Sopwith Camel Sopwith Camel Sopwith Camel (8/18/2014) source : The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult to handle, to an experienced pilot it provided very good manoeuvrability. An excellent fighter, the Camel was credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter of the conflict. It also served as a ground-attack aircraft, especially towards the end of the war, by which point it was outclassed in the air-to-air role.

Sopwith Camel United Kingdom - UK (Great Britain) 1916 United Kingdom - UK (Great Britain) 1917 Design And Development The Camel's predecessor, the Sopwith Pup, was no longer competitive against newer German fighters, such as the Albatros D.III, and thus the Camel was developed specifically to replace the Pup, as well as the Nieuport 17s that had been purchased from the French as an interim measure. It was recognised that the new fighter would need to be faster and have a heavier armament. To meet this demand, the chief designer of the Camel, Herbert Smith, opted to develop a biplane, designated the Sopwith F.1. The "Big Pup", as it was known early in its development, and powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z was first flown by Harry Hawker at Brooklands on 22 December 1916. Its design was conventional for its time, featuring a wooden box-like fuselage structure, an aluminium engine cowling, plywood panels around the cockpit, and fabric-covered fuselage, wings and tail.

While having some clear similarities with the Pup, it had a noticeably bulkier fuselage. For the first time on an operational British-designed fighter, two 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns were mounted directly in front of the cockpit, synchronised to fire forwards through the propeller disc. A metal fairing over the gun breeches, intended to protect the guns from freezing at altitude, created a "hump", and it was this feature that led pilots to refer to the aircraft by the name Camel. This was never an official designation for the aircraft however. The bottom wing was rigged with 3° dihedral but the top wing had no dihedral, so that the gap between the wings was less at the tips than at the roots; this change was made at the suggestion of Fred Sigrist, the Sopwith works manager, in order to simplify construction. The upper wing features a distinctive central cutout section to improve upwards visibility for the pilot. Early productions Camels were powered by a single rotary engine, most commonly either the Clerget 9B or the Bentley BR1. To avoid a production bottleneck being imposed on the aircraft by a potential engine shortage, other engines were also used.

In May 1917, the first production contract for an initial batch of 250 Camels was issued by the War Office. During 1917, 1,325 Camels were manufactured, almost entirely of the initial F.1 variant and by the time production came to an end, approximately 5,490 Camels of all types had been built. In early 1918, production of the navalised "Ship's" Camel 2F.1 began. Unlike the preceding Pup and Triplane, the Camel was considered to be difficult to fly. The type owed both its extreme manoeuvrability and its difficult handling to the close placement of the engine, pilot, guns and fuel tank (some 90% of the aircraft's weight) within the front seven feet of the aircraft, and to the strong gyroscopic effect of the rotary engine, although other types with similar configurations did not suffer the same problem. The Camel soon gained an unfortunate reputation with pilots. Many crashed on take-off when the load of fuel usually carried pushed the centre of gravity beyond the rearmost safe limits. In level flight, the Camel was markedly tail-heavy.

Unlike the Sopwith Triplane, the Camel lacked a variable incidence tailplane, so that the pilot had to apply constant forward pressure on the control stick to maintain a level attitude at low altitude. The aircraft could be rigged so that at higher altitudes it could be flown "hands off." A stall immediately resulted in a dangerous spin. A two-seat trainer version of the Camel was later built to ease the transition process. Variants Combat History In June 1917, the type entered service with No. 4 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service, near Dunkirk. Its first combat flight and reportedly its first victory claim were both made on 4 July 1917.[8] By the end of July 1917, the Camel also equipped No. 3 and No. 9 Naval Squadrons; and it had became operational with No. 70 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps.[10] By February 1918, 13 squadrons had Camels as their primary equipment. The Camel proved to have better manoeuvrability than the Albatros D.III and D.V and offered heavier armament and better performance than the Pup and Triplane. Its controls were light and sensitive.

The Camel turned more slowly to the left, which resulted in a nose-up attitude due to the torque of the rotary engine. But the engine torque also resulted in the ability to turn to the right quicker than other fighters, although that resulted in a tendency towards a nose-down attitude from the turn. Because of the faster turning capability to the right, to change heading 90° to the left, some pilots preferred to do it by turning 270° to the right. Agility in combat made the Camel one of the best-remembered Allied aircraft of the First World War. RFC crew used to joke that it offered the choice between "a wooden cross, the Red Cross, or a Victoria Cross" Together with the S.E.5a and the SPAD S.XIII, the Camel helped to re-establish the Allied aerial superiority that lasted well into 1918. Major William Barker's Sopwith Camel (serial no. B6313, the aircraft in which he scored the majority of his victories), was used to shoot down 46 aircraft and balloons from September 1917 to September 1918 in 404 operational flying hours, more than any other single RAF fighter.

Home defence and night fighting An important role for the Camel was home defence. The RNAS flew Camels from Eastchurch and Manston airfields against daylight raids by German bombers, including Gothas, from July 1917. The public outcry against the night raids and the poor response of London's defences forced the RFC to divert Camels from France to home defence, with 44 Squadron RFC reforming on the Camel in the home defence role in July 1917. When the Germans switched to night attacks, the Camel proved capable of being flown at night, and the home defence aircraft were modified with navigation lights to serve as night fighters. A number of Camels were more extensively modified with the Vickers machine guns being replaced by overwing Lewis guns, with the cockpit being moved rearwards so the pilot could reload the guns. This modification, which became known as the "Sopwith Comic" allowed the guns to be fired without affecting the pilot's night vision, and allowed the use of new, more effective incendiary ammunition that was considered unsafe to fire from synchronised Vickers guns.

By March 1918, the home defence squadrons were equipped with the Camel, with seven home defence squadrons flying Camels by August 1918. 151 Squadron Camel night fighters were also intercepting German night bombers over the Western Front, and carrying out night intruder missions against German airstrips, claiming 26 German aircraft downed in five months of operations. Shipboard use The RNAS operated 2F.1 Camels from platforms mounted on the turrets of major warships, from some of the earliest aircraft carriers, and from aircraft lighters which were specially modified barges, which were towed fast enough that a Camel could be launched from one against incoming air raids from a more advantageous position that shore bases allowed. Ground attack By mid-1918, the Camel had become obsolescent as a day fighter as its climb rate, level speed and performance at altitudes over 12,000 ft (3,650 m) were outclassed by the latest German fighters, such as the Fokker D.VII. However, it remained useful as a ground-attack and infantry support aircraft.

