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Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
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By Randy Malmstrom
Since his childhood, Randy Malmstrom has had a passion for aviation history and historic military aircraft in particular. He has a particular penchant for documenting specific airframes with a highly detailed series of walk-around images and an in-depth exploration of their history, which have proved to be popular with many of those who have seen them, and we thought our readers would be equally fascinated too. This installment of Randy’s Warbird Profiles takes a look at the Museum of Flight’s Nieuport 24bis reproduction.
Overhead view of Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Overhead view of Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Designed by the Société Anonyme des Établissements Nieuport under the direction of Gustav Delage. Its first flight tests were in February 1917 and production went to Nieuport of France, Nieuport-Macchi, and JSC “Dux” (“leader” in Latin) of Moscow. It was the last of the aircraft with a single bay V-strut wing arrangement to see combat. The undercarriage was typical V-strut with Bungee cords for shock absorbers. Airframe: wood and canvas.
Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Powerplant: a Le Rhône 9Jb, 9-cylinder, air cooled rotary engine. Some of the aircraft such as this one were fitted with a “cone de pénétration” produced by Société Anonyme des Établissements Nieuport under the 1916 French Patent No. 492.971 and was a non-turning fairing mounted in front of the propeller which resembles a spinner.
Cockpit of the Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight, Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Cockpit of the Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight, Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Pilot’s seat in the cockpit of the Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight, Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Pilot’s seat in the cockpit of the Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight, Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
Patent drawing for Gustave Delage’s “penetration cone” for aircraft, a spinner attachment installed on the propellers of some Nieuport fighters during WWI. (United States Patent and Trademark Office)
Armament: one synchronized 0.303 Vickers machine gun (French and Italian aircraft); or one 0.303 Lewis gun on a Foster Mount on the upper wing (British Royal Flying Corps).
Vickers machine gun on the Nieuport 24bis reproduction at the Museum of Flight, Seattle. (Randy Malmstrom)
This replica was built in 1980 with a Gnome 165 hp. engine and using steel tubes rather than a wood frame and is painted as No. 3588 of French ace Lt. Paul Tarascon, Escadrille N 62. “Zigomar” was a fictional character created in 1911 that depicted the dark side of society. The squadron’s rooster represented the fighting spirit and courage of its airmen. Tarascon lost his right foot in a pre-war flying accident but was still accepted into service and racked up 12 victories – he became known as “l’ace à la jambe de bois” (the ace with the wooden leg).
Photo of Paul Tarascon, the “ace with the wooden leg”. By the end of the First World War, Tarascon had twelve confirmed aerial victories and ten probable victories. (Bibliothèque nationale de France)
On August 9, 1916, his aircraft was hit over 100 times by enemy fire. Tarascon was the flight instructor for Georges Guynemer, France’s most popular ace, with 53 victories (Guynemer’s body was never recovered after his last mission on September 11, 1917). This replica is at Museum of Flight (MOF) in Seattle, Washington where it is on static display. Photos are by me and courtesy of Don England formerly of MOF – thanks very much.
Nieuport 24bis reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Museum of Flight photo)
Editor’s note: After the war, Tarascon remained involved in aviation, attempting to cross the Atlantic nonstop from France to North America and helped establish Cannes – Mandelieu Airport. During WWII, Paul Tarascon served as a liaison officer during the Battle of France, then aided the French Resistance for the rest of the war. He died in 1977 at the age of 94.
The reproduction on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle was built from plans drawn by Walter “Wimpy” Redfern, who used original Nieuport drawings as reference for constructing Nieuport 17s and 24s. This particular reproduction was completed by Ron Ochs, alongside other Washington state aviation enthusiasts, and flown in 1995 with the FAA registration N24RL. While the aircraft was fitted with modern hydraulic disk brakes, it was powered by a Le Rhône engine originally installed in a Thomas-Morse S4C Scout. The aircraft was later donated to the Museum of Flight in 2002 and has been on display in the museum’s J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing ever since.
About the authorRandy Malmstrom, grew up in a family steeped in aviation culture. His father, Bob, was still a cadet in training with the USAAF at the end of WWII but did serve in Germany during the U.S. occupation in the immediate post-war period, where he had the opportunity to fly in a wide variety of types that flew in WWII. After returning to the States, Bob became a multi-engine aircraft sales manager and, as such, flew a wide variety of aircraft; Randy frequently accompanied him on these flights. Furthermore, Randy’s cousin, Einar Axel Malmstrom, flew P-47 Thunderbolts with the 356th FG from RAF Martlesham Heath. He was commanding this unit at the time he was shot down over France on April 24th, 1944, spending the rest of the war as a prisoner of war. Following his repatriation at war’s end, Einar continued his military service, attaining the rank of Colonel. He was serving as Deputy Wing Commander of the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing at Great Falls AFB, MT at the time of his death in a T-33 training accident on August 21, 1954. The base was renamed in his honor in October 1955 and continues to serve in the present USAF as home to the 341st Missile Wing. Randy’s innate interest in history in general, and aviation history in particular, plus his educational background and passion for WWII warbirds, led him down his current path of capturing detailed aircraft walk-around photos and in-depth airframe histories, recording a precise description of a particular aircraft in all aspects.
Raised in Fullerton, California, Adam has earned a Bachelor's degree in History and is now pursuing a Master's in the same field. Fascinated by aviation history from a young age, he has visited numerous air museums across the United States, including the National Air and Space Museum and the San Diego Air and Space Museum. He volunteers at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino as a docent and researcher, gaining hands-on experience with aircraft maintenance. Known for his encyclopedic knowledge of aviation history, he is particularly interested in the stories of individual aircraft and their postwar journeys. Active in online aviation communities, he shares his work widely and seeks further opportunities in the field.
Randy Malmstrom, grew up in a family steeped in aviation culture. His father, Bob, was still a cadet in training with the USAAF at the end of WWII but did serve in Germany during the U.S. occupation in the immediate post-war period, where he had the opportunity to fly in a wide variety of types that flew in WWII. After returning to the States, Bob became a multi-engine aircraft sales manager and, as such, flew a wide variety of aircraft; Randy frequently accompanied him on these flights. Furthermore, Randy’s cousin, Einar Axel Malmstrom, flew P-47 Thunderbolts with the 356th FG from RAF Martlesham Heath. He was commanding this unit at the time he was shot down over France on April 24th, 1944, spending the rest of the war as a prisoner of war. Following his repatriation at war’s end, Einar continued his military service, attaining the rank of Colonel. He was serving as Deputy Wing Commander of the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing at Great Falls AFB, MT at the time of his death in a T-33 training accident on August 21, 1954. The base was renamed in his honor in October 1955 and continues to serve in the present USAF as home to the 341st Missile Wing. Randy’s innate interest in history in general, and aviation history in particular, plus his educational background and passion for WWII warbirds, led him down his current path of capturing detailed aircraft walk-around photos and in-depth airframe histories, recording a precise description of a particular aircraft in all aspects.
