Sopwith F.1 Camel
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| Type
| Single-seat fighter
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| Manufacturer
| original: Sopwith Aircraft Company
replica: Frank Matthews, Maddington, WA
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| Designer
| T.O.M. Sopwith, Fred Sigrist and Harry Hawker
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| Introduced
| July 1917
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| Retired
| 1918
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| Primary users
| RAF, RAN
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| Number built
| 5,490
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| Variants
| 2F.1, Naval version
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Some views of the display:
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The Aircraft On Display
The Museum's Camel is a 3/4-scale replica of the famous Great War (World War I) British fighter made,
like the Demoiselle and the Bristol Tourer, by Frank Matthews of Maddington, WA.
However, its engine is one of those used for the Camel, being a Le Rhone 9J donated by Sir Norman Brearley.
Comments at MyAviation.net indicate that the propellor is also original, made for fitting to
a 130hp Clerget engine on a Sopwith Camel.
Type History
Along with the S.E.5, the Camel was the Royal Flying Corps' main fighter aircraft in the latter
years of the Great War (World War I). While it was not a fast or powerful aircraft, its compact
form and the turning effect gained from its rotary engine made it highly manoeuvrable, ensuring
that a competent pilot could easily evade and turn behind an attacking aircraft. On the other hand,
these characteristics made it tricky for beginners to handle, and the accident rate for
inexperienced pilots was high.
The Camel also was the first British fighter to be armed with twin Vickers machine guns. The fairing
on the fuselage in which they were mounted had the appearance of a hump, giving the aircraft its common
name.
As evidence of its success, the Camel also appeared in night fighter form, and a modified version
was also used by the Royal Navy.
Specifications
General characteristics
| Length: | 18 ft 9 in (5.71 m)
| | Height: | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
| | Wingspan | 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
| | Powerplant: | 130 HP Clerget rotary, less commonly 150 HP B.R.1, 110 HP Le Rhone or 100 HP Gnome Monosoupape
| | Weight: | empty 929 lb (421 kg), loaded 1,453 lb (659 kg)
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Performance
| Maximum speed: | 115 mph
| | Range: | 2 hour endurance
| | Service ceiling: | 19,000 ft (5,800 m)
| | Rate of climb: | 6 minutes to 6,500 ft (1,980 m)
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Armament
| Guns: | 2 Vickers machine guns
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References / Links
Details on MyAviation.net
The Fighter Aircraft Pocketbook, p.34, Roy Cross (B.T. Batsford Ltd, London, 1962)