During the German offensive of March 1918, squadrons of Camels harassed the advancing German Army, inflicting high losses (although suffering high losses in turn) through the dropping of 25 lb (11 kg) Cooper bombs and low-level strafing. The protracted development of the Camel's replacement, the Sopwith Snipe, meant that the Camel remained in service until after the Armistice. Parasite fighter In summer 1918, a 2F.1 Camel (N6814) was used in trials as a parasite fighter under Airship R23.

Length: 18 ft 9 in (5.71 m) Wingspan: 26 ft 11 in (8.53 m) Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) Wing area: 231 ft (21.46 m) Empty weight: 930 lb (420 kg) Loaded weight: 1,455 lb (660 kg) Powerplant: 1 x Clerget 9B 9-cylinder Rotary engine, 130 hp (97 kW) Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0378 Drag area: 8.73 ft (0.81 m) Aspect ratio: 4.11 Maximum speed: 115 mph (185 km/h) Stall speed: 48 mph (77 km/h) Range: 300 mi ferry (485 km) Service ceiling 21,000 ft (6,400 m) Rate of climb: 1,085 ft/min (5.5 m/s) Wing loading: 6.3 lb/ft (30.8 kg/m

) Power/mass: 0.09 hp/lb (150 W/kg) Lift-to-drag ratio: 7.7 Sopwith Camel Archives - This Day in Aviation This Day in Aviation Aviation Ace , Aerial Combat , D9649 , David S.

Ingalls , David Sinton Ingalls , Fighter , Fighter Pilot , No. 213 Squadron , Officier de la Légion d’honneur , Royal Air Force , Sopwith Aviation Co. Ltd. , Sopwith Camel , Sopwith Camel F.1 Bryan Swopes Lieutenant (j.g.) David S. Ingalls, USN, France, 1918. (U.S. Navy) 24 September 1918: While assigned to No. 213 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Lieutenant (junior grade) David Sinton Ingalls, United States Navy, shot down a Rumpler C.IV reconnaissance airplane while flying a Sopwith Camel, serial number D9649. This was Ingalls’ fifth aerial victory, making him the U.S. Navy’s only fighter ace of World War I. Lieutenant Ingalls was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious service. Great Britain awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross and he was Mentioned in Dispatches. France awarded him the Légion d’honneur.

Lieutenant Ingalls left the Navy after World War I, but returned to the Naval Reserve in the mid-1930s. During World War II he rose to the rank of Rear Admiral, and was awarded the Legion of Merit. Sopwith Camel F.1 (Royal Air Force) The Sopwith Camel F.1 was a British single-place, single-engine biplane fighter, produced by thw Sopwith Aviation Co., Ltd., Canbury Park Road, Kingston-on-Thames. The airplane was constructed of a wooden framework, with the forward fuselage being covered with aluminum panels and plywood, while the aft fuselage, wings and tail surfaces were covered with fabric. The length of the Camel F.I varied from 18 feet, 6 inches (5.639 meters) to 19 feet, 0 inches (5.791 meters), depending on which engine was installed. Both upper and lower wings had a span of 28 feet, 0 inches (8.534 meters) and chord of 4 feet, 6 inches (1.372 meters). They were separated vertically by 5 feet (1.524 meters) at the fuselage.

The upper wing had 0° dihedral, while the lower wing had 5° dihedral and was staggered 1 foot, 6 inches (0.457 meters) behind the upper wing. The single-bay wings were braced with airfoil-shaped streamline wires. The overall height of the Camel also varied with the engine, from 8 feet, 6 inches (2.591 meters) to 8 feet, 9 inches (2.667 meters). The heaviest Camel F.I variant used the Le Rhône 180 h.p. engine. It had an empty weight of 1,048 pounds (475 kilograms). Its gross weight of 1,567 pounds (711 kilograms). The lightest was equipped with the Gnôme Monosoupape 100 horsepower engine, with weights of 882 pounds (400 kilograms) and 1,387 pounds (629 kilograms), respectively.

Front view of a Sopwith Camel F.I The first Camel was powered by an air-cooled 15.268 liter (931.72 cubic inches) Société Clerget-Blin et Cie Clerget Type 9 nine-cylinder rotary engine which produced 110 horsepower at 1,200 r.p.m. and drove a wooden two-bladed propeller. Eight different rotary engines¹ from four manufacturers, ranging from 100 to 180 horsepower, were used in the type. The best performance came with the Bentley B.R.1 engine (5.7:1 compression ratio). This variant had a maximum speed of 121 miles per hour (195 kilometers per hour) at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), and 114.5 miles per hour (184 kilometers per hour) at 15,000 feet (4,572 meters).

It could climb to 6,500 feet (1,981 meters) in 4 minutes, 35 seconds; to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) in 8 minutes, 10 seconds; and 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) in 15 minutes, 55 seconds. It had a service ceiling of 22,000 feet (6,706 meters). Two other Camel variants could reach 24,000 feet (7,315 meters). Lieutenant Walter Owen Bentley, R.N.A.S. The Bentley B.R.1 rotary engine was designed by Lieutenant Walter Owen Bentley, Royal Naval Air Service (later, Captain, Royal Air Force), based on the Clerget Type 9, but with major improvements. It used aluminum cylinders shrunk on to steel liners, with aluminum pistons.

The Bentley B.R.1 (originally named the Admiralty Rotary, A.R.1, as it was intended for use by the Royal Navy) was an air-cooled, normally-aspirated 17.304 liter (1,055.9 cubic inches) nine-cylinder rotary engine with a compression ratio of 5.7:1. It was rated at 150 horsepower at 1,250 r.p.m. The B.R.1 was 1.110 meters (3 feet, 7.7 inches) long, 1.070 meters (feet, 6.125 inches) in diameter and weighted 184 kilograms (406 pounds.) The engine was manufactured by Humber, Ltd., Coventry, England. For his work developing this engine, Captain Bentley was appointed a Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Years Honours List, 1 January 1919. He would later found Bentley Motors, Ltd. Sopwith Camel F.1 FG394, left rear quarter.

© IWM (Q 63822) The Camel was armed with two fixed, forward-firing .303 Vickers machine guns, synchronized to fire forward through the propeller. These guns were modified for air cooling. Some night fighter variants substituted Lewis machine guns mounted above the upper wing for the Vickers guns. Four 25 pound (11.3 kilogram) bombs could be carried on racks under the fuselage. The instruments and armament of a Sopwith Camel from No. 4 Squadron, AFC. (Australian War Memorial) The Sopwith Camel was a difficult airplane to fly. Most of its weight was concentrated far forward, making it unstable, but, at the same time making the fighter highly maneuverable. The rotary engine, with so much of its mass in rotation, caused a torque effect that rolled the airplane to the right to a much greater degree than in airplanes equipped with radial or V-type engines. A skilled pilot could use this to his advantage, but many Camels ended upside down while taking off. Twelve manufacturers² produced 5,490 Sopwith Camels between 1916 and 1920.

