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Restored Nieuport 11 reg.nr.1334
Nieuport 11 "Bebe"
role : fighter
first flight : summer 1915 operational : November 1915
country : France
design : Gustave Delage
production : 1000 aircraft
general information :
The Nieuport 11 fighter plane entered service with the French in the end of 1915. It was a better fighter plane than the Fokker Eindecker, it’s only disadvantage was it’s Lewis machine gun attached to the top plane. The Lewis gun had only 47 rounds drum and was it was difficult to replace during flight. The Spandau of the Fokker was belt-fed and held 400 rounds. The Nieuport factory was like the Fokker factory not yet ready for mass production so initial deliveries were slow. February 1916 only 210 Nieuports of al types had reached the front, most of them were 2-seaters.
During the battle of Verdun, starting February 1916 the use of the Nieuport 11 was at it’s peak. In inflicted heavy losses to the German’s and they had to change there tactics. Famous aces like Guynemer, De Rose and Nungesser flew the little fighter and scored many victories.
In the during 1916 the Bebe was replaced by the Nieuport 16 with a more powerful engine and later a synchronized machine gun. Withdrawn from the frontline, the Bebe was now used as trainer. The Italians built the Bebe under license, there Macchi plant turned out 646 of the type. It remained the standard fighter plane of the Italians till the summer of 1917. The American volunteer flyers (Lafayette) flew the Bebe.
In Holland the Trompenburg company built Nieuport 11’s fitted with a Thulin rotary engine.
The Bebe was a sesquiplane, it had a big upper wing and a small, single-spar lower wing. The underwing provided strength and because of its small seize the view for the pilot was only hampered a little. The only drawback was that the single-spar lower wing tended to flutter at high speeds, so the pilot could not do to much a prolonged steep dive.
users : France, RFC, Italy, Belgium, Russia
crew : 1
armament : 1 fixed 7.70 [mm] (0.303 in) Lewis machine-gun on top plane fired by a
Bowden cable
engine : 1 Le Rhone 9c air-cooled 9 -cylinder two-valve rotary engine 90 [hp](66.2 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 7.54 [m], length : 5.8 [m], height : 2.45[m]
wing area : 13.0 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 540 [kg]
empty weight operational : 344 [kg] bombload : 0 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed : 156 [km/hr] at sea-level
climbing speed : 198 [m/min]
service ceiling : 4572 [m]
endurance : 2.5 [hours]
estimated action radius : 176 [km]
description :
1-bay biplane with fixed landing gear and tail strut
upper wing 2 spars, lower wing single spar
engines, landing gear, fuel and bombs in or attached to the fuselage
airscrew :
fixed pitch 2 -bladed tractor airscrew with max. efficiency :0.63 [ ]
estimated diameter airscrew 2.40 [m]
angle of attack prop : 19.48 [ ]
reduction : 1.00 [ ]
airscrew revs : 1300 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 2.00 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 169 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
mean wing chord : 0.86 [m]
calculated wing chord (rounded tips): 0.97 [m]
Nieuport 11 flown by Alexandr Kazakov
wing aspect ratio : 8.75 []
estimated gap : 1.15 [m]
gap/chord : 1.33 [ ]
seize (span*length*height) : 107 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 4.3 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 18.8 [kg/hr] (25.6 [litre/hr]) at 66 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 7.49 [km/kg]
estimated total fuel capacity : 73 [litre] (53 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 122.0 [kg] = 1.84 [kg/KW]
weight 16 litre oil tank : 1.4 [kg]
oil tank filled with 0.5 litre oil : 0.4 [kg]
oil in engine 0 litre oil : 0.3 [kg]
fuel in engine 0 litre fuel : 0.3 [kg]
weight 11 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 1.6 [kg]
weight cowling 2.6 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 15.2 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 143 [kg](26.4 [%])
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fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 5.38 [cm]): 43 [kg]
bracing : 1.8 [kg]
fuselage covering ( 6.4 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 2.0 [kg]
Nieuport 11 flown by Jean Navarre
weight controls + indicators: 5.1 [kg]
weight seats : 3.0 [kg]
weight other details, lighting set, etc. : 5.1 [kg]
weight 62 [litre] main fuel tank empty : 4.9 [kg]
weight engine mounts & firewalls : 3 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 68 [kg](12.6 [%])
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weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 8 [kg]
total weight ribs (51 ribs) : 32 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 803.4 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 218.8 [N]
total weight 6.0 spars : 26 [kg]
weight wings : 67 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 5.12 [kg]
weight 4 interplane struts & cabane : 5.3 [kg]
weight cables (37 [m]) : 2.0 [kg] (= 55 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 3.0 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (0.7 [m2]) : 3.5 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (1.5 [m2]): 7.6 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 85 [kg] (15.7 [%])
