)
- Service ceiling: 8500 m (27,885 ft)
Armament
- 2 x fixed forward-firing 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine-guns
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Orbis, 1985, page 2600
[edit] Bibliography
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
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