Nieuport 28 N4728V

Paul Mantz and, later, Tallmantz Aviation, owned and operated a rare original Nieuport 28, believed to be one of only three surviving examples. Paul Mantz obtained the Nieuport 28 in the late 1930s, used it for many film projects, but Tallmantz ended up having to sell the airplane in 1966. After it was re-sold to a new owner in 1968, it appears to have largely remained in storage for the ensuing 50 years. However, in 2019, it was obtained by the American Heritage Museum, a Collings Foundation, located near Stow, Massachusetts. It was sent to World War I aircraft restorer Mikael Carlson at Sabbap, Sweden, for a complete restoration. It flew its first post-restoration flight on April 2, 2022, and is to be added to the AHM collection in Massachusetts for display.

The Nieuport 28 is historically-important for American aviation history as the type was used by the first Army aviators to fight over the skies of France. The Nieuport 28 was a cast-off for the French, but the Americans used it to good effect in 1918, with numerous victories scored by the likes of Eddie Rickenbacker and Douglas Campbell. The Nieuport 28 has been recognized as America’s first fighter aircraft.

This subject Nieuport 28 was obtained by Paul Mantz probably in the early 1930s and was a post-war veteran of the U.S. Army Air Service before transitioning to the civil fleet. It has been featured in numerous movies and other projects through the years. Tallmantz Aviation was forced to sell it and a good part of its collection in February 1966 to Rosen-Novak to raise cash. Rosen-Novak, in turn, ended up selling most of the collection at the famed May 1968 “Tallmantz Auction.” The rare Nieuport 28 sold for $14,500, one of the higher priced items sold that day. New owner was race car driver Jim Hall. The airplane ended up going into storage for most the succeeding 55 years but was recently donated to the American Heritage Museum, which then sent the airframe on to Sweden for restoration.

Early History of the Tallmantz Nieuport 28

At the risk of diving too deep into the early history of this aircraft, I think it worth a closer look. There is not much information about any of the few surviving Nieuport 28s. Almost 100 Nieuport 28s were imported from France for U.S. military use in the immediate post-World War I years. Approximately 76 were used by the Army Air Service for trainers and fighters. Twelve were used by the U.S. Navy to test ramp-equipped battleships to launch aircraft. It is  not known definitively which group the Tallmantz Nieuport came form. However, noted aviation historian John Underwood researched the subject and determined that no more than four surplus Nieuport 28s were used on the west coast in the 1930s, and all four were surplus from Navy stocks held at San Diego. This would thus include the subject aircraft. Nonetheless, identification of these aircraft by military serial or manufacturer’s serial number is not available. So we are left only to conjecture as to the origin of the Tallmantz Nieuport 28 that later flew as N4728V.

One unanswered question: this aircraft is always termed a Neiuport 28C-1 but, lacking an accurate serial number and any information about its date of manufacture, it could well be a Nieuport 28A, a post-war variant built specifically for the American air service. None of the aircraft records state this aircraft was anything other than a Nieuport 28. So, in that context, we will do the same here.

The known trail of this aircraft picks up on February 3, 1930, when Garland Lincoln submitted an application for an airplane license with the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce.  His application was for a Nieuport 28 and the filed paper has the manufacturer’s serial number  (msn) of 110E entered, and then crossed out, the number 1466 written nearby and then crossed out, and the number 1426 entered and not crossed out. 

The application notes that Garland Lincoln obtained the from Johnny Vickers of Pomona, California,  on December 23, 1928. The application states that it “has never been in service” which explained the lack of an issued license. The application also documents that the airplane had been remodeled with a “new motor installed by Caddo Pictures Corp aviation Dept. Metropolitan Airport.” The purpose for which the aircraft would be operated was “moving picture work. Howard Hughes Caddo Picture Corporation, Los Angeles” and the aircraft was based at “Metropolitan Airport, Caddo Aviation Dept.” The installed engine is shown as a (sic) “Nome Monosoupape” type.

The Aeronautic Branch issued an identification number of 10415 on July 16, 1930. The issued document shows the aircraft with a msn of 512. Where this number came from remains mysterious as it was not on the original application but has carried forth to this day in the aircraft record.

The identification number of 10415 was not to have a prefix such as N or NR or NX; the regulations at the time stated that these were used for aircraft that were not eligible for any class of license or where the owners only wanted an identification number. These aircraft could not be flown out of state and could not carry passengers or cargo for hire.

The involvement of Howard Hughes’ Caddo Pictures Corp. is a bit of a mystery. When the application for the license was made in January 1930, Hughes was reshooting scenes for his epic war film Hells Angels but there are no indications that this Nieuport appeared in that film. Hells Angels was released in May 1930 so the timeline does not match up unless the aircraft was utilized prior to licensing, which is entirely possible. I suspect, however, that Hughes was using Garland Lincoln’s help in the filming of Hells Angels and Nieuport 28 10415 was just placed under the Caddo Pictures umbrella.

