Nieuport-Delage NiD 42
The Nieuport-Delage NiD 42 was a fighter aircraft built in France in the early 1920s, the first in a family of designs that would form the backbone of the French fighter force over the next decade.[1][2]
NiD.42, 52, 62 | |
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Nieuport-Delage NiD.52 prototype in French markings prior to delivery to Spain. The 42 was similar but had a wooden fuselage and relocated radiators. | |
Role | Fighter |
National origin | France |
Manufacturer | Nieuport-Delage |
Designer | Gustave Delage |
First flight | 1924 |
Introduction | 1924 |
Retired | 1940 |
Status | retired |
Primary user | Aéronautique Militaire |
Number built | 882 |
Developed from | Nieuport-Delage Sesquiplan |
Variants | Nieuport-Delage NiD 52 Nieuport-Delage NiD 62 |
Design and development
As first built, the NiD 42 was a highly streamlined parasol-wing monoplane with a monocoque fuselage and an open cockpit of which a single prototype was built. Soon afterwards, Nieuport-Delage built two examples of a modified version for the 1924 Coupe Beaumont as the NiD 42S,[3][4] on which the main wings were mounted directly to the sides of the upper fuselage at shoulder position with a short subsidiary wing fitted around the undercarriage axle. To further streamline the design, the surface radiators were installed on the upper surface of the wing.[5]
Operational history
One of these aircraft was flown by Joseph Sadi-Lecointe in the race of 22 June and was the only one out of the five entrants to actually finish the course.[3][6][7] Indeed, having finished the prescribed six laps of the 50 km (31 mi) course, Sadi-Lecointe flew another four laps to break the world speed record over a 500-km closed-course.[7] His average speed in winning the Coupe Beaumont was 311 km/h (193 mph; 168 kn) and over the 500 km (310 mi) was 306 km/h (190 mph; 165 kn), beating the previous record for the latter by 36 km/h (22 mph; 19 kn).[7] On 15 February the following year, Sadi Lecointe took a NiD 42S up to a speed of 375 km/h (233 mph; 202 kn)[6] and went on to win the 1925 Coupe Beaumont with a NiD 42S on 18 October[6] with an average speed of 313 km/h (194 mph; 169 kn).[8]
While the NiD 42S was achieving these distinctions, development continued on the fighter version. Nieuport-Delage designed two further such variants in 1924; a single-seater designated NiD 42 C.1 and a similar machine with a second cockpit for a tail gunner with a machine gun in a ring mount, designated the NiD 42 C.2.[2] One of the latter was exhibited at that year's Salon de l'Aéronautique, along with a NiD 42 C.1 nose section to illustrate an alternative engine mount.[9] These differed from the original NiD 42 fighter in having a second, small wing added to the lower fuselage, turning the parasol monoplane into a sesquiplane, a design feature adopted from the NiD 37[10] which would be a key identifying feature through most of the versions developed from the 42.
