“It would be like having a few hours in a training airplane and then being put in an F-16 fighter and being expected to fly it in combat,” Jakab says. Javier Arango at the controls of the pre-WWI Blériot monoplane he donated to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.Īrango also owned a reproduction Camel and his flights in it led him to believe that many of the deaths of Camel pilots were likely because of a lack of training as these men were rushed into battle. The powerful rotary engine, which spun with the propeller, created a gyroscopic effect that also contributed to the airplane’s maneuverability.Īlmost as many Camel pilots were killed in accidents as those who died in combat, but the airplane proved to be a superior fighting machine for pilots who mastered its tricky characteristics. The Camel was unstable and challenging to fly, with sensitive controls, which made it very maneuverable for an experienced pilot. The airplane got its nickname from the cover over two machine guns, mounted ahead of the cockpit that created a distinctive hump. All the others were license-built by other firms.Ĭamels downed 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter in World War I. It is largely complete in terms of original components, and the only one of the survivors built by the primary manufacturer, the Sopwith Aviation Co. The Sopwith Camel donated by Arango, built in 1917, is the best example of the seven remaining original Camels. “He was a great contributor and important person in the aviation community, and he left the Smithsonian this wonderful gift.” “He was a very fine pilot and very skilled at flying these older airplanes that were his passion,” says Chief Curator Peter Jakab. Javier Arango in the cockpit of the pre-WWI Blériot monoplane he donated to the Smithsonian. An immigrant to the United States, he wanted the American people to have these treasured aircraft as thanks for welcoming him to his new country, and the opportunities afforded him for success.
In his will, he bequeathed to the National Air and Space Museum two original and important aircraft from his collection-a World War I Sopwith Camel fighter and a pre-World War I Blériot monoplane. His goal was to use the collection to explore the stories and myths about World War I aviation and bring a modern understanding to the performance and flight characteristics of these early aircraft.Īrango served on the board of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum from 2006 to 2012, and was an emeritus member of the board until his death in 2017.
The legends surrounding World War I flying aces engaged in epic dogfights have often overshadowed a grim reality: Many inexperienced pilots died in training accidents in challenging aircraft before they were ready to fly them in battle.ĭecades later, Javier Arango, an experienced pilot and student of World War I aviation, sought to learn more about these often misunderstood aircraft by assembling one of the preeminent collections of flying World War I airplanes. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
WWI Sopwith Camel fighter donated by Javier Arango on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F.
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