Airdrome Aeroplanes Nieuport 24

BellyUpFish

BellyUpFish

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Anyone out there have any stick time in one of these?
 
I believe Old Rhinebeck in NY has a few of them. Can't recall if any are flyable. Cool place.
 
Always been tempted by those, especially with the radial.

Personally I'd go with the 28 though :yes:

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http://www.airdromeaeroplanes.com/nieuport28{Fullscale}.html
 
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Flies like a Champ? That's good to hear.. The owner will be getting his tailwheel endorsement in a Champ.
 
X3 Skier said:
I have talked to a few guys who own Nieuports and other than the prop turning the "wrong way", they all said they fly well. Mostly like a Champ.



Lots of info here. http://dawnpatrol.org/index.php



Cheers
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Most of those guys are flying Graham Lee 7/8 scale Nieuports with either VW or Rotax engines which is a big reason why the prop turns the other way.

The Airdrome Nieuports are full scale, and typically use Rotec radials. Much more powerful and better performance, but I've heard they can be a bit squirrelly.

There is a guy in the area (retired Naval Aviator) who built an Airdrome Nieuport with Rotec. I don't think he ever actually flew it. Story I heard from two different people was that he scared the crap out of himself on the ground and he ended up selling it to Jerry Yagen. It is now in the Military Aviation Museum here.

A Champ is probably a decent start (a Cub would probably be a little better though). But I'd recommend getting some biplane time before going up by himself in a Nieuport. Biplanes are just a bit different from Monoplanes. MUCH more affected by wind.
 
Beggars and choosers and such..

Champ is the last remaining TW for rent in these parts..

I'll see if we can get him some Bipe time, dunno where it's going to come from though, Stearman I used to fly isn't for rent anymore..
 
One of these days, I'm gonna build a 28 replica. Right after I finish my -8, and my Cassutt, and my Pitts!
 
Squirrelly? That's a selling point IMHO. Who wants training wheels
 
James331 said:
Squirrelly? That's a selling point IMHO. Who wants training wheels
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Well, that's part of the problem. WWI airplanes were generally nasty to fly. They weren't designed for pleasure, they were designed to carry weapons. For a fighter, instability was a plus. Almost as many pilots were killed flying Sopwith Camels in training accidents as in combat.

Then you turn to modern pilots, most of whom have never encountered anything that doesn't comply with Part 23 or its predecessors.

Aerodrome does a good job taming most of the bad traits, but landing gear geometry is hard to tamper with, if you want to keep the looks of the old planes. Dick Starks and the Dawn Patrol encountered this. They suffered ~15 years of ground loops and noseovers until they discovered that moving the axle back a foot or so made the planes handle like pussycats on the ground. Didn't have the bolt-upright gear geometry of the original anymore, but they weren't cutting swaths in the corn, either.

Most people don't want a completely accurate WWI fighter; they want something that flies like what they expect and LOOKS like a WWI fighter. Not always achievable....

Ron Wanttaja
 
James331 said:
Squirrelly? That's a selling point IMHO. Who wants training wheels
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Don't get me wrong, if I were going to get one, I'd want a full scale with Rotec. I almost bought a Graham Lee Nieuport a couple years ago, but didn't like the engine setup. I think the Rotec is much better.
 
wanttaja said:
Most people don't want a completely accurate WWI fighter; they want something that flies like what they expect and LOOKS like a WWI fighter. Not always achievable....
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Very true. Unless you have a wide open field where cross winds aren't an issue and you have a full ground crew, you have to give up on a lot of the historical accuracy.

The WWI airplanes were never intended for cross wind landings or pavement. They also had no brakes. You basically started it up and had the ground crew walk alongside and help you taxi by grabbing the wings until you got lined up with the wind.

Rhinebeck is about as close as you can get to seeing how it was done, but even they have had to make a few compromises.
 
BellyUpFish said:
Beggars and choosers and such..

Champ is the last remaining TW for rent in these parts..

I'll see if we can get him some Bipe time, dunno where it's going to come from though, Stearman I used to fly isn't for rent anymore..
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Not sure if it will help transition to the Airdrome, but a lot if the 7/8 scale guys say that their Nieuports handle more like ultralights than typical GA airplanes. You might see about getting him some ultralight instruction.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Most of those guys are flying Graham Lee 7/8 scale Nieuports with either VW or Rotax engines which is a big reason why the prop turns the other way.

The Airdrome Nieuports are full scale, and typically use Rotec radials. Much more powerful and better performance, but I've heard they can be a bit squirrelly.
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The local guys flying the Airdrome Nieuports use VW engines. Robert Baslee who owns Airdrome Airplanes recommends either the 2180 VW or the Rotec. Sort of depends on your wallet. :D

Another guy has a full scale Camel with a Rotec. He has a tail skid, not tailwheel, and I always wonder if he's going crop harvesting after the skid comes off the ground. He always says he'll get used to it eventually.

Cheers
 
wanttaja said:
Well, that's part of the problem. WWI airplanes were generally nasty to fly. They weren't designed for pleasure, they were designed to carry weapons. For a fighter, instability was a plus.

Most people don't want a completely accurate WWI fighter; they want something that flies like what they expect and LOOKS like a WWI fighter.

Ron Wanttaja
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That's me and my Airdrome Fokker D-VIII that I'm building. I also don't need an actual WWI flying outfit, just a jacket and uni that looks like one for the Dawn Patrol Rendezvous at The National Museum of the USAF this Oct.

Cheers
 
wanttaja said:
Most people don't want a completely accurate WWI fighter; they want something that flies like what they expect and LOOKS like a WWI fighter. Not always achievable....

Ron Wanttaja
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Agreed! I've been reading about the Airdrome Airplanes for awhile. I like the idea of a WWI aircraft look with better handling. I've thought about getting one of his kits for putting around after I finish my PPL.

They've come out with a couple of two place Sopwith Tabloid/Schneider replicas that are pretty neat. I just wish they were tandem seat instead of side by side as the reviews say those are really 1.5 modern people in width.:lol:

Most of what I've read indicates that they are docile handlers...but do not expect to do aerobatics in them. They also have a pretty neat builder's boot camp at their shop.
 
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Shopshirt said:
Most of what I've read indicates that they are docile handlers...but do not expect to do aerobatics in them. They also have a pretty neat builder's boot camp at their shop.
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Definitely NOT stressed for acro.

The builder's assist in Holden MO (500 miles from anywhere:wink2:) is known as "The House of Pain".

Cheers
 
This one is equipped with a Valley Engineering VW, tailwheel and brakes from what I've gotten from the owner. I'll know more when it gets here. Can't wait to fly it. ;)
 
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