The early days of flying

[Alkemac]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... hools.html

[Bundy]

Thanks Alkemac,

I wonder how many of these mishaps were related to these rather fragile craft's inability to handle the notoriously terrible UK weather? Enjoyed the pic showing the entire village arriving on the scene of a precautionary landing... Only logical as it would probably have been the first time any of them had even seen an airplane.

One can only imagine how much was learnt through these many mishaps during those first early days to allow people like you and me to enjoy this amazing world of flying as we do today.

Very few of those priceless planes left in the world...let alone still in airworthy condition. The Sopwith Camel is still one of my favorite from WW1....built the model a while back. ....or at least my son thinks he did. haha

[HansH]

The Camel was notoriously unstable. Due to the rotary engines gyroscopic effects if a pilot wanted to turn 90deg port the quickest way to do it was to do a 270deg starboard.
Also joked about was that Camel pilots were easily recognized because they had no front teeth. Because the machine guns went far back into the cockpit if the aircraft came to a rapid stop the pilot bashed into the guns face on.
And another way to recognize a Camel pilot.The problem was that the castor oil in the engine wasn't recycled but vented overboard so that the aircraft and pilot were always liberally covered in oil.

[Bundy]

Thanks HansH.

[Biggles of Africa]

The problem was that the castor oil in the engine wasn't recycled but vented overboard so that the aircraft and pilot were always liberally covered in oil.

And they were the ones in need of a change of underwear, we all know how good castor oil is at loosening up the insides.