Sopwith F.1 Camel Build Log

[jablackwell]

Top and bottom wing now have tensioners. The trailing wing edge has been added. Ailerons have been separated from the wings (using a small XActo saw... very nerve wracking). Now to hinge the ailerons and then move onto the fuselage. 

 

~john

 

 

[reklein]

Cutting free ailerons ,would be nice to have a hand operated laser burner so one could cut without pressure on the material. Probably also be a dandy way to set ones shop on fire.

Nice work BTW.

[jablackwell]

<chuckles> Yep, Bill, that would be one awesome and swift method to cut those ailerons right off!  Once and for all! <hehehe> I was actually thinking about that as I was sawing them apart, one swipe, after swipe, after swipe, with the saw blade. It was slow, and even a little bit damaging, but easily cleaned up and repaired as needed. I am adding the hinges now for the ailerons, and that is also presenting its challenges. For all the airplanes I have made, this one is a workout. 

~john

 

[reklein]

Those aren't easy kits . I built the Jenny a few years ago and scratch built a Curtis 12-E One step up from the wright bros. anad the first plane to fly in Idaho' Fun projects but ya gotta be patient.

 

[md1400cs]

John,

 

Very nice indeed.

[jablackwell]

Wings, top and bottom, completed. Dihedral added to the lower wing. Hinges added to the ailerons.  Now working on the empennage (elevator first). Lots of metal bending going on ;-) 

 

~john

[jablackwell]

Continued work on the elevator today - all done, now. Once the rudder is complete, I'll snip away the central support (left from the manufacturing process) and then have a completed empennage. 

~john

[aviaamator]

I love this plane!

[jablackwell]

Serious headway made on the fuselage these past couple of days. The port and starboard sides were done first, and triple checked for alignment. They were then joined at the nose with what will become the engine mount later on in the build. Horizontal formers were then placed on the top and bottom along the length of the fuselage. This will end tomorrow with the joining of the two fuselage sides at the tail. Note the little metal tensioner eyes in the corners. Wires and turnbuckles will go in there. Along the top will be run a series of stringers from the tail to the back side of the cockpit. Such fun keeping this all aligned!  I had better finish this soon so I can catch up with the other Syren builds!  ;-)  

~john

 

[jablackwell]

The fuselage is complete: phew!  The front gun mount is in place (the rear mount waits until the engine accessories are installed). The seat and gas tank support rails are also installed. 

 

Now onto the engine accessories before tackling the cockpit, panel and controls. 

The hangar and shipyard will have to close for the upcoming eclipse: headed out to see mom in Denver then onto Wyoming for the eclipse itself. I'll post some pics assuming we have clear skies. 

 

~john

[Landlubber Mike]

I like doing ship models, but I've always thought this model would be a fun one to do.  Your work is absolutely fantastic John - definitely a good marketing piece for this kit!

[jablackwell]

Thanks, Mike. It is a fun model. The kit? Well, it has its good points and its not so good points, like all kits, I imagine. Like ship building, I have found that reading ahead really helps! I am also not such a fan of Britannia castings.... With some effort, filing, cutting, drilling and sanding, then some primer and paint, it can look pretty good. 

 

Continued progress on the front end of the Sopwith. The engine mount is in place along with the rear supports and engine accessories. On many modern planes, this stuff is in front of the firewall with the engine, but not here. Behind the firewall is the carburetor, the magnetos, the starter (manual), and pumps. The brass tubing going out to both sides of the fuselage are air intakes that go right to the carburetor. THAT assembly literally rests right at the pilot's legs, just in front of the control stick. Talking about exposed!... a fuel tank behind you, and the engine right in front....

 

~john

 

[jablackwell]

All,

Back home from the eclipse data collecting trip. If interested, feel free to peruse my blog on this and other topics: http://www.regulusastro.com/ 

- And now to work... and to work on the Sopwith. Not much to report. Status:

 

- Working on all the cockpit connections for air, oil and fuel lines. It is a rather convoluted bit of artistry with little in the way of help in mapping it all out. I have been trying to rely on various images and plans found online and in books, but a good set of blueprints would be best.  

 

Images attached:   The makings of the instrument panel, the interior of the cockpit looking down and from the side, and the finished panel. You'll see the throttle assembly and the control "stick" assembly are now in place. 

 

~john

[GMO2]

Some years ago there was a fellow in Guntersville Alabama started what was called "Ryder's Replica Fighter Museum".He had about 40 replica WW1 airplanes,many flyable,including two DR1's,a Camel,Nieuports,and many others.For two years,92 and 94,he put on a national WW1 flyin,with people from all over the country bringing in their own replicas for a week of flying.There was one gent with a replica Camel powered by a Stearman 225 Lycoming.He said getting it down on a paved runway was like putting it down on buttered glass.The Camel acquired a nasty reputation in 1918 because the gyroscopic forces of the rotary engine in such a short coupled airframe made it a real handful,especially on take-off.The vertical fin and rudder were very small relatively and that added to the difficulty in keeping it straight.If a guy survived in it long enough to master it,there wasn't much that could stay with it in a turning match,except maybe a DR1.You had to be careful going from one Camel outfit to another.They used several different engines,all with different fuel management techniques which could be quite tricky,especially on climbout if you let it get too rich.All in all a far cry from a Cessna 172!

