A brief history of the Noon Patrol Project

Before the United States entered World War I American pilots volunteered to fly in the American Escadrille (soon renamed the Lafayette Escadrille) with the Allied forces in France.  During 1915 the Nieuport 11 was the premier fighter aircraft in the world.  The Noon Patrol's replica Nieuport 11 aircraft will be painted like those of the Lafayette Escadrille to honor those brave pilots.

At the start of this project we agreed on some important guidelines.

• The group owns all the aircraft until they are ready for N Numbers.  At that time we'll have a drawing to determine which aircraft each member will receive.
• All aircraft will be identical except for registration numbers, pilot name and personal insignia.
• No one builds any one aircraft -- Everyone works together on all of the aircraft.
• We are not building these aircraft one at a time -- we are building them all at one time and we expect them to all be completed about the same time.

Some other guidelines were established as the project progressed.

• The members agreed to build an additional aircraft and donate it to EAA Chapter 292.  This Nieuport will be auctioned, most likely on eBay, with the proceeds going to the Chapter building fund.
• A foreman was selected to track the progress on each part of the project and make sure that appropriate resources are assigned.
• The entire group makes decisions.  We have a builders meeting every Saturday morning where issues are discussed and decisions are made by consensus.

We named our group "The Noon Patrol" because:

• The "Dawn Patrol" name was already taken.
• Dawn is too damn early anyway.
• "We Fly For Food".

The Graham Lee 7/8 scale Nieuport replica aircraft was selected for several reasons.

• Builder support is excellent.  There is an active Nieuport Builders e-mail list and we have been able to ask other builders for advice.
• This Nieuport design was already well proven.  There have been no known structural failures.
• This aircraft is relatively simple and inexpensive.  No welding is required.
• Because this aircraft is small and light an inexpensive direct drive Volkswagen air-cooled engine can be used.

Our research found that inexpensive Volkswagen engines were generally reliable in aircraft when asked to deliver 60 horsepower or less.  So we chose a conservative 1835 cc low compression configuration using the engine assembly plans from Great Plains Aircraft.

 The unique story of the Noon Patrol is the team building process, not the 14 identical aircraft that we’re building.  Not only are we a team that is building aircraft -- we are building a team.  In addition to the 13 pilot builders, several volunteer members help us to build these aircraft. Our group is diverse.  Ages range from 19 to over 65.  Two father and son teams are included.  Aircraft building experience varies as well -- our group includes experienced aircraft builders as well as those with little or no prior experience.  Four members are retired.  Members professions include plumber, electrician, machinist, property manager, student, computer network administrator, dentist and TWO A&P’s.

 At the EAA Chapter 292 hangar -- also known as The Independence Airplane Factory -- we’ve had an increasing number of visitors.  We’ve joked about putting barricades and yellow tape around the hangar along with a sign that says “Noon Patrol Tours: $2.00, 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM every Saturday.  However, visitors to the Noon Patrol are still welcome (at no charge) to the hangar between 10:00 and 17:00 Saturdays.  Visitors should be aware that the ten minute rule is in effect -- For the first ten minutes you're a visitor, after that you're likely to be handed a tool and put to work.  Bringing chocolate chip cookies will extend the visitor time to 20 minutes.  Bringing cold drinks about 17:00 will help to create lots of new friends.