A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. WING "ESPN 1410" is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton Ohio operating with 5000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios offices and transmitter located on David The first powered heavier-than-air aircraft, the Wright brothers' Wright Flyer, used a biplane design, as did most airplanes in the early years of aviation. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Aviation refers to activities involving man-made flying devices ( Aircraft) including the people organizations and regulatory bodies involved with them While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing. For Félix du Temple 's invention see ''Monoplane'' (1874 Types of monoplane The main distinction in types of monoplane is Improved structural techniques and materials, as first pioneered by Hugo Junkers in 1915, and the need for greater speed, made the biplane configuration obsolete for most purposes by the late 1930s. Hugo Junkers ( 3 February 1859 - 3 February 1935) was an innovative German Engineer, as his many Patents
The term is also occasionally used in biology, to describe the wings of some flying animals. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles WING "ESPN 1410" is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton Ohio operating with 5000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios offices and transmitter located on David A number of Animals have evolved aerial locomotion, either by powered flight or by gliding
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Aviation
In a biplane aircraft, two wings are placed one above the other. Both provide a portion of the lift, although they are not able to produce twice as much lift as a single wing of similar planform. A planform or Plan view is a vertical Orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane like a Map. This is because a wing's effect is imposed on a circular cylinder of air as the craft moves forward. In the case of the biplane, the upper and the lower are working on nearly the same portion of the atmosphere. In a wing of aspect ratio 6, and a wing separation distance of one chord length, the biplane configuration can produce about 20 percent more lift than a single wing of the same planform. [1] In the biplane configuration, the lower wing is often attached to the fuselage, while the upper wing is raised above, although other combinations have occurred. The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo Almost all biplanes also have a third horizontal surface, the tailplane, to control the pitch, or angle of attack of the aircraft (although there have been a few exceptions). A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer, is a small lifting surface located behind the main lifting surfaces of a Fixed-wing aircraft Angle of attack ( AOA, \alpha Greek letter alpha) is a term used in Aerodynamics to describe the Angle between the Either or both of the main wings can support flaps or ailerons to assist lateral and speed control; usually the ailerons are mounted on the upper wing, and flaps (if used) on the lower wing. For the band with a similar name see The Ailerons Ailerons are hinged control surfaces attached to the Trailing edge of the Wing of a Fixed-wing Often there is bracing between the upper and lower wings, in the form of wires (tension members) and slender struts (compression members) positioned symmetrically on either side of the fuselage. See also Strut (disambiguation StRUT ( St udents R ecycling U sed T echnology are three separate organizations
Variations on the biplane include the sesquiplane, where one wing (usually the lower) is significantly smaller than the other, either in span, chord, or both. Sometimes the lower wing is only large enough to support the bracing struts for the upper wing. The name means "one-and-a-half wings".
Another (aerodynamically quite distinct) variation is the tandem wing which is an aircraft with one wing in front of the other (e. A tandem wing aircraft usually involves two full-sized Wings both of which are full Airfoils. g. a wing in the nose and a wing in the tail). This is not usually considered a biplane, as the two wings are not one above the other.
Advantages and drawbacks to biplane designs
Aircraft built with two main wings (or three in a triplane) can usually lift up to 20% more than can a similarly sized monoplane of similar wingspan, which tends to afford greater maneuverability. A triplane is a Fixed-wing aircraft equipped with three sets of wings each roughly the same size and mounted one above the other For Félix du Temple 's invention see ''Monoplane'' (1874 Types of monoplane The main distinction in types of monoplane is The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip Aerobatics is the demonstration of flying maneuvers for Training, Recreation or Entertainment. The struts and wire bracing of a typical biplane form a box girder that permits a light but very strong wing structure. A girder is a support beam used in Construction. Girders often have an I beam cross section for strength but may also have a box shape Z shape
On the other hand there are many disadvantages to the configuration. Each wing negatively interferes with the aerodynamics of the other. For a given wing area the biplane produces more drag and less lift than a monoplane, but this effect can be reduced by placing one wing forward of the other. In Fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called fluid resistance) is the force that resists the movement of a Solid object through a Fluid (a In the context of a Fluid flow relative to a body the lift force is the component of the Aerodynamic force that is Perpendicular to the flow Placing one wing forward of the other is known as stagger. Stagger refers to the Horizontal positioning of a Biplane, Triplane, or multiplane's Wings in relation to one another Forward stagger (where the upper wing is further forward) is most common, but backward stagger has also been used, notably in the Beechcraft Staggerwing. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Excessive amounts of stagger distort the box girder effect of the wing - and this tends to reduce the structural benefits of the biplane layout.
History
Most successful early aircraft were biplanes, in spite of considerable experimentation with monoplanes. For Félix du Temple 's invention see ''Monoplane'' (1874 Types of monoplane The main distinction in types of monoplane is For a period - (~ 1914 to 1925) almost all aircraft were biplanes. In retrospect, this seems strange, but the explanation is far from irrational.
