Sopwith F1 Camel
The Sopwith F.1 'Camel' was designed as a faster, more heavily armed and more manoeuvrable successor to the Pup. It was the first British design to incorporate two machine guns mounted to fire through the arc of the propeller. The Sopwith designers placed all the heavy components (including the pilot) within the first 7 feet of the fuselage, close about the centre of gravity. This alone would have given the aircraft excellent manoeuvrability, but Camel pilots claimed an almost impossible agility due to the torque and gyroscopic effects of the rotary engine. Certainly those features were responsible to a large degree for the many accidents involving the F.1 which on the one hand finished the war with more credited 'kills' than any other type (1,294) but sadly also killed a similar number of Allied pilots in accidents, mostly during takeoff and landing. Certainly the design was superior to the Pup in terms of speed, agility and armament, but the price for these gains was a much less forgiving mount with a number of unpleasant suprises for the unwary pilot. It was said to confer either a Red Cross, a Wooden Cross, or a Victoria Cross to those who flew it.
The twin .303 Vickers machine guns mounted side by side on the nose had a 'hump' fairing over the breeches, and this combined with the downward slope of the rear fuselage led quickly to the F.1's nickname 'Camel'. The nickname was never officially adopted but today anyone even slightly familiar with World War 1 aviation would likely recognise the squat machine as the Sopwith Camel. With a 28 foot wingspan and just 18 feet 9 inches long and 8 feet 6 inches high, the Camel was barely larger than the diminutive Fokker Dr1. It was initially intended to have dihedral on both upper and lower wings, but to ease production the upper wing was redesigned with no dihedral and the lower wing dihedral was doubled to compensate, adding yet more individuality to it's unique appearance. At 1,453 pounds (all up weight) or 659 kg, the F.1 was little more substantial than many modern light sport aircraft, and perhaps less well powered considering the typical configuration of a 9 cylinder rotary Clerget engine of 130hp (96kW). But with twin Vickers machine guns and the ability to carry four 20 pound Cooper bombs against ground targets this was indeed a dedicated and for the day, deadly weapon of war, in the right hands.
One peculiarity of the rotary engine was the tricky nature of the mixture settings with regard to throttle and altitude changes. This led to the familiar 'blipping' of the engine - where the pilot would either shut off fuel flow or cut electrical power rather than throttle back, to avoid the need to reset the mixture, and occassionally 'blip' the engine into life. Care had to be taken if the throttle was set to full especially if flying low, as the sudden torque from a 'blip' could upset the Camel's delicate balance.
The Camel saw front line service from July 1917 through to December 1918, with an increasing role as a ground attack aircraft as new scouts such as the SE5a came into service with a higher ceiling and better climb rate. The 2F.1 Naval version had a hinged rear fuselage for stowage on board ship, and also featured a slightly shorter wingspan, greater lower wing dihedral, and a narrower track undercarriage. The 2F.1 also had just one synchronised Vickers mounted on the fuselage, with an additional Lewis gun mounted on the upper wing firing above the propeller arc. Nearly 5,900 Camels were built to equip 33 squadrons.
Famous Camel pilots
Some of the better known pilots who flew the F.1 include Lt Alan Jerrard VC, Cpt Donald MacLaren DSO MC and Bar (54 victories, top scoring camel pilot) and Cpt A R Brown DSC (who at the time was credited with shooting down Richtofen).
Specifications
Powerplant: typical - 1x9 cylinder rotary Clerget 130hp, or Bentley 150hp, or Le Rhone 137hp/170hp
Fuel capacity: 37 gallons, endurance 2hrs 30mins
Performance: (130hp clerget) Max speed 117mph at sea level, Climb to 10,000ft - 10 mins. Service ceiling 19,000ft
Airframe: Single bay biplane configuration, two-spar wooden wings fabric covered. Wooden fuselage with metal covering forward of bottom wings, plywood to just aft of cockpit and fabric on rear fuselage.
Dimensions: Wingspan 28ft, Length 18ft 9inch, Height 8ft 6inch, Wing Area 231 sq ft
Empty weight: 929 pounds
Max take off weight: 1,453 pounds
Armament: Two .303 Vickers machine guns mounted on fuselage ahead of cockpit synchronised to fire through propeller arc, provision for four 20 pound Cooper bombs carried under fuselage.
The Sopwith F.1 in Aces High
It should be remembered that aircraft of this vintage were hand built largely of timber by various artisans, so that no two were identical and therefore were likely to have had different flight characteristics. The Aces High Camel appears to have been modelled on a particularly bad one. Usually the first thing players notice is the poor view from the cockpit, which seems unsuitable for air to air combat. The view downward however is excellent, which may be why the Camel was so successful as a ground attack aircraft in WW1. Certainly a good view of the ground can prove useful, as that is where most first time Camel pilots are headed once they encounter the vicious tendency to drop a wing, the sudden structural failure at the slightest overspeed, or the unseen DR1's moving in relentlessly on what seems initially an inferior aircraft. But if the player spends some time getting to know the Camel, it soon proves itself a capable fighting scout with an adequate turn of speed and speed of turn, a steady gun platform which, like it's real world counterpart, keeps some secrets to itself unless properly handled.
References
Great Fighters of the World by Key Publishing LTD 2009
Aircraft of World War 1 by Hippo Books 1965
The International Encyclopedia of Aviation by Octopus Books LTD 1977
