Nieuport-Delage NiD 48 on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Nieuport-Delage NiD 48 was a French single-engine
In July 1929 one of the prototypes went to Etampes as a trainer. In the summer of 1930 the NiD 48bis was re-engined with a , nine cylinder radial Lorraine Algol Junior, as the NiD 481, and used as an aerobatic aircraft, registered ''F-AJTC''; it was withdrawn from use in 1935.
parasol wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
light fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
, designed and built in the 1920s. Its performance was not markedly better than that of the much heavier Nieuport-Delage NiD 62
The Nieuport-Delage NiD.62 was a French sesquiplane fighter from the early 1930s. This machine was a descendant of a long line of Nieuport-Delage fighters that were designed and built during the years immediately after World War I. The NiD.62 was ...
then going into production, so only two were flown.
Design and development
The Nieuport NiD 48 was designed for a French 1926 light fighter competition. Unlike many Nieuport designs of the period it was not asesquiplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
but a monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
, its wing mounted like those of the sesquiplanes over the fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
in parasol wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
configuration. It looked much like a NiD 42 with its ancillary wing removed but had smaller dimensions and only was half the loaded weight. It had a straight-edged, constant chord wing with blunt tips, full span ailerons
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in Flight dynamics, roll (or ...
with a slightly curved trailing edge
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...
s and a small cutout over the cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft.
The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
for better pilot visibility. As on the NiD 42, the wing was braced with Y-form struts from the undercarriage
Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include:
*The landing gear of an aircraft.
*The ch ...
axle support structure, assisted by a cabane of two transverse inverted Vs from the fuselage in front of the cockpit.
Both NiD 48s built used Hispano-Suiza upright V-12 water-cooled engines, with a 12Jb in the first prototype and a 12Hb in the second, the NiD 48bis. Behind the engine the fuselage had a circular cross-section, with the single-seat open cockpit under the wing trailing edge, tapering to the tail. The cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
tailplane
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplane ...
was mounted at mid-fuselage height and was elliptical
Elliptical may mean:
* having the shape of an ellipse, or more broadly, any oval shape
** in botany, having an elliptic leaf shape
** of aircraft wings, having an elliptical planform
* characterised by ellipsis (the omission of words), or by conc ...
in plan with unbalanced elevators
An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They are ...
. The fin
A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...
was almost triangular but carried a round edged rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
, also unbalanced, which ended above the fuselage. The NiD 48 had a fixed conventional undercarriage
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...
, the mainwheels on a faired axle supported by a pair of rearward leaning V-struts which also carried rectangular radiators
Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics.
A radiator is always a ...
for engine cooling. There was a tail skid.
The first airframe was completed in October 1926 and used for static load testing. The first to fly began its official tests in May 1927, with the NiD 48bis following that September. Although lighter than the similarly powered NiD 62, in trials conducted in March 1928 the NiD 48bis bettered it significantly only in rate of climb. but since the NiD 62 was already in production it was decided not to proceed with the NiD 48.
Operational history
In July 1929 one of the prototypes went to Etampes as a trainer. In the summer of 1930 the NiD 48bis was re-engined with a , nine cylinder radial Lorraine Algol Junior, as the NiD 481, and used as an aerobatic aircraft, registered ''F-AJTC''; it was withdrawn from use in 1935.
Specifications (Hispano-Suiza 12Jb engine)
References
{{nieuport aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft 1920s French fighter aircraft 048 Single-engined tractor aircraft