In November 1931, Garland Lincoln applied for a “restricted” status license, and the Nieuport 28 became R-10415. The restricted license were found to be airworthy for specially designated purposes. An inspection report at the time of the application records that the Gnome 160-hp rotary engine held a serial number of 55952-B.

In this early period it would appear that R-10415 was used in several motion pictures, including Dawn Patrol (1930) and Ace of Aces (1933), Available information suggests that as many as four Garland Lincoln Nieuport 28s were used in the former film, but that they were not flown. They were only used in ground and taxi scenes. As noted, the aircraft were all reported to be in marginal condition and not really airworthy for the demanding role of filming. 

This would appear to be confirmed , for on January 29, 1934, Nieuport 28 R-10415 was reported by Garland Lincoln as salvaged.

Interestingly, Garland Lincoln solved the problem of old non-airworthy Nieuport 28s by building a number of Garland Lincoln LF1 imitation Nieuport 28s, utilizing all new construction and dependable engines. The ‘mock’ Nieuport 28s only resembled the real thing, but at least three LF1s were built and they served the Hollywood studios well in the ensuing years. Frank Tallman eventually was able to get ahold on one of the Lincoln LF1s (N12237) and he flew it quite happily for many years…and it too ended up in the Tallmantz collection.

However, back to the ‘salvaged’ R-10415, presumably in storage at Metropolitan Airport. In February 1938, Garland Lincoln sold most of his aircraft fleet to Paramount Pictures, Inc. Depending on what source you read, Lincoln sold the aircraft because he was being called back to military service, and the agreement was for Paramount to sell Lincoln back his airplanes when Lincoln returned from service. However, it does not appear that Lincoln was called back to the service until late 1941, around the time of Pearl Harbor, and he sold his aircraft to Paramount nearly four years earlier; thus I would question that account a bit. 

Prior to the recorded date of sale in February 1938, however, the aircraft received attention from Paul Mantz Air Services on behalf of Paramount Pictures. In a service report dated January 25, 1938, it was recorded that the Nieuport 28 had the following work done:

• Rebuilt tail
• Rebuilt landing gear
• new wing struts
• new control wires
• new landing and flying wires
• completely overhauled motor
• new propeller made
• new center section struts and wires
• new gasoline and oil tanks
• completely recovered new wires for fuselage
• everything worn replaced

Basically, the airplane was overhauled and put back into airworthy condition. It is also, presumably, at this time that the upper wing was “clipped” though it does not state so directly. The inboard section of the two upper wing panels were removed, which shortened each panel by nearly two feet. This was evidently done to increase aircraft performance. 

Presumably, Paramount Pictures used the “salvaged” airframe and the other Nieuport 28s and other period aircraft it had acquired from Lincoln, for the Paramount production of the epic Men With Wings produced that same year. It also appeared in the remake of Dawn Patrol (1938) and Stunt Pilot (1939). I have not viewed these three films so cannot report on the actual screen time any of the Nieuport 28s enjoyed and whether or not they were actually flown for the film as opposed to being used as set dressing or taxiing scenes.

By the late 1930s, Paul Mantz had become the primary provider of planes and pilots for Hollywood. He operated a one-stop-shop with United Air Services at United Air Terminal, which soon became the Lockheed Air Terminal, which later became the Hollywood-Burbank Airport, etc. Mantz provided planes used both in front and behind the cameras, was himself a carded film director, and came to dominate the industry by providing what it needed when it needed it.

Paul Mantz Purchases Nieuport X-10415

On March 4, 1941, Paramount Pictures sold X-10415 and probably all of its other aircraft to United Air Services, the Paul Mantz company based at United Air Terminal. Most of these aircraft appear to have gone into disassembled storage with Mantz during the war years and for years to come after that. Mantz acquired several, probably four, Nieuport 28 airframes as well as other Nieuport components, including a whole “unclipped” wing. They were all stored away for a future, undetermined use. Mantz, meanwhile, was busy with other endeavors. As an AAF Lt. Col., he commanded the AAF First Motion Picture Unit based in Hollywood during the war. He was later busy in the immediate postwar years with numerous film projects that derived from that war. 

However, in March 1954, the parts of NX-10415 were pulled out of storage and rebuilt into an airworthy aircraft. The aircraft was issued a new civil registration of N4728V at that time. What use it might have been put to is not known but presumably businessman Mantz would not have reassembled the aircraft without an earmarked project.

In the mid-1950s, Mantz began to shift his base of operations from the renamed Lockheed Air Terminal at Burbank to the sleepy Orange County Airport near Santa Ana.

An April 1957 inspection report of N4728V records total aircraft time recorded as 225 hours, quite a jump from previous reports which were suspect in themselves. Four years later, in January 1961, the airframe is recorded at 227:40 hours…thus the airplane was flown for 2:40 hours in the intervening years. It is not thought it was utilized in any movie work during that period. By the way, the recorded engine serial remains 55217 on the inspection report.

Nieuport 28 N4728V to Tallmantz Aviation

N4728V went from Paul Mantz Air Services to Tallmantz Aviation in November 1961 when stunt pilots Paul Mantz and Frank Tallman joined forces. The base remained at Orange County Airport, and the following year the Movieland of the Air Museum was opened to allow the public to see the large collection of aircraft held.

