Nieuport II

The Nieuport II was a mid-wing monoplane racing and sport aircraft built by the Societe Anonyme des Etablissements Nieuport between 1910 and 1914. It was noted for its high performance from a small twin-cylinder engine and won many races, mainly in France, before French flying schools used it as a trainer during the First World War. The company behind it had been founded by Edouard Nieuport, who made spark plugs and magnetos for the car industry and came to aviation through the electrical equipment of Henri Farman biplane. His first aircraft, a small monoplane with a 20 horsepower Darracq engine, made brief straight flights in 1909 but was destroyed with many others in the Paris floods of January 1910. The production Nieuport II was a single-seat aircraft about 7.15 metres long with a wingspan of 8.65 metres and a maximum speed of 115 kilometres per hour.