Sopwith Camel F.1

 The Sopwith Camel was a WWI single seat biplane fighter introduced by the British in 1917. Nicknamed “The Pilot Killer”, it was notoriously difficult to fly due its weight distribution and the gyroscopic effect of the nine-cylinder Clerget 9B rotary engine. However, those pilots who were able to control it made it the most lethal fighter in the war with 1,294 victories over enemy aircraft.

 The Camel was 5.7 meters long (18’ 9”) with a wingspan of 8.5 meters (28 feet.) It had a top speed of 168 K/h (104.5 MPH) at an altitude of 3,050 meters (10,000 feet) and an operational range of 467 Km (290 miles.) It was equipped with two Vickers .303 machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller.

 The fighter, of which 5,490 were built by the Sopwith Aviation Company, was flown by the British Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service and after the merger of the two, the Royal Air Force.

 This model is based on the plane flown by Flight Lieutenant Norman MacGregor (1896 – 1981) of the RNAS. He was an ace with seven victories to his credit.