By the end of World War I, it was becoming outclassed by newer aircraft, however it was the single most successful fighter of the war, shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft. One single fighter, flown by Major William Barker, shot down 46 enemy aircraft, more than any other fighter in history. It is believed that only seven Sopwith Camels still exist. Lieutenant Colonel William George Barker, VC, DSO with Bar, MC with two Bars, Croix de Guerre, with his Sopwith Camel F.1. (Library and Archives Canada) ¹Humber, Ltd., Bentley B.R.1 150 h.p., B.R.1 (5.7:1 c.r.); Clerget 9B, 130 h.p., Clerget 9Bf, 130 h.p. (long stroke): Gnôme Monosoupape, 100 h.p., Gnôme Monosoupape, 150 h.p.; Le Rhône, 110 h.p., and Le Rhône 180 h.p.

²Sopwith Aviation Co., Ltd., Kingston-on-Thames; Boulton and Paul, Ltd., Norwich; British Caudron Co., London; Clayton and Shuttleworth, Ltd., Lincoln; Hooper and Co., Ltd., London; March, Jones and Cribb, Ltd., Leeds; Nieuport and General Aircraft Co., Ltd., London; Ruston, Proctor and Co., Ltd., Lincoln; Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd.; Portholme Aerodrome Ltd., Huntingdon; Wm. Beardmore & Co., Ltd., Glasgow; Pegler & Co., Ltd., Doncaster. © 2016, Bryan R. Swopes Sopwith Camel - World War I Fighter Guns: 2 × .30 cal. Vickers machine guns Sopwith Camel - Design & Development: Designed by Herbert Smith, the Sopwith Camel was a follow-on aircraft to the Sopwith Pup . A largely successful aircraft, the Pup had become outclassed by new German fighters, such as the Albatros D.III in early 1917. The result was a period known as "Bloody April" which saw Allied squadrons sustain heavy losses.

Initially known as the "Big Pup" the Camel was initially powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z engine and featured a visually heavier fuselage than its predecessor. This was largely composed of fabric over a wooden frame with plywood panels around the cockpit and an aluminum engine cowling. Structurally, the aircraft featured a straight upper wing with a very pronounced dihedral on the lower wing. The new Camel was the first British fighter to utilize twin .30 cal. Vickers machine guns firing through the propeller. The fairing over the guns' breeches formed a "hump" which led to the aircraft's name. Within in the fuselage, the engine, pilot, guns, and fuel were grouped within the first seven feet of the aircraft. This forward center of gravity, coupled with the significant gyroscopic effect of the rotary engine, made the aircraft difficult to fly particularly for novice aviators. The Sopwith Camel was known to climb in a left turn and dive in a right turn. Mishandling the aircraft often could lead to a dangerous spin. Also, the aircraft was known to be consistently tail heavy in level flight at low altitudes and required steady forward pressure on the control stick to maintain a steady altitude.

While these handling characteristics challenged pilots, they also made the Camel extremely maneuverable and lethal in combat when flown by a skilled pilot such as Canadian ace William George Barker . Flying for the first time on December 22, 1916, with Sopwith test pilot Harry Hawker at the controls, the prototype Camel impressed and the design was further developed. Accepted into service by the Royal Flying Corps as the Sopwith Camel F.1, the majority of the production aircraft were powered by 130 hp Clerget 9B engine. The first order for the aircraft was issued by the War Office in May 1917. Subsequent orders saw the production run total around 5,490 aircraft. During its production, the Camel was fitted with a variety of engines including the 140 hp Clerget 9Bf, 110 hp Le Rhone 9J, 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape 9B-2, and 150 hp Bentley BR1.

Sopwith Camel - Operational History: Arriving at the front in June 1917, the Camel debuted with No.4 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service and quickly showed its superiority over the best German fighters, including both the Albatros D.III and D.V. The aircraft next appeared with No. 70 Squadron RFC and ultimately would be flown by over fifty RFC squadrons. An agile dogfighter, the Camel, along with the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a and the French SPAD S.XIII , played a key role in reclaiming the skies over the Western Front for the Allies. In addition to British use, 143 Camels were purchased by the American Expeditionary Force and flown by several of its squadrons. The aircraft was also used by Belgian and Greek units. In addition to service ashore, a navalized version of the Camel, the 2F.1, was developed for use by the Royal Navy. This aircraft featured a slightly shorter wingspan and replaced one of the Vickers machine guns with a .30 cal Lewis gun firing over the top wing. Experiments were also conducted in 1918 using 2F.1s as parasite fighters carried by British airships.

Camels were also used as night fighters though with some modifications. As the muzzle-flash from the twin Vickers wrecked the pilot's night vision, the Camel "Comic" night fighter possessed twin Lewis guns, firing incendiary ammunition, mounted on the upper wing. Flying against German Gotha bombers, the Comic's cockpit was situated farther aft than the typical Camel to allow the pilot to more easily reload the Lewis guns. Sopwith Camel - Later Service: By mid-1918, the Camel was slowly becoming out-classed by new fighters arriving on the Western Front. Though it remained in frontline service due to development issues with its replacement, the Sopwith Snipe, the Camel was increasingly used in a ground support role. During the German Spring Offensives flights of Camels attacked German troops with devastating effect. On these missions the aircraft typically strafed enemy positions and dropped 25-lb. Cooper bombs. Replaced by the Snipe at the conclusion of World War I the Camel downed a minimum of 1,294 enemy aircraft making it the deadliest Allied fighter of the war. Following the war, the aircraft was retained by several nations including the United States, Poland, Belgium, and Greece.

In the years after the war, the Camel became entrenched in pop culture through a variety of films and books about the air war over Europe. More recently, the Camel commonly appeared in the popular Peanuts cartoons as the favored "plane" of Snoopy during his imaginary battles with the Red Baron . Selected Sources Sopwith Camel A successor to the Sopwith Pup , the Sopwith Aviation Company produced the famous Sopwith F.1 Camel, which accounted for more victories than any other aircraft in World War I. The Sopwith Camel F.1 was a direct development of Herbert Smith's Sopwith Pup and the two planes were not dissimilar in appearance, but this is where the simularity ended. Unlike the elegant and docile handling Pup , the Camel was a high strung animal, difficult and dangerous to fly.

