Sopwith F.1 Camel 'Clerget'
Wingnut Wings

The iconic Sopwith Camel, so named for the "hump" over its guns, is possibly the most famous of all First World War aircraft, if not by sight, then by name. Sopwith developed the Camel in late 1916 in an effort to overcome the single gun handicap suffered by their successful 80hp Pup and improve performance with a more powerful engine. The initial Sopwith F.1 Camel prototype was unveiled in late December 1916 and featured a single piece top wing, 2 Vickers Mk.1* machine guns and a 110hp Clerget 9Z engine. Unlike their previous Pup and Triplane, the Camel featured a top wing with no dihedral coupled with a high 5 degree dihedral bottom wing which, combined with its concentrated centre of gravity, helped contribute to it"s high manoeuvrability and well deserved reputation as a difficult (and frequently dangerous) aircraft to fly. Additional prototypes were produced with various improvements including a 3 piece top wing with centre section cut-out and 130hp Clerget 9B engine. Testing by selected operational pilots in early 1917 brought mostly positive reports along with a few recommendations for additional improvements, some of which made their way on to early production aircraft.


The Sopwith F.1 Camel went into production in January 1917 and aircraft began equipping Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and Royal Flying Corps (RFC) Squadrons in May and June 1917. Initial problems with performance above 10000 ft, mostly attributed to the poor quality of British manufactured 130hp Clerget 9B engines (included in this model), were troubling and lead to various other engines eventually being used. The RNAS preferred the 150hp AR.1 (Admiralty Rotary 1), later renamed the BR.1 (Bentley Rotary 1), while the RFC preferred the 110hp LeRhone 9J or the improved 140hp Clerget 9Bf when they became available. Many 130hp Clerget 9B engines were upgraded in the field to 140hp 9Bf specifications after a conversion kit was made available in April 1918. The Sopwith Kauper interrupter gear used by Clerget and Bentley powered aircraft proved troublesome but the Constantinesco CC synchronizing gear used by LeRhone powered Camels were relatively trouble free. Other changes included aileron control horn tie wires, re-routing the tailplane control cable exits on the side of the fuselage and a field modified enlarged top wing centre section cut-out which was incorporated on many late production aircraft. After its initial teething problems the Sopwith Camel proved to be a highly capable fighter and, along with the SE.5a and French SPAD's, helped wrest air superiority back from the German Albatros fighters towards the end of 1917.