According to Aircraft in Focus:

First flown in 1930, the Monocoupe Model 90 was a refinement of the 1927 Velie Monocoupe that had more power and a longer, wider fuselage. These changes transformed the Monocoupe from a puddle jumper into a high performance sport airplane. Monocoupe 90s were built until the end of Monocoupe’s production run along side the more powerful Monocoupe 110 series.

N170K
The oldest Monocoupe 90 that I know of surviving is serial 504 – the serials continue from the Velie Monocoupes, so this would be one of the very early Monocoupe 90s, built in 1929 or 1930 – owned by the Airpower Museum. N170K is no longer listed on the US civil registry and also does not appear on the Airpower Museum’s aircraft list, so it may be in storage as a restoration project.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

According to the Military History Encyclopedia on the Web:

The Morane-Saulnier Type AI was a single seat parasol-wing fighter developed during 1917 and that entered service early in 1918, but that had to be withdrawn after a number of wing failures.

During 1916 Morane-Saulnier had attempted to produce a single-seat version of their Type P parasol reconnaissance aircraft, but without success. The company then moved on to develop two entirely new single seat fighters, the biplane Type AF and the parasol-wing Type AI.

The new aircraft was of largely conventional construction. The fuselage had a circular cross section, but was constructed around a wooden framework, not as a monocoque (an experimental monocoque version was produced during 1917). The flat wing was swept back, with a section cut out in the rear centre to improve the pilot’s view. It was supported by parallel lift struts which ran from the base of the fuselage to a point two thirds of the way along the wing, and that were braced with one pair of compression struts. Strength tests on the wing showed that it should have been totally safe.

Both the Type AI and Type AF were powered by a 150hp Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine. Earlier Morane-Saulnier aircraft had been given very large propeller spinners, but on the AI this was removed and replaced with a well designed annular cowling.

The first prototype was armed with a single 7.7mm synchronized Vickers machine gun, and was given the official designation MoS 27.C1. It underwent official tests at Villacoublay on 7-9 August 1917, with Eugéne Gilbert at the controls. During this trials the aircraft reached a top speed of 135mph at 9,840ft, and took 7 minutes 25 seconds to reach that altitude. Handling trials, with Lt René Labouchère at the controls, followed on 11 September, and the new aircraft was judged to be very manoeuvrable and responsible to controls, with an excellent view from the cockpit.

Work on a second version, armed with two Vickers guns, was carried out at about the same time and this aircraft, the MoS 29.C1, underwent official trials at Villacoublay on 8 September. It had larger tail surfaces which reduced its climbing speed, but was otherwise similar to the MoS 27.

The Royal Flying Corps was informed of the new aircraft by the British Aviation Commission in Paris on 12 August 1917, in a report that described its rigid parasol wing but didn’t mention that it was a single seat fighter. Trenchard decided that he didn’t want the new aircraft, and none were produced for the British.

The Type AI was ordered in large numbers by the French, and as many as 1,210 were produced. It entered service early in 1918, and three escadrilles converted to the new aircraft, changing designations as they did. Escadrille N.156 was first, becoming MSP.156 on 9 February. N.161 followed, becoming MSP.161 on 21 February, and N.158 was last to make the change, becoming MSP.158 on 4 March.

The new fighter was popular with its pilots, who liked its speed and manoeuvrability, but in service conditions the parasol wing proved to be dangerously weak. A number of aircraft were lost when their wings either came off or folding in the air – in one example Lt. Jean Coutary was killed when his aircraft lost its wing over his airfield on 26 February, and other aircraft suffered the same fate in combat. The reason was unclear, but was probably related to wing flutter or a similar phenomenon not then understood. By mid-May the Type AI had been withdrawn from front line service.

Morane-Saulnier responded by converting the Type AI into an single seat advanced trainer. Two versions were produced, the MoS 30.E1 with a 120-135hp Le Rhône engine and the MoS 30bis.E1 with a 90-95 hp engine. The guns were removed and fuel capacity reduced. Supplementary wing bracing was also introduced.

The MoS 30 was used in large numbers by the French. Fifty one MoS 30.E1s were purchased by the US Air Service in France, and were used at their training base at Issoudun. After the war three were sold to Belgium, while single aircraft went to Japan, Switzerland and the Soviet Union.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

The museum consists of a main hanger adjacent to the gift shop and three other hangars representing the Pioneer, WWI and Golden Ages of aviation. This next series of pictures were taken in the main hanger.

According to the Military History Encyclopedia on the Web:

The Nieuport 10 was designed as a two-seat biplane reconnaissance aircraft, but most were converted into single-seat fighters, making it the first in the long series of Nieuport fighters that served with the British, French, American, Italian and Russian air services during the First World War.

