J.Forsgren Swedish Military Aircraft 1911-1926 (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 68)

Nyrop No: 3 (Aeroplanet No: 1)

  The first Swedish military airplane can be traced to the brewery manager Otto-Emil Neumuller (1860-1925), who in February 1911 ordered the construction of an airplane to be donated to the Royal Swedish Navy. Neumuller paid a total of 20,000 kronor for the airplane. On June 8,1911, Neumuller wrote to the Naval Ministry: ’’Influenced by my son, sub-lieutenant Fredrik M.(agnus) Neumuller and his brother-in-law, sub-lieutenant Olle Dahlbeck, both serving with the Royal Navy, the undersigned has ordered the construction at Landskrona of a military airplane, of the Bleriot type. (...) This has now been completed, and only awaits a knowledgeable pilot to enter service.”
  Two of the conditions for the donation was that the Navy would pay for Dahlbeck’s flight tuition in Britain, the other being that Neumuller’s own son, Fredrik Magnus, must not become a pilot!
  The airplane was built by Hjalmar Nyrop, who had previously built and flown two airplanes together with his business partner, Oskar Ask. However, by the time of Neumuller’s order, relations between Nyrop and Ask had soured. As a result, construction of the Nyrop No:3 at Nyrop’s boatwharf at Landskrona became the sole responsibility of Nyrop.
  The two-seat Nyrop No:3 was basically a two-seat Bleriot XI-2 bis. Although unsubstantiated, Nyrop may have obtained plans and technical information of the Bleriot XI-2 bis from Great Britain, where the type was known as ’Big Bat’.
  On August 29,1911, Olle Dahlbeck obtained his pilot’s licence at the Claude Grahame-White flying school at Hendon. After returning to Sweden, Dahlbeck acquainted himself with the Nyrop No:3 at Ljungbyhed, with the airplane being referred to as ’’Kiddy”.
  On December 1,1911, the Nyrop No:3 was formally handed over to the Navy, being received ’’with pleasure” by the Minister of Naval Affairs, Jacob Larsson. Although designated as the "Aeroplanet Nr:1” (Aeroplane No:1), it was colloqually known as Bryggarkarran (The Brewer’s Cart) in recognition of Neumuller’s occupation.
  The first flight in Swedish royal naval service took place on February 3,1912. Although it had been intended to use the airplane for maritime reconnaissance, it was soon realized that it was unsuitable for this task. Dahlbeck considered it to be difficult to fly, but very funny to taxi on icy surfaces. In 1913, its 50 h.p. Gnome rotary engine was removed and fitted to a Donnet-Leveque amphibian. However, the Nyrop No:3 was not struck off charge until April 1916. Thankfully, this historic airplane has been preserved.


Aeroplanet No: 1 (Nyrop No: 3) Technical Data and Performance Characteristics
   Engine: 1 x 50 h.p. Gnome Omega rotary engine
   Length: 8,38 m
   Wingspan: 10,97 m
   Height: 2,90 m
   Wing area: 24,43 m2
   Empty weight: 310 kg
   Maximum weight: N/a
   Maximum speed: 80 km/h
   Armament: -


Preservation

Nyrop No:3

  After being withdrawn from use in 1916, the Nyrop No:3’s historical significance and importance as the first Swedish military airplane was recognized, as it was handed over to Sjohistoriska Museet (The National Naval History Museum) in Stockholm for preservation. Apparently never put on display, Bryggarkarran was subsequently transferred on February 23, 1934 to the adjacent National Museum of Science and Technology following a Royal decree dated February 28, 1934. Although briefly exhibited during the inauguration of the museum in 1936, the airplane was consigned to storage soon afterwards. By the early 1970s, it was in poor condition. Part of the longerons on the righthand side of the fuselage had been sawn off, with the section removed being put on display to show airplane construction technique of yore. In the spring of 1975, the Bryggarkarran was restored and displayed at Teknorama (part of the National Museum of Science and Technology) in May of that year during the 75th Anniversary of the Swedish Royal Aero Club. In the mid-1990s, new fabric was applied. In 2010, the Bryggarkarran was loaned to Flygvapenmuseum for the 100th Anniversary of Aviation in Sweden. Subsequently returned to the National Museum of Science and Technology, the airplane remained on display until 2019. On January 4, 2022, the airplane was transported to Flygvapenmuseum at Malmen, having been loaned for an initial period of five years. The historic airplane will be put on display when Flygvapenmuseum reopens in 2023.