Nieuport 17

The Nieuport 17 proved to be an excellent all-around fighter, nimble in combat with a good rate of climb. Still, pilots had to be wary of prolonged, high-speed dives that could produce a serious flutter in the lower, single-sparred wings. Which resulted in the occasional total loss of a wing with tragic results. Many British pilots continued to employ the wing-mounted Lewis machine gun in lieu of the balky British synchronization gear available at that time. Some 17s were even equipped with electrically-fired Le Prieur rockets, mounted on the outboard struts for balloon-busting. By mid-1917, the Nieuport 17 had been outclassed by the Albatros D.III among others, relegating it to a role as an advanced trainer. The rugged new Spad VII and S.E.5 fighters succeeded the Nieuport 17.

This full-size replica was one of four Nieuport 17 aircraft built and flown in the 2006 movie: “Flyboys.” One of the movie’s stunt pilots was our own Andrew King, who flew in our shows from 1982-86. This aircraft was donated to the Aerodrome in 2020 by Francis Oneglia of Winstead, CT. It is on loan to the New England Air Museum. https://www.neam.org/home.php

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