Any other Nieuport 17+ fans in here?

1 January 1917 with 60 Squadron.
Currently on patrol Behind Friendly Lines for my first mission and not afraid to use the fly Straight and Level command. In a Nieuport 16 looking forward to moving up - soon I hope - to one of my favorite planes the Nieuport 17+ series.

Am I alone in my slavering fandom? Notice I see a lot of mentions for other aircraft folks are flying but not much it seems for the Nieuport 17/23/27. Any other cool kids in here?

In the Escadrille Lafayette in the current DiD. Just graduated from 16 to 17. Love it! After the 16 she's a real daisy to fly. I'll tell you what I think of the 23 if I live long enough to fly it

I just "finished" a French campaign flying Nieuport 11 and 16 in Esc N69 and will probably start another career there to fly more Nieuports. The only major gripe I had with 11/16 was the small amount of ammo and I guess 17 would fix that with the Vickers.

Flying French yes.

Occasionally I fly the 23 - it's one of the best of the Nieups., good balance of speed and agility. Also if you want more juice in it try my 23bis mod., the FM tweaks should work fine with the P-edition of WOFF too. The 23bis was only flown by the RFC/RAF - engine hp is around 125 on that one and the top speed, estimated, somewhere in the mid 180s kph. I like it and it's good against Albies, but avoid prolonged dives in it.

Von S

Was that in your latest FM package?

The N 17 is my favorite WWI aircraft. If I had money, and time, and skill, and an attention span I would buy the plans and build one and learn to fly it!

I actually really like the N17 as an aircraft! I just don't fly it much (or any french for that matter) because I find it harder to see in the cockpit (vs. Brit)

Yes indeed. My one peeve with it (with the tradition being carried on by the Spads) is that windscreen.
Seems I read Albert Ball, a big proponent of the Nieuport, actually took his windscreen off. And I once saw a picture of Billy Bishops N17 windscreen over his fireplace mantle (the one with the bullet hole if you read his book) that, by memory, looked positively Se5’ish.
Almost (almost!) makes me not go “Full Real” and use the targeting cursor.
Well at least we have *some* real Combat Flyers in this joint.

ride in a real N-17 Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, I didn't feel that safe riding in a Cessna 172 a number of years back. Although I have Para sailed and hope to ride along in a PT 17 Next summer.

Okay my memory is poor. Hopefully this shows here. Tried posting direct but couldn’t.
Point to OBD. Again.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRUe3yh0cxE/UIQRbJRevcI/AAAAAAAABZ8/es-I_zcWiQg/s1600/DSC05753.JPG

I love the Nieuport series. I've flown them pretty regularly since Phase 1 came out, and that's awhile ago.

The Nie 11 is a light, nimble airplane. It's a joy to fly. It's like the Pup in that it's a light, generally well-behaved aircraft. It's the best fighter in the sky in the early phases of the war during the battle with the Fokker monoplanes. It can fight the Halberstadts perfectly well, but with the early Albatross airplanes, you need to stay in a slow turning fight.

The 17 is a faster, stronger airplane built on a different frame. The 17 is not as "light" feeling as the 11, but it's faster and can be fitted with wither the over-wing Lewis or the fuselage Vickers. The 17 is superior to the Fokker monoplanes and the Halberstadt, and fights the early Albatross models on equal terms. The later D.III Albatross is more of a problem.

The 17bis is better-armed, and the 23 is faster. They're incremental improvements on the original 17 model, but they're not a major upgrade in my book. They're nice to fly, but the design is dated by mid-1917.

The issue is that by 1917 you're seeing diminishing returns on the Nieuport series. The 24 series and 27 are "generally good", but they lack the ability to disengage at will with most opponents by mid- and late 917. They do alright against the Albatross fighters, especially if you can force a turning fight at low speeds.

The Dr.1 is another story, and it's a real bear to fight the Dr.1 in the Nieuport like the 23, 24, and 27. The reason for this is the Nieuport cannot dive away well, and while it's faster than the Dr.1 by a bit, it's not faster than the Dr.1 by enough of a margin to engage in a full-blown energy fight. If you try to turn fight, the Dr.1 has a very tight turning radius and changes directions faster than the Nieuport can. You have to fight on a razor's edge against the Dr.1: fast enough to stay ahead of the Dr.1, but not so fast you lose your wing or damage your own airplane. It's doable but there's no room for error against the Dr.1.

By 1918, the series is outclassed by the D.VII, which is a problem. The D.VII turns well, is robust enough to dive on a Nieuport, and climbs wonderfully. There's no room for error, and the D.VII is a more advanced airplane all around. You can see why they gradually were pulled from service and used as trainers by 1918.

The Nieuports are wonderful airplanes, and very much representative of the early and mid WW1 era fighters. If you're very familiar with them, you can survive later into the war with the 24 and 27 series. But keep in mind that the Spad for the French and the SE5a for the British offer one very important advantage - the ability to engage and disengage at will. If you bite off more than you can chew in a Spad or SE5a, you floor it and get out of danger. In the Nieuport, it's very easy to become trapped in a fight you don't want by late 1917 and early 1918.

Yes, the latest ver. 4.0 FM update pack includes the 23bis (which came out around ver. 2.0 of the pack). The latest pack includes all previous FM mods by the way - total of 27 tweaked FMs.

Von S

I've always had a soft spot for the '17. It's a great little fighter.

I've always enjoyed flying the Nieuport, especially in later '17 with the RFC squadrons. I've always found it challenging but rewarding to come out of scraps either victorious or in one piece as the Hun have superior fighters. There's just something about it that keeps me coming back. 1 Squadron RFC has been my favorite with this.

1 Squadron is great and kept the Nieuport series for a long time.
I sometimes roll one up with them but, in early 1917, the action is down south.

Another Nupe fan here! I normally dislike planes with rotary engines, but I have to make an exception with the Nupes. They are beautiful machines, and very enjoyable to fly.

I prefer the versions with synchronized MGs. The Lewis gun on top of the wing is... inadequate.

I love the Nieuport 11 and 16.
I find the 17, 23 and 24 challenging, but far less funny to fly

I’ll let you know.
Doing a 60 Squadron career in January 1917. If I don’t get promoted I’ll be in a 16 for quite a while. And the RFC wing mounted Lewis has its own charm.
Guess it’s kind of the 17’s little brother though and it gives me something to work for.

The 17 handles better and is (a little) faster than the 16

Then I hope I live long enough to get one!

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Late to the party here, but let me just say yes, yes I am a big fan of the most superb N17. I offer the following video as additional support to my affinity for said aeroplane:



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Lou

I hope Chamberlain took a cut of the canvas before leaving his quarry! A nice first trophy in hand should stand him well at the mess bar!

Nice!