Airdrome Nieuport 24

Airdrome Nieuport 24
Role Amateur-built aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Airdrome Aeroplanes
Status In production (2011)
Number built 12 (2011)
Unit cost
US$9,696 (kit less engine and instruments, 2011)
Developed from Nieuport 24

The Airdrome Nieuport 24 is an American amateur-built aircraft, designed and produced by Airdrome Aeroplanes, of Holden, Missouri. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction and is available in two versions, the Nieuport 24 and Nieuport 24 bis.[1][2]

The aircraft is a full-sized replica of the First World War French Nieuport 24 fighter, built from modern materials and powered by modern engines.[1]

Design and development

The Airdrome Nieuport 24 features a strut-braced biplane layout, a single-seat open cockpit, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.[1]

The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. The kit is made up of twelve sub-kits. The Airdrome Nieuport 24 has a wingspan of 26.9 ft (8.2 m) and a wing area of 180 sq ft (17 m2). It can be equipped with engines ranging from 85 to 110 hp (63 to 82 kW). The standard engine is the 110 hp (82 kW) Hirth F30 two stroke engine, with a Volkswagen air-cooled engine four-stroke or a 110 hp (82 kW) Rotec R2800 four stroke radial engine optional. Building time from the factory-supplied kit is estimated at 400 hours by the manufacturer.[1][3]

The replica performs better than the original Nieuport 24 on the same installed power, because modern materials result in a much lighter aircraft.[1]

Operational history

Twelve examples had been completed by December 2011.[2]

Specifications (Nieuport 24)

Data from Bayerl, Kitplanes and Airdrome Aeroplanes[1][2][3]

General characteristics

Performance

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 92. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Vandermeullen, Richard: 2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 40. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  3. 3.0 3.1 Airdrome Aeroplanes (n.d.). "Nieuport 24 Biplane ~ Full Scale Replica". Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2012.