Deadly in the hands of a novice, many a student was killed while learning to fly the Camel, but in the hands of a skilled pilot, able to take advantage of its temperamental flying characteristics, it was an extreme dog-fighter that could out maneuver any contemporary airplane with the possible exception of the Fokker Dr.I Triplane .1 The Camel was a larger and heavier version of the Pup that was very sensitive to flight control inputs, due to the close proximity of the engine, cockpit and fuel as well as the torque effect of the rotary engine. The engine, guns, pilot, cockpit and fuel were all concentrated in a length of seven feet, and the central distribution of weight, along with the engine torque, caused the plane to climb in a left turn and dive in a right turn, which if not corrected would result in a dangerous spin.2 Although extreme in handling qualities, it was these very characteristics that made it a lethal weapon. The World War I rotary engines had a unique operating characteristic in which the engine crankcase and cylinders would rotate, while the crankshaft was stationary. The weight of the spinning engine mass created a gyroscopic effect, which would impact the flying characteristics of the airplane.

The induced torque effect into the airframe created a limitation for the rotary engines as aircraft grew in size requiring rpm above 1,400 and ever greater horsepower.3 Construction of the Camel was of staggered wire braced wing bays with a straight upper wing and a very pronounced dihedral on the lower wing. The prototype upper wing panel was designed to be a single unit in order to simplify construction. However, the production wing was three panels with an aft cutout between the spars and a center window for increased upper visibility, but the upper wing remained without dihedral—to compensate, the lower wing dihedral was doubled.4 Ailerons were fitted on both the upper and lower wings with the ailerons of a slightly greater span on the production models. The engine, guns, pilot, cockpit and fuel were all concentrated in a length of seven feet of the fuselage. Aluminum panels covered the first bay behind the engine and plywood was installed to the end of the cockpit, with the remainder of the fuselage covered in fabric. The fuselage had a rounded top conventional wire braced wooden frame, typical of the period.

Aluminum panels covered the first bay behind the engine, and plywood was installed to the end of the cockpit, with the remainder of the fuselage covered in fabric. With the engine, guns, pilot, cockpit and fuel all concentrated in a length of seven feet, this became one of the main contributing factors of the Camel's excellent maneuverability. For the pilot, a small windscreen was fitted behind the guns. The landing gear had short steel tube vees with a split axle, with rather large wheels. It was the first British type to carry twin Vickers guns as standard equipment.5 The guns were synchronized to fire through the prop arc and the gun breeches were enclosed in a cowling which gave it the appearance of a hump and thereby gave the Camel its name. The feed-block of the standard Vickers gun was on the right hand side, but towards the end of 1917, the Camel's guns featured both left and right feed-blocks to improve ammunition feeding and ejection.6 The Le Rhone Camels were fitted with a hydraulic Constantinesco interrupter gear,7 while the Clerget Camels had the less efficient Sopwith-Kauper No.

3 mechanical synchronizing gear.8 The Vickers gun was belt fed and had a higher rate of fire compared to the magazine fed Lewis gun, which required a magazine change every 97 rounds.9 A big disadvantage of the placement of the guns was in night-fighting—the gun flashes would blind the pilots by ruining their night vision.10 (Night vision develops as your eyes become dark adapted over a period of several minutes. Any exposure to bright light will immediately destroy night vision with the exception of red, which is why red lights were originally the choice for instruments in airplanes and submarines. Red lights are also used by astronomers.) To correct this problem, a special (home defense) night fighter was built with twin Lewis guns mounted on the top wing panel, on a Foster mount , and the pilot was moved further aft.11 Additional armament consisted of four 20 lb bombs carried under the fuselage for Trench Fighter duties. The high casualty rate led to the development of the (TF.1) Trench Fighter 1., which had armor plating for protection of the pilot. The TF.1 was the forerunner of the TF.2 Salamander.

The prototype was powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z rotary engine, but the F.1 production models used the 130 hp Clerget 9B or 150 hp (B.R.1) Bentley Rotary 1.12 The Clerget engine had a tendency to choke and quit if the fuel-air mixture was not leaned out after climbing more than 200 ft.13 Being tail heavy, the Camel would tend to stall and spin without power. Other engines used were the 110 hp Le Rhone 14 or the 110 hp Gnome Monosoupape .15 The Gnome Monosoupape was considered a less reliable engine because of its single valve operation and the 110 hp Le Rhone actually produced 130 hp.16 The most powerful engine to be used in the Camel (c/n B3891) was the French built 170 hp Le Rhone 9R . With the more powerful engines, the Camel was able to climb to 10,000 feet in less than ten minutes. By the end of July 1917 the first RFC deliveries were made to No.

70 squadron and by the end of the year the No. 6 RNAS was completely equipped—the year ended with a total of 1,325 Camels delivered.17 143 Camels were purchased by the American Expeditionary Force, but they were fitted with the less dependable Gnome Monosoupape engines. From July 1917, when it reached the Front, until the Armistice, the Camel accounted for no less than 1,294 victories—more than any other aircraft in World War I.18 The Camel was used in the Battle of Ypres in July 1917 and participated on offensive patrols and ground strafing. The Camel also served as a light bomber and in one operation the No. 28 and 70 squadrons bombed the Rumbeke Aerodrome with twenty-two 25 lb bombs. The Royal Navy version of the Camel was the 2F.1 which had a slightly smaller wing span. The starboard Vickers gun was replaced with an upward angled Lewis gun, firing through the center section cutout. 340 2F.1 Camels were built, but did not become operational until 1918.

The 2F.1 also operated as a dive bomber carrying two 50 lb. bombs under the fuselage. Camels served on five aircraft carriers, two battleships and twenty-six cruisers. The last Zeppelin (L 53) shot down in the war was by a Camel—piloted by Lieutenant Culley on August 10, 1918.19 The Camel did not remain long in post-war service with the RAF and was replaced with the Sopwith Snipe . However, it continued in service with the Belgian Aviation Militaire, The Canadian Air Force, the Royal Hellenic Naval Air Service, the Polish Air Force, and the US Navy. A total of 5,490 camels were ordered, but the actual number of aircraft delivered has not been determined. Specifications: Sopwith Camel | Military Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Number built 5,490 The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917.

Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company , it had a short-coupled fuselage , heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult to handle, to an experienced pilot it provided unmatched manoeuvrability. A superlative fighter, the Camel was credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter of the war. It also served as a ground-attack aircraft, especially near the end of the conflict, when it was outclassed in the air-to-air role by newer fighters. Contents Edit Intended as a replacement for the Sopwith Pup , [2] the Camel prototype was first flown by Harry Hawker at Brooklands on 22 December 1916, powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z. Known as the "Big Pup" early on in its development, the biplane design was structurally conventional for its time, featuring a box-like fuselage structure, an aluminium engine cowling, plywood-covered panels around the cockpit, and fabric-covered fuselage, wings and tail.