Only two examples of the two-seater were built,[1] but Nieuport-Delage entered the single-seater in the 1925 concours des monoplaces, a competition by the Army's Technical Service to find a replacement for the NiD 29.[10] The NiD 42 was selected from a field of eleven competitors, and an order for 50 aircraft was placed,[10] of which 25 were eventually delivered.[2] Although impressive at the time it was designed, technology had already surpassed the NiD 42 when it entered service in 1928, particularly with regard to its wooden structure,[10] and most of the development work associated with the design was made in an effort to cure it of a tendency to enter a flat spin. Nevertheless, it provided the foundation for further development as the NiD 52 and NiD 62.[11]
Variants
- NiD 42
- prototype single-seat parasol-wing monoplane fighter with 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Hb (one built)
- NiD 42S
- shoulder-wing monoplane racer with 450 kW (600 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Hb (two built)
- NiD 42 C.1
- single-seat sesquiplane fighter with 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Hb (27 built, mostly for French AF, includes two for the Turkish Air Force
- NiD 42 C.2
- two-seat sesquiplane fighter with 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Hb (two built)
- NiD 44 C.1
- prototype sesquiplane fighter, powered by a 340 kW (450 hp) Lorraine 12Ew W-12 engine, to test alternate engine (one built)
- NiD 46 C.1
- prototype sesquiplane fighter with 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Gb to test alternate engine (one built)
- NiD 52 C.1
- version for Spanish Air Force with 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Hb (126 built, including 125 under licence in Spain)
- NiD 62 C.1
- production fighter version for French military with 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Hb (322 built)
- NiD 621
- advanced trainer powered by a 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Hb (three built)
- NiD 622
- production fighter powered by a 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Hb (314 built)
- NiD 623
- speed record aircraft modified from 62 powered by a 450 kW (600 hp) Lorraine 12Fd Courlis W-12 engine, (one built)
- NiD 624
- experimental altitude aircraft powered by a 450 kW (600 hp) Lorraine 12Fd Courlis W-12 engine, (one built)
- NiD 626
- variant for Peru with 370 kW (500 hp) Lorraine 12Hdr V-12 engine (12 built)
- NiD 628
- testbed for testing Farman turbocharger powered by a 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Mc (two built)
- NiD 629
- production fighter powered by a 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Mdsh (50 built for French)
- NiD 72 C.1
- metalized version for Belgium and Brazil powered by a 450 kW (600 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Lb (16 built for Brazil and Belgium)
- NiD 82 C.1
- metalized prototype with 450 kW (600 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Lb and entirely new wing and tail (one built)
Operators
- Aéronautique Militaire
- 2e Régiment d'Aviation
- 3e Régiment d'Aviation
- 38e Régiment d'Aviation
- French Aéronavale
Specifications (NiD 42 C1)
Data from "Nieuport-Delage NiD-42"[12]
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Length: 7.50 m (24 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
- Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 30.9 m2 (332 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,260 kg (2,780 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,808 kg (3,998 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Hb , 336 kW (450 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 265 km/h (165 mph, 143 kn)
- Range: 400 km (250 mi, 220 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,325 m (24,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 3.83 m/s (756.92 ft/min)
Armament
- 2 × fixed, forward-firing machine guns in wings
- 1 × fixed, forward-firing machine gun in engine cowling
References
Notes
- Taylor 1989, p. 698.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft 1985, p. 2612.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft 1985, p. 2600.
- Serryer, J (19 June 1924). "Le Sesquiplane Nieuport-Delage". Les Ailes (157): 2.
- "The Nieuport-Delage Type 42", p. 461.
- Hartmann 2006, 10.
- "'Sadi' wins Beaumont Cup." Flight, 26 June 1924, p. 416. Retrieved: 16 September 2012.
- "Sadi Lecointi wins Beaumont Cup." Flight, 22 October 1925, p. 682. Retrieved: 16 September 2012.
- "The Paris Aero Show 1924" 1924, p. 774.
- Hartmann 2006, p. 15.
- Taylor and Alexander 1969, p. 117.
- Parmentier 2000
Bibliography
- Bruner, Georges (1977). "Fighters a la Francaise, Part One". Air Enthusiast (3): 85–95. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Hartmann, Gérard. "Les avions Nieuport-Delage." La Coupe Schneider et hydravions anciens/Dossiers historiques hydravions et moteurs, 2006.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.
- Parmentier, Bruno. "Nieuport-Delage NiD-42." Aviafrance - Un siècle d'aviation française, 27 August 2000.
- Taylor, John W. R. and Jean Alexander. Combat Aircraft of the World. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-71810-564-8.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989. ISBN 0-517-69186-8.
- Wauthy, Jean-Luc & de Neve, Florian (June 1995). "Les aéronefs de la Force Aérienne Belge, deuxième partie 1919–1935" [Aircraft of the Belgian Air Force]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (305): 28–33. ISSN 0757-4169.
External links
- "The Nieuport-Delage Type 42." Flight, 24 July 1924, pp. 461–462.
- "The Paris Aero Show 1924." Flight, 11 December 1924, pp. 766–777.