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Posted by Tom Kwiatkowski Sr. - 309C
on 11/7/2009, 6:39 pm
74.44.81.74
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel which evolved from the Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Triplane, is the best-known British aircraft of World War I. Credited with the destruction of around 3,000 enemy aircraft, it was by far the most effective fighter of World War I. The aircraft was very easy to turn due to its forward-placed center of gravity, a result of the concentration of the engine, armament, pilot and fuel in the front 7 feet of the fuselage. This, coupled with very sensitive controls, made the aircraft something of a handful for inexperienced pilots but in skilled hands the Camel was an excellent fighter and virtually unbeatable. Like the Pup, the Sopwith Biplane F.1 became better known by its nickname, in this case the "Camel", and the aircraft's designation is largely forgotten.
The prototype, powered by a 110 hp. Clerget 9Z, first flew at Brooklands in February 1917 and was followed by the F.1/3 pre-production model. First deliveries went to the Royal Naval Air service No. 4 (Naval) Squadron in Dunkirk who received their new fighter in June 1917. The first Camel victory occurred within days when, on 4 June, Flight Commander A.M. Shook sent a German aircraft down into the sea - on the next day Shook attacked 15 enemy aircraft and is believed to have destroyed 2 of them. The Royal Flying Corps' first Camel victory was achieved by Captain C. Collett on 27 June.
One maneuver, unique to the camel, was an incredibly quick starboard turn assisted by the torque of its big rotary engine. So fast was the right turn that pilots were able to use it to great advantage in combat, sometimes choosing to make three-quarter right turns in place of a slower quarter turn to the left, it was risky though as during the sharp right turns, the nose tried to go violently downwards due to the torque of the engine. Camels were built with a variety of engines including the Clerget 9B, Bentley BR1, Gnome Monosoupape and Le Rhone 9J.
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