Year: 1915
Engine: Le Rhone Rotary
Horsepower: 80
Wingspan: 24 ' 9"
Top Speed: 97 mph (156 km/hr)
Gr. Weight: 1058 lbs (480 kg)
Original/Reproduction: Reproduction
The Nieuport 11, nicknamed Bébé, appeared in January 1916, just in time for the Battle of Verdun. It was here that the nimble Nieuport 11 far outclassed the Fokker monoplane fighters that had dominated the air war since 1915. This is the machine that helped earn the new Escadrille Americaine (later known as the Lafayette Escadrille) its reputation for daring exploits in the skies of France which inspired many more Americans to volunteer and fight for the Allied cause.