File:Sopwith F.1 Camel ‘B6291’ (N629JA).jpg

English: This genuine Camel was built in 1917 and is the only surviving Camel from the 10% actually built by Sopwith themselves instead of other manufacturers.

She saw active front line service with No.10 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service, albeit only for 2 days prior to a crash on 30th September 1917. Rebuilt, she was then issued to No.206 Training Squadron at Eastbourne where she flew until stalling and crashing on 7th June 1918. Rebuilt again, she was returned to Eastbourne but this time flew with No.50 Training Squadron. Her third crash was on 7th August 1918 when she spun in. None of her three crashes were fatal. She was repaired again and later sold off to private owners in the Lincoln area. Stored in a barn, she was found and purchased by Desmond St Cyrien in 1963 and restored to airworthy condition. UK civil registered as G-ASOP, she flew again on 27th July 1993, but was sold on later that year and removed from the British civil register in 1999. In 2006 she appeared on the US civil register as N629JA and became part of the late Javier Arango’s ‘The Aeroplane Collection’ at Paso Robles, California. She was donated to the Smithsonian Institute by the Arango family in 2017 and is seen on display in the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center as part of the National Air and Space Museum. Washington Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia

15th March 2018