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weight machine-gun(s) : 12.7 [kg]
weight quadrant mounting and Bowden cable : 1.5 [kg]
weight armament : 14 [kg]
********************************************************************
wheel pressure : 270.0 [kg]
weight 2 wheels (710 [mm] by 84 [mm]) : 16.3 [kg]
weight tailskid : 1.7 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 10.0 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 28.1 [kg] (5.2 [%]
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calculated empty weight : 338 [kg](62.6 [%])
weight oil for 3.0 hours flying : 12.9 [kg]
weight 5 drums empty : 1.0 [kg]
weight ammunition (235 rounds) : 9.0 [kg]
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Installation of the rotary engine, for lubrication Castor oil was used
calculated operational weight empty : 360 [kg] (66.7 [%])
published operational weight empty : 344 [kg] (63.7 [%])
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weight crew : 81 [kg]
weight fuel for 1.5 hours flying : 28 [kg]
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operational weight : 469 [kg](86.9 [%])
estimated bomb load : 25 [kg]
operational weight bombing mission : 494 [kg]
fuel reserve : 25 [kg] enough for 1.34 [hours] flying
possible additional useful load : 21 [kg]
operational weight fully loaded : 540 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 100 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 540 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (operational without bombload) : 7.09 [kg/kW]
total power : 66.2 [kW] at 1300 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 2.1 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 4.5 [g] ultimate load : 6.8 [g] load factor : 2.8 [g]
design flight time : 2.00 [hours]
design cycles : 450 sorties, design hours : 900 [hours]
operational wing loading : 354 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 207 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.14 ["]
max. angle of attack (stalling angle) : 11.92 ["]
angle of attack at max.speed : 2.41 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.10 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.14 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. speed : 0.31 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0062 [ ]
drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0639 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0577 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 81 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level (OW without bombload): 97 [km/hr]
min. drag speed (max endurance) = minimum speed*1.1 at cruise height : 100 [km/hr] at 2286 [m] (power:42 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 115 [km/hr] at 2286 [m] (power:48 [%])
max. rate of climb speed : 95.7 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruising speed : 140 [km/hr] op 2286 [m] (power:66 [%])
design speed prop : 151 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 156 [km/hr] op 100 [m] (power:99 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level (without bombload) : 272 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off distance at sea-level : 251 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 8.18 [ ]
max. practical ceiling : 5000 [m] with flying weight :441 [kg]
practical ceiling (operational weight): 4625 [m] with flying weight :469 [kg]
practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 1 hour fuel) : 4000 [m] with flying weight :521 [kg]
published ceiling (4572 [m]
climb to 1500m (without bombload) : 6.20 [min]
climb to 3000m (without bombload) : 15.61 [min]
max. dive speed : 331.5 [km/hr] at 3000 [m] height
load factor at max. angle turn 1.99 ["g"]
turn radius at 500m: 63 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 12.1 [seconds] at 500m
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 2.84 [hours] with 1 crew and 46 [kg] useful (bomb)load and 100.0 [%] fuel
published endurance : 2.50 [hours] with 1 crew and possible useful (bomb) load : 52 [kg] and 88.1 [%] fuel
action radius : 296 [km] with 1 crew and 20[kg] photo camera/radio transmitter or bombload
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 147 [litre] fuel : 808 [km]
useful load with action-radius 250km : 41 [kg]
production : 5.79 [tonkm/hour]
oil and fuel consumption per tonkm : 3.99 [kg]
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Literature :
prakt. handb. vliegt. deel I page140,141
Jagdflugzeuge WO I page 33
Warplanes WOI page 42,44,48,49,50,85
Fighters 1914-19 page 60,137
They fought for the sky page 73
DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be
regarded as indication not as facts.
Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights
and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.
Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data
is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
so we can improve our program.
For copyright on drawings/photographs/content please mail to below mail address
(c) B van der Zalm 04 January 2019 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.4
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