Nieuport Delage NiD 29 and NiD 62 Family (French Wings) Paperback – June 13, 2011

This is the second French Wings volume. It is marketed under the Stratus brand exclusively and not the Mushroom Model or MMP brands. It is A4 sized (8-1/4" x 11-3/4"), square bound, with 96 pages.As the title implies there are actually two subjects related only by manufacturer. The first 41 pages cover the Ni-D 29 and the Ni-D 62 family is covered in the rest.There are three components to the book, intermingled. There is the text which is a design, development, and service history. Service with all air arms are covered. There are the black and white photographs which also cover service in all air arms. Then there are the color profiles including many plan views. In addition there is a two page cutaway of the Ni-D 62 which originated elsewhere.Outstanding in this volume is the detailed history of the Ni-D 62 family in the Spanish Civil War. Maps would have been helpful.There are no line drawings at all. Apparently this is not to be a feature of the French Wings line.Highly recommended. It is hard to find good references on French aircraft in English. These go some way towards filling that gap.

A wonderfully comprehensive look at the military service of this aircraft - combined with a very readable text and many new to me pictures make this a very useful book for the service history of the type. BUT ( there's always a but…) the aircraft - the NiD 29 especially - was far more famous and important for it's racing , altitude and speed records than it ever was for it's service record- and there are absolutely no mention of it's fairly long career as a record setter or it's most famous pilot Sadi -Lecointe or it's contribution to air racing.Also there are minimal detail pictures of the aircraft itself - odd since the book is written by a model maker- making it's usefulness for miniature model makers very limited.

I was pleasantly surprised by the following:Amount of text which covered development use, export, combat for the aircraftNumber of color platesThe overall quality of the photographsIf you're looking for a detailed volume on the two aircraft covered, look elsewhere. But,I would challenge anyone to find a book as complete in English.Like the other books in the MMP French Wings Series this monograph is more than adequate for anyone interested in inter-war aircraft, inter-war conflicts, and modelers. Unequivocally recommended.This is a book worth revisiting from time to time.Edit: This is a book that whets the appetite. I will be seeking more books covering Nieuport Delage and inter war French aviation history.

One way to look at the development of aircraft is through the development of more powerful engines that do not grow as much in weight. These two planes are a perfect example to illustrate the increase in power.The design of the Ni-D 29 began at the very end of world War I and was based on the availability of a 300 hp aircraft engine. The Ni-D 62 followed in 1923 when 500 hp engines became available.These two designs are an indication of the progress made in aircraft design between the wars. Still ten years later the Messerschmitt 109 and the early versions of the Spitfire were in the air. This book has published an amazing amount of information on these two planes. It includes numerous photographs from the time and a good history of the development underway.

Describes this family of aircraft from the technical as well as the operational aspect. French service in the mid-war years and early in World War II is covered in detail, so are the many export versions. An extended, separate chapter deals with the aircraft in combat during the Spanish Civil War. The book is illustrated with rare black & white photos throughout, and there is a large number of full colour profiles. Strongly recommended for aviation enthusiats interested in French aircraft of the mid-war years and for modellers.

José Fernandez a déjà signé plusieurs ouvrages particulièrement réussis et de nombreux articles, notamment dans la revue Air-Magazine. Ce livre présente le Nieuport-Delage NiD-29 et la famille des sesquiplans NiD-42/52/62/622 et 72 qui avaient déjà été abordés dans cette excellente publication.Pour l'aviation militaire française, cette période correspond aux années 20 jusqu'au milieu des années 30. C'est en réalité une étape importante : la fin des derniers biplans, l'utilisation du sesquiplan avant l’avènement des chasseurs monoplans (tels que les Morane-Saulnier MS-406, Bloch MB-152, Caudron C-714). L'iconographie est excellente et les profils, signés Teodor Liviu Morosanu, sont tout simplement magnifiques :- Nieuport-Delage NiD-29 aux couleurs françaises, italiennes, belges, espagnoles, argentines, suédoises, japonaises, siamoises ;- Nieuport Delage NiD-42/52/62/622 et 72 aux couleurs françaises, roumaines, brésiliennes, espagnoles.On peut sans doute déplorer qu’il est dommage de ne trouver ce livre qu’en langue anglaise, même si sa lecture ne soulève pas de difficultés majeures. D’un autre côté, c’est aussi le meilleur moyen de toucher un public plus large afin de présenter des appareils jusqu’ici peu abordés mais aussi de pérenniser cette collection qui s’adresse aussi bien aux passionnés d’aéronautique qu’aux maquettistes. La seule petite critique serait en effet de ne pas y trouver de plan (au moins au 1/72) qui pourraient être pourtant fort utiles. Autrement, ce n’est que du bon !Merci aussi à Amazon de proposer à un prix plus que correct ce livre qui n’est aujourd’hui malheureusement plus imprimé.

Ce deuxième ouvrage de la collection "French Wings" diffusé par l'éditeur anglais MMP est du à l'auteur Français très connu José Fernandez (c'est triste qu'un auteur aussi réputé doive se faire éditer en anglais pour être publié...). Ce livre concerne une série de chasseurs français peu connus de l'entre deux guerres. Comme d'habitude, texte très informatif sans se perdre dans les détails, nombreuses photos de qualité dans de beaux formats, planches couleur abondantes et soignées.Cerise sur le gâteau, cet ouvrage nous raconte également l'histoire de ces avions dans les pays étrangers et aborde de façon détaillée les conflits auxquels ils ont participé comme la rébellion pauliste au Brésil et surtout la Guerre d'Espagne.En conclusion, c'est vraiment un livre à acheter !