The concept still demonstrates its strong, lightweight structure and excellent maneuverability at low speed.
Many people are aware—consciously or instinctively—that the world’s first successful powered aircraft flight took place in a biplane. The Wright Flyer, first flown at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903, had two wings stacked on top of each other rather than one.
While the Wright Brothers were the first to take the biplane design into powered flight, they were not the first to tinker with the concept. In fact, the biplane design predates powered flight itself. As far back as the early 1800s, Sir George Cayley was experimenting with gliders involving multiple wing surfaces.
The biplane concept would peak during the First World War, when biplanes proved to be the dominant aircraft design used in the war. By the time of the Second World War, however, the biplane’s popularity would decline in favor of faster monoplanes, marching a steady decline into increasing obscurity. However, the biplane endures in a number of niche roles—aerobatics, agricultural functions, historical preservation, and more.
Two Wings Are Better Than One
The Wright Brothers understood that the biplane design provided more lifting surface than a single wing, meaning the design had higher lift—a significant asset, especially when dealing with the extremely underpowered engines of the early 1900s. Biplanes also relied upon struts and bracing wires between their wing layers, which created a strong truss-like structure. In the early days of aviation, when aircraft were built from limited-strength materials like wood and fabric, the truss-like structure increased the aircraft’s strength and rigidity, thus increasing durability.
Between the increased lift (and the often corresponding compact wing area) and the structural stiffness, biplanes typically proved to be highly maneuverable. Such aircraft were extremely desirable in the emerging art of aerial combat, better known as dogfighting.
Of course, biplanes were not without their limitations. The extra wings and struts and bracing resulted in high drag, which reduced the aircraft’s top speed. The increased drag also reduced the biplane’s fuel efficiency, and thus its range. In the small radius fighting of World War One, this limited range was acceptable. But as conflict zones widened throughout the 20th century, the biplane’s reduced radius became a serious drawback.
Still, the biplane was the dominant aircraft of World War I. Examples like the Sopwith Camel and SPAD S.XIII defined the era. After the war, the biplane remained popular, with usage including civil aviation, mail delivery, training, and barnstorming. Examples of the interwar period biplane include the famed Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” and the de Havilland Tiger Moth.
Biplanes Fought in World War II—and Are Still in the Air Today
The emergence of the monoplane, which featured better aerodynamics and higher speeds, eventually displaced the biplane as the preeminent aircraft for frontline military service. By the beginning of World War II, the biplane was obsolete in combat roles, but still saw secondary service. In one notable engagement, the Fairey Swordfish, a British biplane torpedo bomber, attacked the German Bismarck battleship, critically damaging its rudder and allowing other ships to finish it off.
Over the last 80 years, biplanes have been relegated to mostly niche roles. Examples like the Pitts Special can still be seen performing stunts at air shows, where the concept still demonstrates its strong, lightweight structure and excellent maneuverability at low speed.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: Shutterstock / James Kirkikis.
