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Subject: Sopwith Camel
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter
aircraft introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by the Sopwith
Aviation Company, it used a rotary engine, and had twin synchronized machine
guns. Though difficult to handle it offered very good manoeuvrability to an
experienced pilot. Camel pilots were 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 when it had
become outclassed in the air-to-air role. The main variant was the F.1 but
dedicated variants were built for a variety of roles including the 2F.1 Ship's
Camel for carrier operations, the Comic night fighter, the T.F.1 trench fighter
armoured ground attack aircraft and as a two-seat trainer.
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, Sopwith's chief designer, Herbert Smith, opted to develop a successor,
the Sopwith F.1.
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 rotating mass of the cylinders common to
rotary engines.
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.
Role
Biplane fighter
Manufacturer
Sopwith Aviation Company
Designer
Herbert Smith[1]
First flight
22 December 1916
Introduction
June 1917
Retired
January 1920
Primary users
Royal Flying Corps
Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Air Force
Number built
5,490
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. By the end of July 1917, the Camel
also equipped No. 3 and No. 9 Naval Squadrons; and it had become operational
with No. 70 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. 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,
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"[15] 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.
Specifications (F.1 Camel)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 18 ft 9 in (5.72 m)
Wingspan: 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Wing area: 231 ft2 (21.46 m2)
Empty weight: 930 lb (420 kg)
Loaded weight: 1,453 lb (659 kg)
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0378
Drag area: 8.73 square feet (0.811 m2)
Aspect ratio: 4.11
Performance
Maximum speed: 113 mph (182 km/h)
Stall speed: 48 mph (77 km/h)
Range: 300 mi ferry (485 km)
Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,791 m)
Rate of climb: 1,085 ft/min (5.5 m/s)
Wing loading: 6.3 lb/ft2 (30.8 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.09 hp/lb (150 W/kg)
Lift-to-drag ratio: 7.7
Armament
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