Was the Sopwith Camel a good plane?
Credited with downing 1294 enemy aircraft, the Sopwith Camel was the most successful Allied aircraft of the First World War. It is no exaggeration to state that the Camel’s involvement had a major impact on the war’s result, making it one of the most important fighter planes in history.
Can you buy a Sopwith Camel?
The Sopwith Camel is available as a complete kit, or as a series of sub-kits. Complete Kit: All sub-kits listed below priced as one unit, instruction booklet, plus a photocopied set of original drawings and unlimited toll free support from our customer service department.
How much is a Sopwith Camel?
Unfortunately, there are only eight surviving Sopwith Camels, none of which are for sale. They cost approximately $2,300 back in 1917, and inflation skyrockets that to around $163,000. You could probably quintuple that to account for historical and collector value, and that might still be too low of an asking price.
What type of aircraft is a Sopwith Camel?
biplane fighter
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns….
| Sopwith Camel | |
|---|---|
| Number built | 5,490 |
Are there any Sopwith Camels still flying?
Remarkably only 7 are known to exist as of 2016, however there are many flying replicas of the aircraft. The Camel is credited with downing 1,294 German aircraft, more than any other Allied plane.
What color was the Sopwith Camel?
The squadron’s Sopwith Camels sported a red cowling and a dark wood color over the cockpit area. The rest of the fuselage and the wings should be painted a light tan on the undersides and a dark olive green on the upper surfaces of both wings. Give the entire model a coat of clear gloss to get it ready for decals.
How long could a Sopwith Camel fly?
about 2-1/2 hours
It could attain a top speed of 112 miles per hour (180 kilometers per hour) and could fly 300 miles (483 kilometers) (about 2-1/2 hours) without refueling. The Camel could climb to an altitude of 19,000 feet (5,790 meters) although its best combat altitude was in the range of 12,000 feet (3,658 meters).
How many planes did the Sopwith Camel shoot down?
1,294 enemy aircraft
The Camel was credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter of the war. By mid-1918, it was becoming limited by its speed and comparatively poor performance at altitudes above 12,000 ft, however, and was therefore re-assigned as a ground-attack and infantry support aircraft.
What made the Sopwith Camel so good?
One of the Camel’s most distinctive features was an amazingly fast right turn. This came from a combination of the plane’s forward weight and the torque of its powerful rotary engine. It was a feature unique to this fighter. Pilots made great use of that right turn to gain an advantage over their opponents.
How big is the Sopwith Camel model kit?
This 1:16 scale Sopwith Camel model kit by Hasegawa has breathtaking detail throughout, it’s been designed to be displayed uncovered with no fabric over the wings or fuselage to showcase the intricacy of the aircraft.
How many planes did the Sopwith Camel kill?
The Sopwith Camel is a fighter aircraft that needs no introduction, it’s one of the most famous planes from the First World War and it’s credited with downing 1,294 enemy aircraft – more than any other Allied fighter of the conflict.
How did the Sopwith Camel’s guns work?
The F.1 Sopwith Camel was armed with twin synchronized Vickers guns that fired through the propeller, using a mechanism to ensure the guns only fired when the propeller blades weren’t passing in front of the barrels.
What kind of engine does a camel have?
The Camel was powered by a number of engines but the standard powerplant was the Clerget 9B rotary, this was an air-cooled, 9-cylinder 130 hp rotary engine that was also used on a number of other aircraft.