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I have always been curious about the Sopwith Camel at NMNA. This s sometimes listed as an original, but more often is listed as a reproduction. I understand that this has a metal frame. If this has original parts, which parts are they.
At what point does an early aircraft loose the "original" status? The Camel at the Polish Museum (ex Berlin Museum), probably started as a fuselage-only, with new wings, although I have not seen this said explicitly; most of the Berlin survivors were fuselage-only, including the original engine. This fuselage has a significant combat history.
While on this topic of the originality of WWI aircraft, there is the case of the SPAD VII at the Canadian Air and Space Museum in Ottawa and the Shannon Museum in Virginia. These both have the same serial number (B9913); apparently the Canadian example was restored or rebuilt using original parts, those original parts then sold to be restored or rebuilt to become the Shannon example. I have heard that those parts may been sold again to possibly become a third "original" example (in Washington, according to an older listing). So, if "original" status were to be conferred onto a single aircraft, which aircraft might that be?
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Kevin McCartney
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