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"Twilight Patrol"
A Sopwith Camel cruising sedately through the fading light, somewhere over the Western Front towards the end of the First World War.
The Camel was a remarkable aircraft. A powerful 'clerget' rotary engine gave it an impressive turn of speed, but also caused a great deal of torque which kept dragging the aircraft to the starboard. This meant it could roll and turn in that direction much faster than anything else in the sky - but it also meant that a novice pilot would be hard pressed to keep the machine under control. In fact, dozens of allied pilots were injured or killed by the Camel's inherently unstable handling. In its defence, however, it was a superb fighter when handled properly and in fact, Camels shot down 1,294 enemy aircraft - more than any other allied fighter.
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Picture details
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| dimensions (approx)
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60cm wide x 24cm high
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| medium
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Acrylic on stretched canvas.
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date completed
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2009 |
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