Billy Bishop

Billy Bishop downed 72 enemy aircraft in a six month period between February and August of 1917 During Bloody April of 1917 the Germans had a field day with their guns firing through the propeller at inferior planes. Billy Bishop was flying a French biplane the Nieuport Scout that had a machine gun that fired from the top wing over the propeller. the plane was noted for shedding its wings during a dive. Billy took care of the gun himself and personally tested every round of ammunition, he became a master at fixing stopages in the air and spent hours droping cans from his plane and then shooting them to pieces as they fell. He showed no fear and stalked the enemy head on. England would not let him continue his Hun hating to allow him to become the top fighter pilot in the first world war. He had a substantially inferior plane compared to the enemy during his time on the front and his excellence should not be denied.
Cheers
Ken McKenzie
www.starapex.com

Don,t under rate a Neuport or over rate an Albatros'
not the big a difference in the hands of a good pilot.
Don't ASSUME,Bishop would have gone on to be top
ace.He might have burned all the way down,next time up.
Baron vonTecumseh
PS Beware of the Hun in the sun!

Actually, it seems that Albatrii (Albatroses?) were more likely to shed their wings than Nieuports. And didn't most Nieuport 17s have a Vickers in addition to the overwing Lewis?
As for Bishop downing 72 aircraft...what's the phrase? STAND BY FOR INCOMING!

[Ginger.]

Ken,
did the British keep him in a rubbish plane on purpose so he would not outscore their men?
If I had been in command he would have got an Se5 and his own Squadron to play with.You might call it 85 Squadron to give Billy a total to aim for?

[leo]

As mentioned in other threads, some pilots seemed to prefer rotary engines, while others preferred stationary motors. I am sure with Bishop's record and reputation he could have chosen any mount he wanted.

By the way, who invented the Rotary engine? I heard something on the radio promoting Black History Month which suggested it was the product of a black man. ????????????

[Richard_Schrader]

Most of the Nieuport 17's flown by the Royal Air Corp had only the Lewis gun on the top wing. Some of the Nieuport 17bis they flew had the Vickers also. The "bis" had a bigger engine therefore it could carry a heavier load.
I will not get into the battle of Bishop's victories, because what I think does not make any difference. The British credited him with 72 victories, and nothing we say is going to change that.
Richard

During February to August of 1917 the British had few superior planes The Sopwith tripe was one.
The fact is a marksman with a 22 rifle can be more deadly than a amatuer with a machine gun. The timeing of his victories was when the Germans were having their greatest success.
Cheers
Ken McKenzie
www.starapex.com

[Craig]

Bishop "scored" most of his "victories" in an SE5a, which was superior in most respects to the Albatros and Pfalz fighters that were its contemporaries. He never claimed a Fokker DrI or D.VII. The latter was in service very briefly at the end of Bishop's stint.

Who made the Nieuport Scout. I Thought it was a French warplane but it isn't listed as one of theirs in my information. The British have a 320 hp Nieuport Nighthawk with a top speed of 151 mph that takes the substance out of my starting link.

Cheers
Ken McKenzie
www.starapex.com

[Richard_Schrader]

Ken;
You are right, the Nieuport is a French design. It was made under license by Italy, and Russia. I don't know if the English produced it under license or not. Both the RFC and the RNAC used them.
Richard