For the first time on an operational British-designed fighter, two .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns were mounted directly in front of the cockpit, firing forward through the propeller disc with synchronisation gear . A metal fairing over the gun breeches, intended to protect the guns from freezing at altitude, created a "hump" that led to the name Camel. [2] The bottom wing was rigged with 3° dihedral but the top wing had no dihedral, so that the gap between the wings was less at the tips than at the roots. This was done at the suggestion of Fred Sigrist, the Sopwith works manager, in order to simplify construction. Approximately 5,490 Camels were built. [3] Unlike the preceding Pup and Triplane , the Camel was generally considered difficult to fly. The type owed its extreme manoeuvrability and its difficult handling to the close placement of the engine, pilot, guns and fuel tank (some 90% of the weight of the aircraft) within the front seven feet of the aircraft, coupled with the strong gyroscopic effect of the rotary engine. The Camel soon gained an unfortunate reputation with student pilots.

The Clerget engine was particularly sensitive to fuel mixture control and incorrect settings often caused the engine to choke and cut out during take-off. Many crashed due to mishandling on take-off when a full fuel tank affected the centre of gravity. In level flight, the Camel was markedly tail-heavy. Unlike the Sopwith Triplane, the Camel lacked a variable incidence tailplane, so that the pilot had to apply constant forward pressure on the control stick to maintain a level attitude at low altitude. The aircraft could also be rigged so that at higher altitudes it was able to be flown "hands off." A stall immediately resulted in a particularly dangerous spin. Operational history This aircraft is currently displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force . The type entered squadron service in June 1917 with No. 4 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service , near Dunkirk. The following month, it became operational with No. 70 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps . By February 1918, 13 squadrons were fully equipped with the Camel. The Camel proved to have a good margin of superiority over the Albatros D.III and D.V and offered heavier armament and better performance than the Pup and Triplane.

In the hands of an experienced pilot, its manoeuvrability was unmatched by any contemporary type. Its controls were light and sensitive. The Camel turned rather slowly to the left, which resulted in a nose up attitude due to the torque of the rotary engine. But the engine torque also resulted in the ability to turn to the right in half the time of other fighters, [4] although that resulted in more of a tendency towards a nose down attitude from the turn. Because of the faster turning capability to the right, to change heading 90° to the left, many pilots preferred to do it by turning 270° to the right. Agility in combat made the Camel one of the best-remembered Allied aircraft of the First World War . It was said in jest to offer a choice between a "wooden cross, red cross, and Victoria Cross ."[ citation needed ] Together with the S.E.5a and the SPAD S.XIII , the Camel helped to establish the Allied aerial superiority that lasted well into 1918. Major William Barker 's Sopwith Camel ( serial no .

B6313, the aircraft in which he scored the majority of his victories, [5] ) became the most successful fighter aircraft in the history of the RAF, shooting down 46 aircraft and balloons from September 1917 to September 1918 in 404 operational hours flying. It was dismantled in October 1918. Barker kept the dashboard watch as a memento, but was asked to return it the following day. Home defence and night fighting Edit An important role for the Camel was home defence. The RNAS flew a number of Camels from Eastchurch and Manston airfields against daylight raids by German Gotha bombers from July 1917. The public outcry against these raids and the poor response of London's defences resulted in the RFC diverting Camel deliveries from France to home defence, with 44 Squadron RFC reforming on the Camel in the home defence role in July 1917. [6] When the Germans switched to night attacks, the Camel proved capable of being safely flown at night, and the home defence aircraft were modified with navigation lights to serve as night fighters.

A number of Camels were more extensively modified as night fighters, with the Vickers machine guns being replaced by overwing Lewis guns , with the cockpit being moved rearwards so the pilot could easily reload the guns. This modification, which became known as the "Sopwith Comic" allowed the guns to be fired without affecting the night vision of the pilots, and allowed the use of new and more effective incendiary ammunition that was considered unsafe to fire from synchronised Vickers guns. [7] [8] [N 1] By March 1918, the home defence squadrons were equipped with the Camel, with seven home defence squadrons flying Camels by August 1918. [10] Camels were also used as night fighters over the Western Front, with 151 Squadron intercepting German night raids over the front, and carrying out night intruder missions against German airstrips, claiming 26 German aircraft shot down in five months of operations.

[11] Ground attack Edit By mid-1918, the Camel was becoming limited, especially as a day fighter, by its slow speed and comparatively poor performance at altitudes over 12,000 ft (3,650 m). However, it remained useful as a ground-attack and infantry support aircraft. During the German offensive of March 1918, flights of Camels harassed the advancing German Army, inflicting high losses (and suffering high losses in turn) through the dropping of 25 lb (11 kg) Cooper bombs and ultra-low-level strafing. The protracted development of the Camel's replacement, the Sopwith Snipe , meant that the Camel remained in service until the Armistice. In summer 1918, a 2F.1 Camel (N6814) was used in trials as a parasite fighter under Airship R23 Variants Camels were powered by several rotary engines.

130 hp Clerget 9B Rotary (standard powerplant) 140 hp Clerget 9Bf Rotary 110 hp Le Rhône 9J Rotary 150 hp Bentley BR1 rotary (gave best performance – standard for R.N.A.S. machines) 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape 9B-2 Rotary 150 hp Gnome Monosoupape 9N Rotary Engine variants Edit With rotary engines, the crankshaft remain static and the cylinders, crankcase and attached propeller rotate around it. The torque produced by this rotating mass produces a significant "pull" to the right. In the hands of an experienced pilot, this characteristic could be exploited to give exceptional manoeuvrability in a dogfight. A 3/4 turn to the right could be done in the same time as a 1/4 turn to the left. The Gnome "mono" engines did not have throttles and were at full "throttle" while the ignition was on – they could be "throttled" with a selector switch which cut the ignition to some of the cylinders to reduce power for landing.

The Clerget, Le Rhone and BR1 had throttles, although reducing power involved simultaneously adjusting the mixture and was not straightforward, so it became common during landing to "blip" the engine (turn the ignition off and on) using a control column-mounted ignition switch, the blip switch, to reduce power. Sopwith Camel F.1 Single-seat fighter aircraft. The main production version. Armed with twin synchronised Vickers guns. A Sopwith 2F1 Camel naval variant, flown by Flight Sub-lieutenant Stuart Culley when he shot down Zeppelin L 53, at the Imperial War Museum , London. Note non-standard armament of two Lewis guns in fixed, inaccessible mount over top wing. Sopwith Camel 2F.1 Bentley BR1 as standard engine Sopwith Camel "Comic" Night fighter Edit The twin Vickers guns were replaced with two Lewis guns on Foster mountings firing forward over the upper wing, since the muzzle flash of the Vickers guns tended to blind the pilot. To allow the pilot to reload the guns, the pilot seat was moved about 12 inches (30 cm) to the rear; to compensate for this, the fuel tank was moved forward.

