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The Nieuport 28 was the last in the line of Nieuport fighters fielded during World War I. However, it was rejected in early 1918 by the French Air Service in favor of the superior SPAD XIII and ill-fated parasol Morane-Saulnier MoS 29. At the time, the American Army was desperate for any airplane they could scrounge, and 297 Nieuports were delivered to the "Yanks." The first airplane Americans flew into combat, it was loved by some and feared by others.
Flying 28s, Lieutenants Douglas Campbell and Alan Winslow each shot down a German fighter on April 14, 1918, becoming the first U.S. airmen to destroy a plane in combat. America's World War I "Ace of Aces," Eddie Rickenbacker, scored many of his twenty-six victories flying his Nieuport. On the other hand, Rickenbacker was almost killed when the upper wing fabric on his 28 tore apart in flight. President Theodore Roosevelt's son, Quentin, and ace Raoul Lufbery were also killed while flying Nieuport 28s.
American-flown Nieuport 28 armament initially consisted of a single "French Army surplus" Vickers .303 machine gun mounted in front of the cockpit and synchronized to fire through the propeller. A second Vickers was later added.
The Museum's Nieuport 28 is a restored original, one of a batch of twelve aircraft ordered for the U.S. Navy. Found abandoned on a Florida beach in 1920, it was owned by R. F. Coody until acquired in poor condition in 1935 by George Jarrett. Restored, it was displayed at Jarrett’s Museum of World War History in Moorestown, New Jersey for several years. In 1938, it was repainted and used to promote the film Men with Wings.
Jarrett's collection deteriorated in outdoor storage through the World War II years, and in 1948 Frank Tallman purchased the 28 and other types for $500. The aircraft remained exposed to the elements until acquired in trades by Ned Kensinger and eventually by Robert Rust. Both Rust and Jim Appleby worked on its restoration before it was purchased by Douglas Champlin in 1990. The Nieuport restoration was finished by Roger Freeman of Vintage Aviation in Texas in 1999. The plane has a Gnome 9-N, 165-horsepower rotary engine and two .303 Vickers machine guns. The plane currently carries the markings of Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, who was killed in France on July 14, 1918.
The Nieuport 28 was the last in the line of Nieuport fighters fielded during World War I. However, it was rejected in early 1918 by the French Air Service in favor of the superior SPAD XIII and ill-fated parasol Morane-Saulnier MoS 29. At the time, the American Army was desperate for any airplane they could scrounge, and 297 Nieuports were delivered to the "Yanks." The first airplane Americans flew into combat, it was loved by some and feared by others.
Flying 28s, Lieutenants Douglas Campbell and Alan Winslow each shot down a German fighter on April 14, 1918, becoming the first U.S. airmen to destroy a plane in combat. America's World War I "Ace of Aces," Eddie Rickenbacker, scored many of his twenty-six victories flying his Nieuport. On the other hand, Rickenbacker was almost killed when the upper wing fabric on his 28 tore apart in flight. President Theodore Roosevelt's son, Quentin, and ace Raoul Lufbery were also killed while flying Nieuport 28s.
American-flown Nieuport 28 armament initially consisted of a single "French Army surplus" Vickers .303 machine gun mounted in front of the cockpit and synchronized to fire through the propeller. A second Vickers was later added.
The Museum's Nieuport 28 is a restored original, one of a batch of twelve aircraft ordered for the U.S. Navy. Found abandoned on a Florida beach in 1920, it was owned by R. F. Coody until acquired in poor condition in 1935 by George Jarrett. Restored, it was displayed at Jarrett’s Museum of World War History in Moorestown, New Jersey for several years. In 1938, it was repainted and used to promote the film Men with Wings.
Jarrett's collection deteriorated in outdoor storage through the World War II years, and in 1948 Frank Tallman purchased the 28 and other types for $500. The aircraft remained exposed to the elements until acquired in trades by Ned Kensinger and eventually by Robert Rust. Both Rust and Jim Appleby worked on its restoration before it was purchased by Douglas Champlin in 1990. The Nieuport restoration was finished by Roger Freeman of Vintage Aviation in Texas in 1999. The plane has a Gnome 9-N, 165-horsepower rotary engine and two .303 Vickers machine guns. The plane currently carries the markings of Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, who was killed in France on July 14, 1918.
