NieuportNieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in 1902 for the manufacture of engine components the company was reformed in 1909 as the Société Générale d'Aéro-locomotion, and its products were marketed to the aviation industry, including ignition components. During this time, their first aircraft were built, a small single-seat pod and boom monoplane, which was destroyed in a flood after having flown successfully. A second design flew before the end of 1909 and had the essential form of the modern aircraft, including an enclosed fuselage with the pilot protected from the slipstream and a horizontal tail whose aerodynamic force acted downwards, balancing the weight of the engine ahead of the center of gravity, as opposed to upwards as on contemporaries such as the Blériot XI. In 1911, the company was reformed specifically to build aircraft while continuing to build components including propellers under the name Nieuport et Deplante. Also in 1911, Edouard Nieuport (1875-1911), who was one of several aviation minded brothers, died after being thrown from his aircraft, and the company was taken over by Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe, a famous supporter of aviation development. With his financing, the name was changed to Société Anonyme des Établissements Nieuport, and development of existing designs was continued. A second of the brothers, Charles Nieuport, died in another accident in 1912 after he stalled and spun in, and the position of chief designer was taken over by the Swiss engineer Franz Schneider, known for his his long-running fight with Anthony Fokker over machine gun interrupter / synchronizer patents. Schneider left Nieuport in late 1913. With Schneider's departure, Gustave Delage took over as chief designer in January 1914. Nieuport 11The Nieuport 11, nicknamed Bébé, was a French World War I single seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft, designed by Gustave Delage. Nieuport 11, registration N1247 (replica)
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