ajcooper . # .

Camel performance overstated?: The Camel\'s quoted performance figures are about right, at about the 110 mph mark, putting it significantly better than a Pup\'s 100 mph odd, and worse than an SE\'s 120 mph+.
The problem lies rather with the quoted speed figures of contemporary German aircraft: Albatros & Pfalz max speeds are usually given as barely 110 mph - too slow! Gordon Taylor, who flew Pups, flew a captured Albatros D.3, & found it could do 120 mph. This confirmed his experience as a Pup pilot, namely that he could never catch them! The Albatros had a very slick airframe, thin British-style aerofoils (again, low drag), & a powerful 160 hp engine. How could it not be faster than a blunt-ended 140 hp Camel? This too is confirmed by Camel pilots\' experience, namely that they could never catch fleeing Albatri & Pfalz.
The quoted Camel speeds are about right, whereas the quoted Albatros & Pfalz speeds are understated, for some bizarre reason.