[12] Served with Home Defence Squadrons against German air raids. The "Comic" nickname was of course unofficial, and was shared with the night fighter version of the Sopwith 1½ Strutter . F.1/1 Sopwith Camel at the Royal Air Force Museum There are seven original Sopwith Camels left. One was displayed in the Aerospace Education Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, which was closed as of December 2010 and the Camel sold to help pay debts. The Camel was sold privately and moved to a museum in New Zealand. [18] One, restored to near-flying condition, is at the Brussels Air Museum Restoration Society (BAMRS) in Brussels, Belgium . A Camel F.1 (s/n B 7280) can be found at the Polish Aviation Museum . This Camel first flew in Royal Naval Air Service and then in the Royal Flying Corps. Two pilots who flew this aircraft shot down 11 German aircraft.

N6812, a William & Beardmore built 2F1 Camel, was flown by Flight Sub Lieutenant Stuart Culley on 11 August 1918 when he shot down Zeppelin LZ100; it is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London. [19] A Camel 2F1 N8156 (RAF) is currently on display at the Canadian Aviation Museum . Manufactured in 1918 by Hooper and Company Ltd., Great Britain, it was purchased by the RCAF in 1924 and last flew in 1967. It is on static display. [20] F.1 Camel B6291 restored to flying condition, is part of the Javier Arango Collection, in Paso Robles, California. It was previously owned by Al Letcher. A Boulton & Paul built F1 F6314 is on display at the Milestone of Flight exhibition at the Royal Air Force Museum , London, [21] painted to represent an aircraft coded B of No. 65 Squadron RAF . [22] Reproductions Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sopwith Camel replicas .

In 1969 Slingsby built a flyable Type T.57 Sopwith Camel reproduction powered by a 145 hp Warner Scarab engine for use in a Biggles film. This aircraft is on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum , Yeovilton painted as B6401. [23] [24] A reproduction Sopwith F.1 Camel is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This aircraft was built by museum personnel from original First World War factory drawings and was completed in 1974. It is painted and marked as the Camel flown by Lt. George A. Vaughn Jr. while flying with the 17th Aero Squadron . [25] The Sopwith Camel on display at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, TX is a full scale flying replica built by Dick Day from original World War I factory drawings. The aircraft is fitted with original instruments, machine guns and an original Gnome rotary engine (something very rare in replicas). It is painted in the scheme of the World War I flying ace Captain Arthur Roy Brown, a Canadian flying with the Royal Air Force.

In 1977, a flyable reproduction was built for Leisure Sport Ltd by the late Viv Bellamy at Lands End. Painted to represent B7270 of 209 Squadron, RAF, the machine which Captain Roy Brown flew when officially credited with downing Baron Manfred von Richthofen , it has a Clerget rotary engine of 1916 and was registered as G-BFCZ until 2003. First seen at Brooklands Museum in January 1988 for Sir Thomas Sopwith ’s 100th birthday celebrations, it was purchased by the Museum later that year, can be taken by road for exhibition elsewhere and is ground run regularly. Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome flies a reproduction Camel completed in 1992 with a 160 hp Gnome Monosoupape model 9N rotary, built by Nathaniel deFlavia and Cole Palen. It replaced one of the Dick-Day built and flown Camel reproductions formerly flown at Old Rhinebeck by Mr. Day in their weekend vintage airshows, which had left the Aerodrome's collection some years earlier.

N8343 constructed by Dick Day, is part of the Javier Arango Collection, in Paso Robles, California. Powered by a 160 h.p. Gnome Monosoupape rotary. It is regularly flown. Another reproduction is on display at the Evergreen Aviation museum. B3889 is part of The Vintage Aviator Collection, L.T.D., in Masterton, New Zealand. It was originally built by Carl Swanson for Gerry Thornhill. It is often flown. Powerplant is a 160 hp Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine. New reproductions are currently under construction by 1) the Northern Aeroplane Workshops for the Shuttleworth Collection , in England. [26] and 2) another is under construction at the Great War Flying Museum , in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. A replica of the Camel is being built in the United States by Koz Aero LLC, based on original factory drawings, using many original parts, including an original engine and instruments. [27] A replica Sopwith F.1 Camel B5577 is on display at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre , Angus, Scotland.

Specifications (F.1 Camel) Replica Sopwith Camel under construction, showing structure, at Shuttleworth Uncovered September 2013 Data from Quest for Performance [28] General characteristics File:Snoopy wwi ace lb.jpg The Camel appears in literature and popular media as: One of the aircraft flown by Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown in the 2008 movie The Red Baron. The single-seater scout flown by the Royal Flying Corps Squadron in the semi-autobiographical, First World War air combat book Winged Victory written by Victor Maslin Yeates . The fighter flown by Biggles in the novels by W.E. Johns during the character's spell in 266 Squadron during the First World War. He also wrote a book, The Camels Are Coming. The "plane" of Snoopy in the Peanuts comic strip, when he imagines himself as a World War I flying ace and the nemesis of the Red Baron . The type of aircraft flown in the First World War by John and Bayard Sartoris in William Faulkner 's Flags in the Dust .

[N 2] In the Percy Jackson book The Titan's Curse , Annabeth's father, a historian, uses a restored and modified Sopwith Camel to aid the heroes at one point during the novel. Robert Redford flew a Sopwith Camel during the climactic aerial battle scene in the 1975 film " The Great Waldo Pepper ". See also Edit ↑ The ammunition in question was the RTS (Richard Thelfall and Sons) round, a combined incendiary and explosive round with a nitroglycerin and phosphorus filling. While more effective than earlier incendiary bullets like the phosphorus filled Buckingham bullet, they required careful handling, and were initially banned from synchronised weapons, both because of fears about the consequences of bullets striking the propeller of the fighter, and to prevent cooking off of the sensitive ammunition in the chambers of the Vickers guns, which fired from a closed bolt - a required feature for guns used in synchronized mounts - where heat could build up much quicker than in the open bolted Lewis gun. [7] [9] ↑ Quote: "Under fire from a pupil of Richthofen (the Red Baron), John's Camel caught fire over occupied France.

