History
Early designers considered both monoplane and biplane designs. However, the weakness of the materials and design techniques available required these designers to place great effort into making wings capable of withstanding the required loads. A biplane (having the characteristics of a box girder) can be made lighter for a given strength requirement, and was therefore a more common choice.
Most successful early aircraft were biplanes, in spite of considerable early experimentation with monoplanes, triplanes and even quadraplanes. During the period (~1914 to 1925) almost all aircraft were biplanes.
Early monoplanes and biplanes were often externally braced, having struts and/or bracing wires. These elements gave added strength without excess weight, but they did add unwanted aerodynamic drag.
The long-term answer to the problem was a cantilever monoplane wing – having sufficient stiffness to dispense with external bracing. Such wings were already being developed by several designers, including Hugo Junkers, whose work during 1915 resulted in the pioneering Junkers J 1, the world's first practical all-metal aircraft of any type. Cantilever monoplane wings were becoming the norm for most applications by the early nineteen thirties; the era of the biplane was almost over. Several air forces continued to use biplanes for primary training up till WWII and even beyond: the de Havilland Tiger Moth in the Royal Air Force, Stampe SV.4 in French and Belgian Air Forces, and the Boeing Stearman in the USAF.
Modern biplane designs now exist only in specialist niche roles and markets such as aerobatics and agricultural aircraft.
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. 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.
Famous biplanes include the Sopwith Camel, Antonov An-2, Beechcraft Staggerwing, Boeing Stearman, Bristol Bulldog, Curtiss JN-4, de Havilland Tiger Moth, Fairey Swordfish, Pitts Special and the Wright Flyer. The Stearman is particularly associated with stunt flying with wing-walkers. Famous sesquiplanes include the Nieuport 17 and Albatros D.III.
A few biplanes are still made today, typically for nostalgia or aerobatics. Examples include the Pitts Special and the Waco.
Read more about this topic: Biplane
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