Biplanes: If One Wing Is Good, Two Must Be Better

Prevalence of biplanes over monoplanes was due almost entirely to practical considerations.

Peter Garrison

Friday, May 30, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The prevalence of the biplane over the monoplane was due almost entirely to practical considerations. [Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Monoplanes offered early aerodynamic advantages but were limited until designers like Junkers and Fokker embraced thick, cantilever wing designs.
Biplanes dominated early aviation due to practical benefits like increased lift with weak engines, strong strut-and-wire construction, and ease of manufacturing and repair.
WWI biplane designs incorporated variations such as positive stagger and wing cutouts to enhance pilot visibility and improve access for weaponry.
Max Munk's 1923 "General Biplane Theory" revealed the fundamental aerodynamic deficiency of biplanes: mutual wing interference reduced overall lift compared to a monoplane of the same wing area.

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We associate biplanes with the infancy of aviation, but monoplanes existed from the very earliest days as well. The Bleriot XI that was the first airplane to cross the English Channel was a monoplane, as was the first really effective fighter of World War I, the Fokker Eindecker. German industrialist and all-around genius Hugo Junkers even built an all-metal cantilever low-wing monoplane fighter in 1915—probably the most remarkable example of prescience in the entire history of aviation.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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