Among that collection was Tallman’s Nieuport look-alike Garland Lincoln LF1, N12237. Tallman, a lover and devoted advocate of World War I aircraft, nonetheless expressed his favor toward the real Nieuport by stating that “certainly it is the epitome of World War I flying.”

Surprisingly, the rare Nieuport 28 saw little action in the succeeding years with Tallmantz. It was flown for numerous area airshow displays, but apparently it only appeared once before the camera for a Kool cigarette television commercial. Tallmantz logs show the Nieuport 28, a J-1 Standard, a P-40, and the Tallmantz Gulfhawk (N982V) appeared in that commercial project. (Must have been some commercial.) In January 1965, an inspection report recorded airframe and engine time of 229:30 hours, an increase of less than two hours since April 1957. It would appear the aircraft only flew briefly for that commercial, perhaps a local airshow and, most likely, a Tallmantz flight demonstration or two. 

Forced Sale of Nieuport N4728V to Rosen-Novak in 1966

Bringing together the aircraft collections, skills, and resources of Mantz and Tallman, Tallmantz Aviation cornered the Hollywood aviation business from the beginning. However, it suffered two dramatic setbacks in 1965 that almost put the company out of business. Primary was the death of Paul Mantz in July 1965 in an accident while filming The Flight of the Phoenix. The second was Frank Tallman’s ground-based accident (pushing a go-kart) the resulted in the loss of his right leg above the knee. The company staggered through the balance of 1965 but impending legal and other costs resulting from the Mantz accident caused Tallmantz Aviation to sell off a great portion of its aircraft collection. Thus, on February 18, 1966, Tallman sold the heart of the Movieland of the Air to a group of mid-west investors. The purchasers were the principal owners of two Nebraska companies, the Rosen Novak Auto Co. of Omaha and the Morrison, Quirk Grain Co. of Hastings. The sale included approximately 45 aircraft and a large assortment of aircraft engines, armament, photographs, diorama displays, and display cases. Nieuport 28 N4728V was among those sold.

The ‘Tallmantz Auction’ of May 1968 and Nieuport 28 N4728V

The new owners agreed to leave the aircraft on display at the Movieland of the Air until they resold the aircraft. The investor’s plan was to resell the collection as a whole to a new or existing aviation museum for a substantially higher price. It did not work out that way, and within a year the investors were breaking up the collection and selling individual aircraft. Most aircraft did not sell, however, so on May 28, 1968, the balance were sold at what has now become the famous “Tallmantz Auction.” Held at the museum facility, the one-day, by-invitation-only auction resulted in the collection being sold off. The World War I aircraft, including the Nieuport 28, were more valued than the World War II and other aircraft offered. The high-end sale was an original Sopwith Camel that sold for $40,000 ($338,900 in 2022 dollars). An airworthy P-40 brought, alas, just $7,000.  All told, the auction earned the sellers a total of $286,620, less whatever commission was paid for the auction. Even with the earlier aircraft sales, it is clear that the original investment in early 1966 did not pay off in May 1968.

The Nieuport 28 sold for $14,000 ($118,600 in 2022 dollars). Its new owner was veteran race car driver Jim Hall. Its subsequent operational use remains sketchy, though it appears it largely remained in storage for the 50 years that followed.

Nieuport 28 N4728V to the American Heritage Museum in 2019

It was acquired by the AHM in 2019. The AHM sent the disassembled airframe to Sweden for restoration by Mikael Carlson, who has already restored several original World War I aircraft as well as building several exact replicas. Carlson reported the airframe, especially the wooden components, were in surprisingly good condition after such a long period of storage. Carlson also restored the original and rare Gnome 80-hp rotary engine that came with the airplane. Other parts were fabricated as needed, including a new engine cowling to replace the earlier functional but incorrect cowl installed on the airframe for many years.

The Nieuport’s long-time civil registration of N4728V was cancelled with the FAA on March 21 of this year, the FAA record showing it being exported to Sweden. The Swedish registry gained the Nieuport 28 on March 31 as SE-BMA with the registered owner as the Collings Foundation in Massachusetts and the registered operator as N.A.B. Nordiska Aviatik Bolaget AB, Kvarnhem Sebbarp, 240 33 LÖBERÖD, Sweden. Presumably, a Swedish civil registration was required to fly it in Sweden. The recorded msn of 512, carried since 1930 but one that does not align with the aircraft, remains attached to the aircraft. Curiously, another published source recently recorded the msn of 6382 to this aircraft, a new bit of information that bears further investigation.

The civil registration of N6164 had been reserved by the Collings Foundation and presumably that will be applied when the airplane returns to the U.S.  

And that is supposed to occur prior to September 17-18, 2022, when it is scheduled to be the featured aircraft at the AHM World War I Aviation Weekend at the museum’s private airstrip located near Hudson, Mass, located about twenty miles west of Boston. The museum’s website can be found at https://www.americanheritagemuseum.org and has more information about the Nieuport 28.