The story
Sopwith packed about 90 percent of the Camel's weight into the front seven feet, and the torque of its spinning rotary engine made it turn right far faster than left; some pilots turned 270 degrees right rather than 90 left. It was hard to fly, and inexperienced pilots died in it, but in skilled hands it was credited with 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter of the war. About 5,490 were built. Its name came from pilots: a metal fairing over the twin Vickers guns made a hump. Eight originals survive, almost all in museums; what flies today is a handful of reproductions, several on rotary engines like the original's.
On 19 July 1918, Camels flown off the carrier HMS Furious attacked the Zeppelin base at Tønder and destroyed two Zeppelins.
Quick answers
How do you identify a Camel?
A short, stubby biplane with the hump of the gun fairing in front of the cockpit, a flat upper wing and a lower wing angled up with 5 degrees of dihedral, and a round rotary cowling. RFC or RNAS roundels and red, white and blue rudder stripes.
What does a Camel sound like?
On a rotary-engined reproduction the cylinders spin with the propeller, a busy, uneven buzz nothing modern makes; Warner-engined reproductions sound like a small radial.
How fast is the Camel?
Top speed is 98 kts.
How many people does the Camel carry?
Typical configuration: Single pilot.
How far can the Camel fly?
Range is about 260 nmi.
How big is the Camel?
It is 18 ft 9 in long and 28 ft 0 in across the wings.
When did the Camel first fly?
Its first flight was in 1916.
How many Camels have been built?
5,490 built.
How rare is a Camel in Bogey?
RARE. A good day. Most spotters go weeks between sightings of something this rare. Your first Camel catch is worth 250 points.
