PlaneFox tracks 1 Camel aircraft for sale and re-reads every one of them from the broker and dealer sites it watches, so the figures below move when the market moves. Every number on this page is measured from those live listings, not taken from a published price guide.
A Sopwith Camel flies about 150 nm, roughly 278 km, which is about - in still air at typical cruise.
The Sopwith Camel was a British single seat fighter built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It first flew in December 1916 and entered front line service in 1917, with production continuing through the First World War period. More than 5,000 were built, making it one of the defining Allied fighters of the conflict. The Camel matters because it combined compact dimensions, concentrated mass around the rotary engine, twin synchronized Vickers machine guns and exceptional turning ability. Those same qualities also made it demanding to fly, particularly during takeoff, landing and low speed maneuvering.
Published figures vary by engine and source, but a typical Sopwith Camel F.1 with a 130 hp Clerget rotary engine had a maximum speed of about 113 mph, roughly 98 knots. Endurance was commonly around 2.5 hours, with range often cited near 250 statute miles. Service ceiling was approximately 19,000 feet. Typical weights were about 950 lb empty and about 1,480 lb loaded, giving a useful load a little over 500 lb in period configuration. Powerplants included the Clerget 9B, Le Rhône, Gnome Monosoupape and Bentley BR1 rotary engines, with output generally from 110 hp to 150 hp depending on installation.
The Sopwith Camel has no cabin in the modern sense. It is an open cockpit, single seat biplane with minimal wind protection, direct mechanical controls and period instrumentation. Original aircraft were not equipped with radios, electrical avionics suites or navigation systems comparable to Garmin Perspective, Garmin G1000 or other integrated panels. Existing airworthy examples and reproductions may carry discreet modern equipment for compliance and operational safety, such as a handheld or compact VHF radio, transponder, intercom or basic engine monitoring, but these installations are highly individual.
For buyers, the Sopwith Camel sits in the historic warbird and museum grade replica market rather than the conventional used aircraft market. Authenticity, provenance, documentation, airworthiness status and build history are central to value. Important inspection areas include the wooden structure, fabric covering, rigging, flying wires, control cables, landing gear, fuel system and the availability of specialist support for rotary engine operation. Common identities include the Camel F.1 land fighter and the 2F.1 naval version, with some aircraft built as accurate reproductions rather than surviving originals. Practical ownership requires comfort with vintage operating limitations, short endurance, limited forward visibility and handling characteristics that differ sharply from modern trainers or touring aircraft.