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Thread: sports car of first war airplanes

  1. #1

    Default sports car of first war airplanes

    So I was watching Nova's first air war and someone called the camel the sports car of air combat, (not a direct quote).
    I was wondering why he would say that.
    Just based on what I know from this game I would say it does not handle very well compared to some of the other planes that can turn sharp in both directions.
    Any theories as to what this guy could have been thinking?@
    Last edited by bmwrider; 11-02-2014 at 18:14.

  2. #2

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    I would have thought that the SPAD XIII would better merit the term 'sports car'.

  3. #3

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    The Sopwith Camel is the first WWI plane I ever learned the name of (thanks to Snoopy) and it has always stuck with me as the cool plane from WWI, after getting involved in this game I learned it was not very nimble and I was crushed, hearing it called a sports car made me wonder if it was better in the real world than it is in the game.

  4. #4

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    Just a thought but it seems to me you guys are using "sports car" and perhaps should consider "race car"....

    Spad XIII ...race car...fast, fast, fast...just not nimble and nor quirkily responsive...think Lotus or Maserati.

    Sopwith Camel...pretty fast but nimble and very quirky....think Mustang or BMW.

    Fokker DVII...Rolls Royce Phantom or Bugatti Royale...classic lines, extreme power...a step above.

    Just thinking...

  5. #5

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    In the progression of planes presented in the program (not very many, in a less-than-an-hour long program), it was the next technological leap. Compared to what had come before it, it was a much more powerful, maneuverable and rugged plane. And! It carried TWO, count them, TWO machine guns! What a beauty to pilots facing Fokker Triplanes and other enemy aircraft with under powered, and under gunned kites. You couldn't run away, you couldn't out dive or out climb them, you were a target. Then, the Camel came on the scene. Allied pilots would forgive a lot, for a plane that could fly and shoot.

    For that moment in time, the Camel (compared to what was on offer) was a sports car. And it fought well to the end of the war. Yes, there were better planes to follow, and the SE5a was coming very shortly (the Bristol fighter was just out, but not considered a fighter; the SPAD XIII weeks away). And look at how many people know the Camel, but not the other, less elegant, planes.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  6. #6

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    Another - more macabre - thought process could be that the Camel's reputation for causing fatalities amongst inexperienced pilots is similar to that of sports cars in the hands of drivers unused to their power and speed - the early Porche 911s were dubbed "widow-maker" for their tendency to spin whilst cornering due to turbo-lag

  7. #7

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    I would think it depends on whether the quote was made back in, or referring back to 1917, or whether it was made more recently as in 2014 for comparison with sports cars. Was the person making the quote comparing the Camel with a modern sports car or something more relative which was built at the same time as the Camel was? If the latter was the case then it probably is comparable.

  8. #8

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    Interesting comparisons here! I think maybe BMW Z4 for our lovely Camel and a Posrche Carrera GT fpr Fokker D.VII.
    A guy in BGG called the P-40 the " muscle car of (WWII) planes ". I can agree with that one.
    Thanks



    Nick

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by bmwrider View Post
    So I was watching Nova's first air war and someone called the camel the sports car of air combat, (not a direct quote).
    I was wondering why he would say that.
    Just based on what I know from this game I would say it does not handle very well compared to some of the other planes that can turn sharp in both directions.
    Any theories as to what this guy could have been thinking?@
    Well, it actually *turned* quite well, being inherently unstable; however, it was an unforgiving beast. Most proper sports cars are like that -- lots of power, and can turn on a dime; but if you don't watch yourself, the b****'ll kill you.



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