Nieuport 12

  • Period: First World War (1914-1918)
  • Uses: Observation
  • First Flight: 1915
  • Display Status: On the Museum Floor.

Designed for observation, the Nieuport 12 served with the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service and the air forces of France, Italy and Russia. The aircraft operated with the RFC and RNAS in 1916, but was not popular with crews and was withdrawn from front-line operation by the spring of 1917.

The first Canadian aerial victory of First World War was achieved by a Canadian gunner in the similar Nieuport 10, in December 1915.

Museum Example

  • Registration #: Unknown
  • Manufacturer: Société anonyme des établissements Nieuport, France
  • Manufacture Date: 1915
  • Construction #: Unknown
  • Aquisition Date: 1965
  • Provenance: Transfer from RCAF

The Museum aircraft was donated to Canada by the Government of France in 1916. It was exhibited with other war trophies across Canada and the United States from 1917 to 1919. Damaged in a railway accident in Baltimore, Maryland in February 1918, the tail was replaced with a non-standard fin. The aircraft was stored by the War Trophies Board and sometimes displayed by RCAF until becoming part of the national collection in 1965.

Specifications

Wing Span:
9 m (29 ft 6 3/8 in)
Length:
7 m (23 ft)
Height:
2.7 m (8 ft 10 1/4 in)
Weight, Empty:
550 kg (1,213 lb)
Weight, Gross:
850 kg (1,874 lb)
Cruising Speed:
Unknown
Max Speed:
146 km/h (91 mph)
Rate of Climb:
1,000 m (3,280 ft) / 5 min 40 sec
Service Ceiling:
4,000 m (13,120 ft)
Range:
Unknown
Power Plant:
one Clerget 9Z, 110 hp, rotary engine