Édouard de Nié Port
Encyclopedia
Édouard de Nié Port was the co-founder with his brother Charles of the eponymous Nieuport
aircraft manufacturing company, Société Anonyme Des Établissements Nieuport, formed in 1909 at Issy-les-Moulineaux
. An engineer
and sportsman, Edouard was also one of the pre-eminent aeroplane designers and pilots of the early aviation era (from the late 19th century to the outbreak of World War I in 1914).
As a pilot, he set a new world speed record of 74.37 miles per hour (119.7 km/h) on 11 May 1911 at Mourmelon
, flying his Nieuport type II-N, powered by a 28 hp engine of his own design.
Later that year at Châlons
, he bested his own time with a new speed record of 82.73 miles per hour (133.1 km/h).
Racing for the Gordon Bennett Trophy in July at Eastchurch
, he finished third, beaten for first place by one of his own aircraft, flown by the American pilot C. T. Weymann.
the same year
, the pilot Gobé
set a new closed-circuit distance record of 459.968 miles (740.2 km) in a Nieuport design.
In the Gordon Bennett Trophy race his designs placed both first and third.
As a designer, his aeroplanes won many awards, prizes, and competitions during 1910 and 1911, not to mention achieving some historical firsts:
His early Nieuport II (that's a Roman numeral two, not the later famous type eleven
), flown at Rheims in July 1910, was judged by many as the best in the show.
His Nieuport IV-G, flown for the Italian Army Air Corps in North Africa by Capitano Moizo, made, on 24 October 1911, the second-ever reconnaissance flight by a military aeroplane, and perhaps the first bombing run.
His Nieuport IV-G, brilliantly flown by Weymann, also won the Concours Militaire in October and November 1911.
s, not the biplane
s for which the company became famous during the First World War. His monoplanes were sold throughout Europe, and involved in many other aviation firsts:
In January 1914, Gustave Delage joined the company, and began, with a variant of the type 10 parasol monoplane to which he added a small set of lower wings, to develop the brilliant sesquiplanes (an "almost biplane" with a full upper wing and a single-spar, half-chord lower wing) for which the Nieuport
company would become famous during World War I.
Nieuport
Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...
aircraft manufacturing company, Société Anonyme Des Établissements Nieuport, formed in 1909 at Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
. An engineer
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and sportsman, Edouard was also one of the pre-eminent aeroplane designers and pilots of the early aviation era (from the late 19th century to the outbreak of World War I in 1914).
As a pilot, he set a new world speed record of 74.37 miles per hour (119.7 km/h) on 11 May 1911 at Mourmelon
Mourmelon
Mourmelon - name a commune, both in the Marne department in north-eastern France.* Mourmelon-le-Grand* Mourmelon-le-Petit...
, flying his Nieuport type II-N, powered by a 28 hp engine of his own design.
Later that year at Châlons
Chalons
Chalons may refer to:Places* Châlons, in France's Isère département* Châlons-en-Champagne, formerly Châlons-sur-Marne, in the Marne département* Chalon-sur-Saône, in the Saône-et-Loire département* Roman Catholic Diocese of Châlons...
, he bested his own time with a new speed record of 82.73 miles per hour (133.1 km/h).
Racing for the Gordon Bennett Trophy in July at Eastchurch
Eastchurch
Eastchurch is a village on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster.The village website claims "... it has a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers".- Aviation history :...
, he finished third, beaten for first place by one of his own aircraft, flown by the American pilot C. T. Weymann.
Biography
He was born in 1875, and he had a brother, Charles de Nié Port. He was killed in a flying accident on 15 September 1911.Records set by his aircraft
At BucBuc
Buc may refer to:* Buc, Yvelines, a commune of the Yvelines département, in France* Buc, Territoire de Belfort, a commune of the Territoire de Belfort département, in France* Búč, a village in south Slovakia* buc, the ISO 639-3 code for the Bushi language...
the same year
1911 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1911:-January:* 18 January – Eugene Ely lands on a platform constructed over the deck of the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay, U.S.A. marking the first time an aircraft lands on a ship.* 26 January – Glenn H...
, the pilot Gobé
Gobe
Gobe may refer to:* Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event* Gobe Software...
set a new closed-circuit distance record of 459.968 miles (740.2 km) in a Nieuport design.
In the Gordon Bennett Trophy race his designs placed both first and third.
As a designer, his aeroplanes won many awards, prizes, and competitions during 1910 and 1911, not to mention achieving some historical firsts:
His early Nieuport II (that's a Roman numeral two, not the later famous type eleven
Nieuport 11
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzio, ed. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. New York: The Military Press, 1983. ISBN 0-517-41021-4....
), flown at Rheims in July 1910, was judged by many as the best in the show.
His Nieuport IV-G, flown for the Italian Army Air Corps in North Africa by Capitano Moizo, made, on 24 October 1911, the second-ever reconnaissance flight by a military aeroplane, and perhaps the first bombing run.
His Nieuport IV-G, brilliantly flown by Weymann, also won the Concours Militaire in October and November 1911.
Legacy
His brother Charles de Nié Port, who continued the work, died in a crash landing barely a year later on 24 January 1913, Eduard's designs continued to be built by the company and licensed for production internationally. His aircraft were exclusively monoplaneMonoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
s, not the biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
s for which the company became famous during the First World War. His monoplanes were sold throughout Europe, and involved in many other aviation firsts:
- The first round trip over the Mediterranean in 1913, flown by Lieutenants Destrem and de l'Escaille of the Marine Nationale from St. Rafael to AjaccioAjaccioAjaccio , is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud....
in CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
and back. - A world altitude record of 20,079 ft (6,120 m) by Georges Legagneux, also at St. Raphael.
- An epic seven-week flight from Villacoublay to CairoCairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
by pilot Marc Bonnier and a passenger. - Some of the very first tests of machine-gun mounting on aircraft.
- The first ever successful loop, performed by Lieutenant NesterovNesterovNesterov is a town and the administrative center of Nesterovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: -History:In the Middle Ages, the area in Old Prussia had been settled by the Nadruvian tribe of the Baltic Prussians. It was conquered by the Teutonic Knights about 1276 and...
of the Imperial Russian Air Service on 20 August 1913.
In January 1914, Gustave Delage joined the company, and began, with a variant of the type 10 parasol monoplane to which he added a small set of lower wings, to develop the brilliant sesquiplanes (an "almost biplane" with a full upper wing and a single-spar, half-chord lower wing) for which the Nieuport
Nieuport
Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...
company would become famous during World War I.