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Sopwith Camel
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Without question, the most famous
British fighting aircraft of World War I was the Sopwith Camel. Indeed,
many experts in military aviation consider the Camel to be one of the
greatest fighting aircraft of its time. |
Officially designated as a scout, the
Camel was a single-seat biplane with ailerons on both its
upper and lower wings. This, together with its rugged air
frame and high torque rotary engine, gave the Camel the
ability to make snap turns, especially to its right. In the
hands of an expert pilot it was a fast, responsive and
deadly weapon in aerial combat.
The Camel was also the first British
plane to be fitted with twin, belt-fed, rapid-firing Vickers
machine guns. Although it was most effective as a fighter,
the powerful Sopwith scout was sometimes used for
ground-attack missions, during which it carried four
20-pound bombs in addition to its other armament.
When powered by its standard 110-horsepower Rhone rotary
engine, the Camel has a maximum combat airspeed of 122 mph at sea level, making
it one of the fastest fighter planes of World War I. And, in many cases, the
aircraft was fitted with engines of 130, 150--even 180 horsepower.
| Manufactured by the early British aviation pioneer, Sir Thomas O.M.
Sopwith, the fast and highly maneuverable Camel was the scourge of the German
Air Force, which lost nearly 1,300 aircraft to the little British fighter. Although the Sopwith Camel scored numerous victories over
enemy aircraft, three of its achievements are of particular importance
in the annals of military aviation history. On March 24, 1918, Captain
J.L. Trollope, flying a Camel with the 43rd Squadron, became the first
British pilot to shoot down six enemy planes in a single day. And, less
than a month later, Captain H.W. Woolett of the same squadron duplicated
the feat in another Camel. |
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But the Camel 's greatest moment of
glory came on April 21, 1918, when a young Canadian pilot
named Captain A.R.Brown of the 209th squadron finally shot
down the greatest air ace of the First World War- Germany's
Baron Manfred von Richthofen. That one victory alone has secured the Camel's
place in aviation history.
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Very
sharp Blueprint showing every
component without losing the
visual!
________ Developed Area-Three
Feet Wide!________
A detailed
blueprint, created in the
old style. Awesome
looking plan will look
fantastic when matted and
framed properly for display. Complete with: true to the era "engineering stamp"
to complete the heritage.
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Capture a piece of aviation
history!
Own the historic Sopwith Camel,
Click Here.
This is a Engineering Blueprint Drawing.
A reproduction of the famous Sopwith Camel.
Extremely detailed. All aircraft components are shown
and identified. Truly a wonderful item for the aircraft
memorabilia collector.
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This stunning illustration and visual work of
reference will allow you a rare look inside
the inner workings of this aircraft.
Excellent for setting the mood in your
home or office for that technical look, truly
captivating! |
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Summary ↓
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The Sopwith Camel has come to symbolize the British fighter in WWI.
Highly maneuverable and as deadly to the novice pilot as to the enemy, the Camel
concentrated all its weight within the first seven feet of the fuselage. This
resulted in a massive torque effect and made for very fast right hand turns.
However in the hands of an inexperienced pilot this same responsiveness could be
deadly and Camel accidents resulted in many deaths among its own pilots.
An agile, highly maneuverable biplane, the Sopwith Camel accounted for
more aerial victories than any other Allied aircraft during WWI. Credited with
destroying 1,294 enemy aircraft, it was called the Camel due to the humped
fairing over its twin machine guns. Much like a real camel, this aircraft could
turn and bite you. Noted for its tendency to kill inexperienced flyers, many
pilots feared its vicious spin characteristics. Until sufficient speed was
developed during takeoff, Camel pilots maintained full right rudder to
counteract the torque the rotary engine. Failure to do so often resulted in a
ground loop with the Camel crashing on its starboard wingtip.
During World War I, 413 pilots died in combat and 385 pilots died from
non-combat related causes while flying the Sopwith Camel. On 4 June 1917,
Canadian ace Alexander Shook became the first ace to shoot down an enemy
aircraft with the Sopwith Camel. Canadian ace Roy Brown was flying a Camel when
he was credited with shooting down Manfred von Richtofen. With 54 victories,
Canadian Donald MacLaren scored more victories with the Camel than any other
ace..
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