The Nieuport 24 is part of the famous line of French fighter aircraft established by Edouard de Niéuport. A preeminent Allied airplane type, the Nieuport fighters were flown by many famous aces including Mannock, Ball, Bishop, Lufbery, Nungesser, and Guynemer.

Unlike many of the models that came before it, the Type 24 was more streamlined and had a rounded fuselage instead of the slab sides seen on earlier machines. The 24s were not only used by France, but also by Russia, Belgium, Italy, and Britain. The United States purchased a number of 24s to use for flight training.

The Museum of Flight's Type 24 was built from original plans in by a number of enthusiasts in Washington State. Ron Ochs finished the plane in 1992. First flown in 1995, the Nieuport is powered by a Le Rhône engine originally installed in a Thomas-Morse Scout plane.

The plane wears the markings of the Nieuport 24bis flown by French ace Paul Tarascon. After a plane crash in 1911, Tarascon's foot was amputated. But at the outbreak of war, he volunteered to fly and was known as l'as la jambe de bois (the ace with a wooden leg).