In the early days of aviation all wing structures were strengthened by external bracing wires and struts. Effective lateral control (whether using wing warping or ailerons) requires a wing that is rigid enough to minimize unintended wing warping, and the unwanted lateral rolling that results. Wing warping was an early system for lateral (roll control of an aeroplane. For the band with a similar name see The Ailerons Ailerons are hinged control surfaces attached to the Trailing edge of the Wing of a Fixed-wing The structure of a biplane wing (having the characteristics of a box girder) provided this almost by default, whereas the design of a sufficiently rigid ‘’externally braced’’ monoplane wing was highly problematic. A girder is a support beam used in Construction. Girders often have an I beam cross section for strength but may also have a box shape Z shape
The long-term answer to the problem was a cantilever wing – having sufficient stiffness to dispense with external bracing. A cantilever is a beam supported on only one end The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and Shear stress. Such wings were already being designed, pioneered by Hugo Junkers, and used in Germany during the last year of the First World War; and following research in the post war years by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and similar European bodies, as well as the concurrent development of aluminum alloys, cantilever monoplane wings were becoming the norm for most applications by the early nineteen thirties; and the era of the biplane was almost over. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All WikipediaNaming
Modern biplane designs now exist only in specialist niche roles and markets such as aerobatics and agricultural aircraft. Aerobatics is the demonstration of flying maneuvers for Training, Recreation or Entertainment. An agricultural aircraft is an Aircraft that has been built or converted for Agricultural use - usually Aerial application of Pesticides
The vast majority of biplane designs have been fitted with reciprocating engines of comparatively low power; exceptions include the Antonov An-3 and WSK-Mielec M-15 Belphegor, fitted with turboprop and turbofan engines, respectively. A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a Heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating Pistons to convert WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft powerplant that uses a Gas turbine engine to drive a Propeller. A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine Some older biplane designs, such as the Grumman Ag Cat and the aforementioned An-2 (in the form of the An-3) are available in upgraded versions with turboprop engines. The Grumman G-164 Ag Cat is a single-engine Biplane Agricultural aircraft, developed by Grumman in the 1950s
Famous biplanes include the Polikarpov Po-2, Sopwith Camel, Avro Tutor, Antonov An-2, Beechcraft Staggerwing, Boeing Stearman, Bristol Bulldog, Curtiss JN-4, de Havilland Tiger Moth, Fairey Swordfish, Hawker Hart, Pitts Special and the Wright Flyer. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" is a series of Biplane aircraft built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater Biplane light-bomber of the Royal Air Force (RAF which had a prominent role during the RAF's inter-war period WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Stearman is particularly associated with stunt flying with wing-walkers. Famous sesquiplanes include the Nieuport 17 and Albatros D.III. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Albatros DIII was a Biplane Fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service
Most biplanes in history have been either designed with the wings positioned directly "one-above-the-other", as first done with the Wright's 1903 Flyer I, or with the upper wing positioned with its leading edge ahead of the lower wing, in a "positive stagger" format. Some examples of biplanes with the lower wing's leading edge ahead of the upper wing, called "negative stagger", were the Airco DH.5, Sopwith Dolphin, and the Beechcraft Staggerwing. The Airco DH5 was a British First World War single-seat Fighter aircraft specifically designed to replace the obsolete Airco DH WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
The biplane in ultralight aircraft
Larry Mauro created the Easy Riser biplane ultralight. Mauro also made a version powered with solar cells driving an electric motor for successful flight. Mauro's Easy Riser was used by the man who became known as "Father Goose", Bill Lishman. Bill Lishman is a Canadian Inventor, artist and Ultralight aircraft enthusiast [2]
The biplane in avian evolution
It has been suggested the feathered dinosaur Microraptor glided, and perhaps even flew, on four wings which were held in a biplane-like arrangement. The realization that Dinosaurs are closely related to Birds raised the obvious possibility of feathered dinosaurs. Microraptor (meaning "small thief" is a Genus of small Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur. This was made possible by the presence of flight feathers on both the forelimbs and hindlimbs of Microraptor, and it has been suggested the earliest flying ancestors of birds may have possessed this morphology, with the monoplane arrangement of modern birds evolving later. [3]
See also
References
- ^ Airplane Aerodynamics, Dommasch and Lomb, 1961 ed. For Félix du Temple 's invention see ''Monoplane'' (1874 Types of monoplane The main distinction in types of monoplane is A triplane is a Fixed-wing aircraft equipped with three sets of wings each roughly the same size and mounted one above the other A tandem wing aircraft usually involves two full-sized Wings both of which are full Airfoils.
- ^ Larry Mauro and Bill Lishman
- ^ Chatterjee S, Templin RJ (Jan 2007). "Biplane wing planform and flight performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor gui". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104 (5): 1576-80. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 17242354.
External links
- Historical Collection o Biplane Pictures
- Jacqui Hayes: Bird wings evolved from biplane dinosaurs COSMOS magazine THE ULtimate magazine
- Octava Chanute biplane hang glider: Chanute
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