Neighborhood Nieuport (oz16807)

About this Plan

Neighborhood Nieuport. Free flight profile scale model for rubber power. Wingspan 13 in.

Quote: "THE name Nieuport generally conjures up visions of rotary-engined biplanes darting through World War I skies in the pursuit of German Fokkers. However, if one were to read a bit farther back into the pages of history, one would find in an earlier era, that Nieuport was synonymous with racing monoplanes. Edouard Nieuport, himself was responsible for the design of these machines, which were far ahead of contemporaries, by virtue of their fully enclosed fuselages, clever undercarriages, and general clean lines. In addition to the aircraft, Nieuport also produced the two-cylinder opposed engine, which powered some of these delightful little machines to several speed records.

Our caricature model represents an attempt to reintroduce the nostalgic charm of these 1910-11 vintage racers. Two of these profile Nieuports have been built to date, and both have proven to be satisfying flyers. They have been flown indoors at the Wilmington, California Recreation Center, and outdoors in front of our home, much of the time by my seven-year-old son.

Fuselage: Select a light but stiff piece of 1/8 sheet balsa for the fuselage. Shape as shown on the plans, and sandpaper to a smooth finish. Remember to cut the vertical slot for the rudder. Drill a 1/16 diameter hole in the nose to accept the prop shaft bearing. A drilled aluminum rivet was used on the originals, but a short length of aluminum tubing will work just as well Glue the hard 1/16 sheet balsa reinforcements to both sides of the nose. Be sure to add a couple of washers to the prop shaft before installing the prop. Glass beads are not recommended, as they will shatter under even a mild impact. A 5 inch diameter Kaysun plastic prop is trimmed down to 4-3/4 in, and should be carefully balanced to minimize vibration.

Landing gear: Bend the landing gear wire and axle as shown on the plans. The landing gear skid may be made from either reed or bamboo, which is bent to shape over a heat source, such as a candle or soldering iron. Try to avoid scorching the wood which would significantly weaken it. The axle and landing gear wire are bound to the skid with strong thread, and glued generously. The assembly may then be inserted and glued into the fuselage,

The wheels are quite easy to make, and add to the vintage look of the model. Heavy clear acetate is used for the wheels, with light needle scratches giving the visual impression of spokes. The tire portion of the wheels are cut from cardboard, and may be sanded to a rounded contour, then painted, flat black, prior to gluing them to the wheel disks. The hubs are made from short lengths of aluminum tubing. Run a small fillet of glue on either side of the disk to hold the hub securely in place. The finished wheels are retained on the axle with drops of glue,

Wings: The wings are made from sheet balsa, with lie square leading edges glued to the underside of each panel. The wing-rib lines add character to the model, and may be drawn on with a fine tip marking pen, or even a ballpoint pen. The actual ribs (R-1 and R-2) are cut from fairly hard me sheet balsa, and pre-glued before attaching to the wing panels. While it is quite possible to pin the wing panels to the ribs while they are drying, ours were hand-held, in the interest of eliminating any unsightly pin holes. The root ribs should be installed at a slight angle, for dihedral purposes..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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