Bayard's last sight of his twin brother was of John jumping out of his fighter feet first. Faulkner also wrote about the Camel (and Sartoris) in his famous story All the Dead Pilots." Citations Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter. London: Putnam, 1992. ISBN 0 85177 852 6 Ralph, Wayne. Barker VC: The Classic Story of a Legendary First World War Hero. London: Grub Street, 1999. ISBN 1-902304-31-4 . Robertson, Bruce. Sopwith: The Man and His Aircraft. London: Harleyford, 1970. ISBN 0-900435-15-1 . Sturtivant, Ray and Gordon Page. The Camel File. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1993. ISBN 0-85130-212-2 . United States Air Force Museum Guidebook. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.

Williams, Anthony G. and Emmanuel Gustin. Flying Guns: World War I and its Aftermath 1914–32. Ramsbury, Wiltshire: Airlife, 2003. ISBN 1-84037-396-2 . Winchester, Jim, ed. "Sopwith Camel." Biplanes, Triplanes and Seaplanes (Aviation Factfile). London: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-641-3 . </dl> Sopwith Camel | How It Flies How It Flies What Pilots Want to Know Find Aircraft YOU CAN ADD TO OR EDIT THIS PAGE To add aircraft comments, reviews, photos, videos, facts or opinions simply Register (free) and start contributing! Photos Videos No images for this Aircarft. The Sopwith Camel was a British World War I single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company , it had a combination of a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns.

The Camel was credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter in the First World War. Design and development Intended as a replacement for the Sopwith Pup , the Camel prototype first flew on 22 December 1916, powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z. Known as the "Big Pup" early on in its development, the biplane design was evolutionary more than revolutionary, featuring a box-like fuselage structure, an aluminium engine cowling, plywood-covered panels around the cockpit, and fabric-covered fuselage, wings and tail. Two .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun s were mounted directly in front of the cockpit, firing forward through the propeller disc with synchronisation gear . A metal fairing over the gun breeches created a "hump" that led to the name Camel . The bottom wing had dihedral but not the top, so that the gap between the wings was less at the tips than at the roots. Approximately 5,490 units were ultimately produced. Unlike the preceding Pup and Triplane , the Camel was not considered pleasant to fly.

The Camel owed both its extreme manoeuvrability and its difficult handling characteristics to the placement of the engine, pilot, guns and fuel tank (some 90% of the weight of the craft) within the front seven feet of the aircraft, coupled with the strong gyroscopic effect of the rotary engine . The Camel soon gained an unfortunate reputation with student pilots. The Clerget engine was particularly sensitive to fuel mixture control, and incorrect settings often caused the engine to choke and cut out during takeoff. Many crashed due to mishandling on takeoff when a full fuel tank affected the center of gravity. In level flight, the Camel was markedly tail-heavy. Unlike the Sopwith Triplane, the Camel lacked a variable incidence tailplane, so that the pilot had to apply constant forward pressure on the control stick to maintain a level attitude at low altitude. However the machine could also be rigged in such a way that at higher altitudes it could be flown "hands off." A stall immediately resulted in a spin and the Camel was particularly noted for its vicious spinning characteristics. Operational history The type entered squadron service in June 1917 with No. 4 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service , near Dunkirk .

The following month, it became operational with No. 70 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps . By February 1918, 13 squadrons were fully equipped with the Camel. The Camel proved to be a superlative fighter, and offered heavier armament and better performance than the Pup and Triplane. In the hands of an experienced pilot, its manoeuvrability was unmatched by any contemporary type. Its controls were light and sensitive. The Camel turned rather slowly to the left, which resulted in a nose up attitude due to the torque of the rotary engine. But the engine torque also resulted in the ability to turn to the right in half the time of other fighters, although that resulted in more of a tendency towards a nose down attitude from the turn. Because of the faster turning capability to the right, to change heading 90° to the left, many pilots preferred to do it by turning 270° to the right. Agility in combat made the Camel one of the best-remembered Allied aircraft of the First World War .

It was said to offer a choice between a "wooden cross, red cross and Victoria Cross ." Together with the S.E.5a , the Camel helped to wrest aerial superiority away from the German Albatros fighters. Major William Barker 's Sopwith Camel (serial no. ''B6313'', the aircraft in which the majority of his victories were scored,) became the most successful fighter aircraft in the history of the RAF, shooting down 46 aircraft and balloons from September 1917 to September 1918 in 404 operational hours flying. It was dismantled in October 1918. Barker kept the clock as a memento, but was asked to return it the following day. By mid-1918 the Camel was becoming limited by its slow speed and comparatively poor performance at altitudes over 12,000 ft (3,650 m). However, it was then used as a ground-attack and infantry support aircraft.

During the German offensive of March 1918, flights of Camels harassed the advancing German Army, inflicting high losses (and suffering high losses in turn) through the dropping of 25 lb (11 kg) Cooper bombs and ultra-low-level strafing. The protracted development of the Camel's replacement, the Sopwith Snipe , meant that the Camel remained in service until the Armistice. In summer 1918 a 2F.1 Camel (N6814) was used in trials as a parasite fighter under Airship ''R23 '' Variants Notable appearances in media The Camel appears in literature and popular media as: * One of the aircraft flown by Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown in the 2008 movie ''The Red Baron ''. * The single-seater scout flown by the Royal Flying Corps Squadron in the semi-autobiographical, First World War air combat book ''Winged Victory '' written by Victor Maslin Yeates . * The fighter flown by Biggles in the novels by W.E. Johns during the character's spell in 266 Squadron during the First World War. He also wrote a book, ''The Camels Are Coming''.

* The "plane" of Snoopy in the ''Peanuts '' comic strip, when he imagines himself as a World War I flying ace and the nemesis of the Red Baron . * The cover painting for musician Joe Walsh 's 1973 album ''The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get ''. * The type of aircraft flown in the First World War by John and Bayard Sartoris in William Faulkner 's ''Flags in the Dust ''. Tags Sopwith Camel - Single-Seat Biplane Fighter Aircraft - Specifications, History and Images Length: 18.90 feet (5.76 meters) Width: 27.89 feet (8.50 meters) Height: 8.69 feet (2.65 meters) Weight (Empty): 926 lb (420 kg) Weight (MTOW): 1,455 lb (660 kg) Powerplant: 1 x Clerget (Gwynnes) 9B 9-cylinder rotary engine developing 130 horsepower and driving two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Maximum Speed: 115 mph (185 kmh; 100 knots) Maximum Range: 301 miles (485 km) Service Ceiling: 20,997 feet (6,400 meters; 4.0 miles) Rate-of-Climb: 1,085 feet-per-minute (331 m/min) Armament / Mission Payload: STANDARD: 2 x 7.7mm Vickers machine guns in fixed, forward-firing position along upper fuselage synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades. Staff Writer (Updated: 12/2/2016): Though the Sopwith Camel (the official designation being Sopwith Biplane F.1) was designed as a replacement for the Sopwith Pup, the Camel was in fact a further development of the type. The single-seat biplane fighter provided a pivotal punch to the Allied air campaign and saw large numbers in service by the end of February 1918. The type took part in what was believed to be the largest airborne battle of the war on November that same year.