[jablackwell]

Hi GMO2,

 

Yes, indeed - the Camel was a real beasty to fly - it was dynamically unstable given the weight and balance configuration.... the spinning massive engine, and the fact that the gas tank losing mass with flight brought the CoG up front even more. Certainly not a Cessna 172 by any means!  ;-)   

 

~j

[jablackwell]

Oil tank, ammunition cans and instrument panel in place along with the rear gun mounts. Now working on the frame stringers along the fuselage.

~john

 

[jablackwell]

Finished stringers on the fuselage. I learned, again, and again, to read the instructions before diving into things, having glued some cables into place only to find out that the glue clogged holes I needed for future cabling down the road. D'Oh! .. and finished the fuselage for now.  With wings and empennage completed, it is time to assemble all the parts together with control cabling..... 

~john

 

[gsdpic]

I continue to enjoy watching this build.  Very impressive progress.

 

But I am really posting to compliment the HDR eclipse photo in your blog....one of the best I have seen!

 

[jablackwell]

Thanks, Gary! Glad you are enjoying the build. I've been watching your progress on the Blue Jacket, and that has been fun. Also - thanks for the kind words r.e. the eclipse images. I have some 65GB of imagery from the event. It's going to take a long while to sort it all out!   If interested, I just posted a new video of the event in wide field:   

  

Back to the Camel:  The empennage is almost completed. The horizontal stabilizer and rudder were attached.  I used some small snips of copper wire as brads to reinforce their attachment, and it seems to be working rather well. Those can be seen in the close-up shot below. The bracing wires are in place, too. The last bit is to attach the control cabling from the rudder pedals and stick.... I got the rudder lines installed, but I am not quite sure how I am going to get the elevator cabling done... the drawings in the manual have them backwards(!), but I think the verbiage in the text is correct. Ah, well.... language!   Here are some images....

~john

 

 

 

[jablackwell]

Attaching the rudder and horizontal stabilizer is one thing.... getting all the control cables from the cockpit to the empennage is a whole other story! My goodness, this was a taxing effort, but well worth the patience. Using a pair of tweezers, toothpicks with cyanoacrylate glue and a ton of time, I have the rudder pedals moving the rudder and the control stick moving the elevators, and all in the proper directions! Phew.  I have provided a closeup image of the fuselage which shows the control cables running back to the control surfaces. I also could not resist an image of the engine in place.... just to see what it's going to look like in the end. 

 

Having finished the empennage, it was then time to work on the lower wing and undercarriage assembly. This was straightforward enough. The wing actually needed little adjustment to be level and square to the fuselage.... I was happy with that! The undercarriage frame and axle are in place. I am beginning work on the cabane struts for the upper wing. The wheels are also being painted a nice OD green... ready for their day in the light. 

 

~john

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

you've made quite a bit of progress since I last looked in     super looking build John! 

[Robin Lous]

gorgeous! 

 

Robin 

[jablackwell]

I have made some progress, though slowly: classes have started up again, and I am back into the full swing of teaching for the fall term. That said, the top wing is in place as are the inter-wing struts and some of the cabling. It's tedious, slow and very rewarding. I also have the pitot tube installed as well as the air pump for the gas tank (odd flying machine!).  I am also in the middle of my biennial flight review (FAA requirement) as a pilot, and have been blocked from flying due to the remnants of storm Jose. Phew! Lots going on!  Some pics:

 

~john

 

 

[Torbogdan]

Absolutely beautiful! Great build and very well executed! I´m impressed

[jablackwell]

Good afternoon, all.  It has been a while since my last posting. The light is at the end of the tunnel for the Sopwith build, but I was held short by some upsetting news. My dad passed away on the 22nd (Sept) after a prolonged and horrible battle against cancer. He was 82. He lived in Houston to make matters even more complicated. Houston is a mess as they rebuild and clean up all the debris from the flooding. There are a lot of displaced people. Dad's service was very nice. I'll post a shot of him here.... This build is for him, the guy who marveled at all the ship building and airplanes throughout the years, and supported them all, from the first model to getting all my pilot ratings. He was a good guy. 

 

The Sopwith: I have completed the cable runs for the ailerons, though not tied them to the control stick just yet. I need to let the cable stretch out more before committing to the final tie-off. Talking about a having a single point of failure.... the cable is ONE run from stick to lower right wing pulley to bottom right aileron to top right aileron to right front wing pulley through the entire top wing's front, to the left pulley to the left top aileron to the bottom left aileron to the front left pulley along the front of the left wing and to the stick. YIKES.  Images attached:

Running the aileron cable through the front of the lower right wing using tweezers.

A view from under the cockpit of the plane at all the control cables getting to the stick. The aileron cables are unattached and pulled off to the side.

Detail of the aileron cable coming from the wing's leading edge to the pulley that redirects it to the aileron horn and attachment point.

A view of the whole plane held in place so I can get to the underside of the cabling. Looks precarious!!!  

 

Best to All,

~john

 

 

 

[reklein]

My condolences to your on your Dads death.  Congratulations on your fine build.    

[Tom E]

John, 

Sorry to hear about your Dad. Your entire family has all our prayers.

You can just tell from the smile of your Dad in the picture that he was one of those guys that everyone gravitates towards.

You said it perfectly....."A good guy". 

 

Loving the build!

But take your time. Family always come first.

 

Tom E

[Canute]

John, my sincere condolences for your loss.  He's in my prayers.

[Robin Lous]

Really sorry to hear your dad passed away, my sincere condolences.

 

About the Camel...one thing you might consider: 

It will look really nice when you drill open the gun muzzles a bit.

These things are such a focal point and it's a small effort to do.

 

Robin

[thibaultron]

Condolences to you!