The Nieuport 10 was designed by Gustave Delage, who joined the Nieuport company in 1914. The Nieuport 10 was probably developed from the earlier Nieuport X monoplane, with the intention of entering the new biplane in the Gordon Bennett race of 1914. When Nieuport applied for a patent for the new aircraft in January 1915 it was as the Nieuport XB, b standing for biplane.

The Nieuport 10 adopted a layout that was the basis of a series of Nieuport fighters that ended with the Nieuport 27. It was a sesquiplane, with a larger two-strut upper wing and a lower wing of almost the same length but with the chord reduced by half, giving it half the area of the upper wing. According to the patent the single spar lower wing was meant to be adjustable, rotating at the root, but that feature wasn’t used on production machines. The fittings for it were used, and played a part the weakness associated with the lower wing. Both upper and lower wing were slightly tapered and had straight ends. The aircraft used aileron control, with the ailerons fitted to the upper wings.

The fuselage had a rectangular cross-section, with a flat top and curved base. The Nieuport 10 had a balanced rudder with no fixed fin and angular horizontal tail surfaces. It used the standard wooden framework and fabric covering construction of the day.

The Nieuport 10 was produced in two versions – the 10AV (avant) with the observer/ gunner in the front seat and the 10AR (arrière), with the observer/ gunner in the rear seat.

In service the Nieuport 10 proved to be underpowered for a two-man aircraft (using an 80hp Gnome or Le Rhône engine), and many were converted into single-seat fighters. These aircraft carried a single machine gun mounted on top of the upper wing and firing over the propeller disc.

The two-seat aircraft carried a number of different arrangements of guns. Early aircraft, with the observer in the front seat, carried a gun on the upper wing, with a hole cut in the wing just behind it. The observer had to stand up and fire the gun through this hole.

The first order for the Nieuport 10 was placed by the British RNAS, which ordered 24 aircraft. These were delivered in May-August 1915. This was followed by larger orders for the French Aviation Militaire. It entered service with both organisations in May 1915. The RNAS placed a larger second order, but most of these aircraft were delivered as the Nieuport 11 instead.

The Nieuport 10 was also produced under licence in Italy (by Nieuport-Macchi) and in Russia (by Dux and Lebedev). The first Italian aircraft entered service in August 1915, and eventually Macchi built 240 Nieuport 10s. The first Russian aircraft entered combat late in 1915. Some of the Russian aircraft used more powerful 100-120hp engines, with the local designation of Nieuport 10bis.

The first RNAS squadron to receive the Nieuport 10 was No.1 Aeroplane Squadron, which was using it by the end of May 1915. It also served at St.Pol, Dover and Eastchurch. The RNAS used the type as a fighter and a reconnaissance aircraft. The RNAS also used the Nieuport 10 in the Aegean. It served with No.2 Wing, RNAS at Mudro and No.3 Wing at Tenedos.

Later in the war No.45 Squadron, RFC, was reported to have used the Nieuport 10 and Nieuport 12 on the Western Front from April-May 1917, to fill a gap in aircraft availability.

The French used the type on the Western Front. On 20 September nine Morane-Saulnier escadrilles changed their designation to Nieuport escadrilles, while other units also had a number of Nieuport aircraft on their books.

The Nieuport 10 was eventually replaced by the larger, more powerful Nieuport 12. Surviving Type 10s then became training aircraft. Some of the Le Rhône powered aircraft were given extra wing struts and a four-wheel landing gear and became known as the Nieuport 80E.2, Nieuport 81D.2 and Nieuport 83E.2 (based on the 80hp engine).

The Nieuport 10 was also the basis of the Nieuport 11, which was produced from the start as a single seat fighter, and that was smaller, lighter and faster than the Type 10. The Nieuport 11 was one of the most important Allied fighters of 1916, and was followed by a family of successful fighter aircraft.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

I first went to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome with a friend in June, 2011. I recall that I took some spectacularly bad pictures of the aircraft flying in the airshow. At the time I noticed that there was also a museum, but I didn’t get a chance to look at it.

I kept meaning to go back, but never made it until July, 2018.

According to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome website:

Our founder, Cole Palen, grew up next to a great 1930’s Hudson Valley airport dreaming that he would own and fly the machines he saw overhead and spent the rest of his life bringing the vision alive. Starting with six derelict WWI planes, Cole made the Aerodrome into America’s first flying museum of antique aircraft and replicas, achieving worldwide fame. He believed, “It isn’t an airplane if it doesn’t fly,” and the non-profit Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum continues his work of collecting, restoring and exhibiting more than 60 aircraft of the Pioneer, WWI and Golden Ages of aviation. Cole also believed in having fun and presenting his treasures in an accessible way and we continue this tradition. We’ve been flying, educating and entertaining for six decades.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.