Camel v Fokker - Documentary
 

Friday 19/9/03 CH5 (UK) 20.00 - 20.30 (BST) - 'Greatest Military Clashes'

"WWI Planes: Sopwith Camel v Fokker DR1 Tri-plane"


Source: RT

Hope it's better than that cr*p Spit V 109 program last week.

SSD

Ummmm! Think I might watch that. Be interesting to see who presents it.

The last of the pilots of the WW1 have probably all gone although there was one 'youngster' called Rabbo I met when we were on tour with the Camels and the DR1 but I am sure he has long gone too. He would have to be around the 100 mark now!

Brings back the memories I have of a few 'dogfights' in each of them.

Probably wouldn't have done so well with the Warner Scarab! One of our Camels had a Clerget which we never used much at all. Now in the Brooklands museum.

Presenter is 'Nigel Spivey' - who also did the Spit v 109 programme. So it seems likely that SSD will be disappointed.

The presenter was OK - what disapointed SSD was the lack of content and the technical innacuracies - for instance, about the effects of the higher wing loading of the 109.

But worst of all, they promised a 'head-to-head' to see which really was the better fighter. When it came, it was a bloody computer simulation (FS5 or suchlike)! What a load of bollox! It was a thin production, done on the cheap, and had no redeming qualities. They shouldn't have bothered.

SSD

Correction - The presenter was 'Crispin Swayne'.

Disappointing! I didn't find the prog very informed, or informative, at all. I did miss the first 5 minutes but I heard no mention of the engines?

The most common were Warner Scarabs in the replicas, and they were replicas. The static Camel had a Clerget. However, the Camel was perhaps puffing castor oil - hard to say.

The Camel was always the best as far as we at Leisure Sport were concerned and easily got on top of the DR1. History is not easily changed of course. We certainly couldn't.

Combat speeds were 50-80 mph in the war