A Little Information On The Sopwith Camel
Tommy Sopwith, from Britain, was involved both in aviation and sailing. Through his great business sense, he became rich and decided to take on the USA on the water. For the America's Cup sailing race, he financed the British challenger Endeavour, which lost to the U.S. Rainbow in 1934. To invest $400,000 in the middle of the Great Depression and build a Cup challenger, one needs capital. Turns out the Sopwith planes were highly successful at downing enemies in the Great War and that success made Sopwith a wealthy man. Sopwith Camels were responsible for shooting down 1,294 German planes during WWI. In the hands of experienced pilots they were good for close combat.
The Sopwith Camel was an agile, highly maneuverable biplane and accounted for more aerial victories than any other Allied aircraft during World War I. It was called the Camel due to the humped fairing over its twin machine guns. Noted for its tendency to kill inexperienced flyers, many pilots feared its vicious spin characteristics. Until sufficient speed was developed during takeoff, pilots maintained full right rudder to counteract the torque the rotary engine. Failure to do so often resulted in a ground loop with the airplane crashing on its starboard wingtip.
The Sopwith company rolled out the first Camel in December 1916. At that time, it was a revolutionary machine in a number of respects. The plane's Twin Vickers machine guns were mounted side by side in front of the cockpit -- a first for British fighters and a design feature that became standard on British fighters for nearly 20 years. Second, the pilot, engine, armament and controls were all crammed into a seven foot space at the front of the airplane. This helped give the plane its phenomenal performance, but it also made the plane very tricky to fly. Additionally, the plane's wood and fabric construction and lack of protection for the fuel tank made the Camel (like most WWI aircraft) very susceptible to fire. Moreover, the poor state of pilot training during 1916-1917 meant that the average life expectancy of an English pilot was little more than two weeks.
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