
The government of France financed a special airplane to attempt to exceed an altitude record which had been set by John a Macready in the United States. The prototype Nieuport-Delâge Ni-D.40 C1 chasseur (fighter) was modified to increase its altitude capability.

The airplane was powered by water-cooled 18.473 liter (1,127.29-cubic-inch displacement) La Société Hispano-Suiza 8Fb single overhead cam (SOHC) 90° V-8 engine, rated at 400 chaval vapeur (394.4 horsepower). This was a direct-drive right-hand tractor engine, which turned a two-bladed-fixed pitch propeller. The engine was 1.32 meters (4 feet, 4 inches) long, 0.89 meters (2 feet, 11 inches) wide, and 0.88 meters (2 feet, 10½ inches) high. It weighed 256 kilograms (564 pounds).

Engine cooling was provided by Lamblin cylindrical radiators mounted under the lower wing.
Maximum speed of the Nieuport-Delâge Ni-D.40R was 210 km/h.
In 1924, the Ni-D.40R was modified into a seaplane. In this configuration, it set a world record of 8,980 meters (29,462 feet).²

¹ FAI Record File Number 8246
² FAI Record File Number 11750
© 2021, Bryan R. Swopes