Sopwith Camel Aircraft

Camel, Royal Navy. Copyright: Arvo Vercamer

Production Details

Design Company:

Sopwith Aviation Co

First Flight:

February 1917

F1 Camel:

500 - Sopwith 1425 - Boulton & Paul Ltd 146 - British Caudron Co Ltd 600 - Clayton & Shuttleworth Ltd 375 - Hooper & Co Ltd 185 - March Jones & Cribb Ltd 400 - Nieuport & General Aircraft Co 300 - Portholme Aerodrome Ltd 1725 - Ruston Proctor & Co Ltd

2F1:

50 - Sopwith 35 - Arrol Johnston Ltd 25 - Clayton & Shuttleworth Ltd 35 - Hooper & Co Ltd 140 - Wm Beardmore & Co Ltd

Type Specification

Applies to:

Sopwith F1 Camel

Type:

Single seat fighter

Wing:

Single bay biplane with unswept, equal span, staggered wings. Lower wing has dihedral with upper wing flat. Wooden structure with fabric covering. Ailerons on all four wings

Fuselage:

Fuselage mounted on lower wing of wooden structure with fabric covering.

Tail Unit:

Braced tailplane with split elevator. Single fin and rudder

Landing Gear:

Cross axle type supported on V struts attached to fuselage lower longeron. Tail skid

Power Plant:

One 130 hp Clerget 9B rotary engine in the nose driving a two blade wooden propeller

Accommodation:

Single seat for pilot in open cockpit under the upper wing

Armament:

Two forward firing Vickers machine guns mounted above the engine

Span:

28 ft

Length:

18 ft 9 in

Height:

8 ft 6 in

Wing Area:

231 sq ft

Empty:

962 lb

Loaded:

1,482 lb

Max Speed:

108 mph at 6,500 ft

Climb:

11 min 45 sec to 10,000 ft

Service Ceiling:

18,500 ft

Preserved in British Museums

Camel F.1:

F6314 - Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon - Display

2F1 Camel:

N6812 - Imperial War Museum, South Lambeth - Display

Camel Replica:

B2458 - Flying Aces Museum, Compton Abbas - Display B5577 - Museum of Flight, East Fortune - Stored B6401 - Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton - Display B7270 - Brooklands Museum, Brooklands - Display

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