By war's end, the Camel became the most important British fighter of the conflict and would go on to achieve a respected existence in pop culture for decades to come. The prototype Camel featured a Clerget 9Z engine of 110 horsepower. First flight was achieved at Brooklands in February of 1917 paving the way for a pre-production batch of F.1/3-designated models. The Camel entered frontline service in June of 1917 and immediately claimed its first air victories against the stunned German aviators unfortunate enough to square off against a capable pilot behind the Camel's controls. The major production model became the Camel F.1 (the formal Sopwith Biplane F.1 designation was largely disregarded). In configuration, the Camel featured equal-span, staggered bi-plane wings (the lower with some dihedral) featuring only a single pair of parallel support struts. Construction consisted of an underlying structure made up mostly of wood covered in fabric with some light alloy skinning over the forward fuselage near the engine. The pilot sat to the rear and underneath the upper wing element.

In fact, all major systems were purposefully positioned in the front 7 feet of the fuselage, this including the main landing gears, engine, wings, armament and pilot. Armament consisted of 2 x 7.7mm Vickers-type machine guns firing through the propeller via an interrupter gear (i.e. synchronized). The designation of "Camel" came from the hump created by the fairing over the breeches of these gun installations. Power of the F.1 model was derived from a Clerget 9B 9-cylinder rotary engine of 130 horsepower providing speeds of 115 miles per hour, a ceiling of over 20,000 feet and a range of 485 kilometers. In practice, the Camel proved a handful to fly, particularly with novice pilots, so much so that it earned a nasty reputation of killing off the less-than-capable aviators. The powerful gyroscopic effect of the Clerget engine coupled with the forward-positioned center of gravity seemingly forced Camel pilots to work for the aircraft's respect.

Conversely, the same torque and forward placement of all major systems improved maneuverability beyond those as showcased by her contemporaries to the point that a Camel pilot could count on a responsive right-hand turn almost at will. The natural torque generated by her engine allowed the pilot to achieve quicker turns by using this force to his advantage in a close-knit dogfight. The aircraft was, however, noted for having a particularly brutal spin effect in response to any stalls no doubt due to this very same torque effect. As production progressed, a series of engines were found aboard Camels and included the Clerget types along with the Bentley BR1, the Gnome Monosoupape and the Le Rhone 9J series. © Scalehobbyist.com: Sopwith Camel F.I by Roden View all products of type "Sopwith Camel" This model kit requires assembly. Cement, paint and other construction materials not included unless specifically stated in the description. Hundreds of types of aeroplane took part in the battles over the fronts of World War One but only two deserved to be called the 'best of the best'.

The first is the best fighter Germany produced in WWI, the Fokker D.VII, and the second, the most famous and most successful Allied plane, the Sopwith F.1 Camel. Each of these two aircraft became a legend. The war came to an end, and yet in the years which followed the fame of these two planes became even greater. During mid-1916 the Sopwith Pup was the most modern RFC fighter. This aircraft had a reasonable performance but its main deficiency was its limited armament which consisted of a single Vickers machine gun. At this time, new German fighters were already being equipped with two machine guns. The Royal Aircraft Factory (R.A.F.) was the first to implement Air Ministry demands, which urgently called for twin machine gun fighters. This machine, the S.E.5, soon became another Allied legend when the R.A.F. modified it into the S.E.5a. Thomas Sopwith's company decided to improve the successful Pup design. The prototype of the new fighter appeared on December 22, 1916. At first sight it was very similar to the Pup, but it was in fact a new design.

Two synchronized Vickers machine guns, a powerful 110h.p. Clerget 9Z engine, an upper wing without dihedral and a distinctive 'hump' between the engine cowling and cockpit - all of these features created the distinctive look of the new fighter. An apparently simple design, this aircraft became forever established in world aviation history with the short and appropriate name Camel. Of course, its resemblance to a real camel was minimal, but its 'hump' left no choice for any other name. The first few planes were sent to France for combat evaluation in March 1918 but soon a couple of shortcomings were discovered, which were corrected in the next few weeks. No. 70 Sqn RFC was the first unit to be re-equipped from the obsolete 1-1/2 Strutters to the new type in July 1917. By the end of Summer yet more units had been re-equipped with Camels and when its advantages over other types became clear, no less than nine subcontractors were asked to contribute to its mass production. But the Camel was not an easy machine to handle and the inexperience of many young pilots caused some serious flying accidents.

Nevertheless, extraordinary maneuverability, a fast climb rate, good speed and powerful armament made the Camel a really superb fighter. More than 5,000 were built and no less than 1,294 aerial victories were scored by this type - the best possible proof that the Camel deserved to be called a legend. Even if the Camel's merits were not so great, there was perhaps one which justified the price of a thousand others:- on April 21, 1918 in the sky over Sailly-le-Sec, a small French village, pilots of No. 209 Sqn met a bright red painted German Fokker Dr.1. It was unmistakably the Red Baron. The details of his death even today are still questioned, but the pilot of one of the Camels, Captain Roy Brown was officially credited with this 'kill'. It was not any ordinary air victory, it was a turning point in the history of the War. Many aces and other, experienced, pilots fell in love with this 'elegant ugly plane'.

Canadian pilot Donald MacLaren become top scorer on the Camel: all of his 54 aerial victories were achieved flying Camels; another Canadian ace, William Barker, attained 46 victories from a total score of 50, flying only one particular Camel, B6313; John Gilmour had 36 victories; William Jordan, 39; and Henry Woollett, 35. After the end of the Great War the Camel had one more opportunity to perform a combat role: in 1919 it took part in the battles over Bolshevik Russia with the British Expeditionary Corps. Apart from the United Kingdom, Camels were used by Australia, the US, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Belgium, and Poland. The Camel remained on reserve until 1919, but new types like the Sopwith Snipe and the Martinsyde Buzzard relegated the 'old soldier' from the front line. The Ministry of Aviation declared the Camel obsolete on August 7, 1919. Most of the Camels were scrapped but a few have survived to the present.

Now they are physical witnesses to that romantic but cruel epoch, when one simple but successful design could change the history of the war in the air. World War 1 Aircraft - Sopwith Camel F.1 - YouTube World War 1 Aircraft - Sopwith Camel F.1 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Apr 4, 2009 Category

Question: Which aircraft company made the W W 1 fighter the Camel
Answer: Sopwith