Dating back to the early 1900s, these biplanes made their name in wartime. Today, the biggest reasons why it was replaced by monoplanes were military and technological.
Why do you think these types of aircraft, which many people have never seen in their lives and some have taken a place in a certain period of their lives, are no longer used today? Let’s examine it together.
If we take a brief look at the history of aviation, the calendars take us to 1903.
Wilbur and Orville Wright, known as the Wright Brothers, were two brothers who excelled in flight. The United States supported the brothers at the time, but German aviator Gustav Weisskopf flew the United States’ first and only steam-engined and heavier-than-air propeller aircraft in 1899. Since Gustav did not want to become a US citizen, the US continued to support the Wright Brothers in this regard.
When the calendars showed December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers took off their first plane.
This plane, which was flown, was built with two propellers, adhering to the aerodynamic sound theory. Its weight with the pilot was 335 kg. Orville flew for 12 seconds on the first try and covered only 37 meters. But in his last attempt that day, this time increased to 59 seconds and he was able to fly up to 260 meters.
In the early 1900s, engine manufacturers were unable to produce engines powerful enough to keep an airplane flying. More precisely, the balance between engine power and lightness did not allow flying. Because of this, the Wright Brothers had to develop their own engines.
The wingspan of the biplane made of canvas fabric, which has a wooden fuselage they prepared, was measured as approximately 12 meters. On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers realized humanity’s dream of flying in a powered airplane.
During World War I, airplanes were used for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes only. Because monoplanes could fly at a maximum speed of 100 km/h.
Their maximum range was limited to 140 km. Above all, the technology of these planes did not allow to carry weapons and equipment. As such, the planes became the clear target of the enemy soldiers in the trenches, and moreover, they could not respond to the attacks.
There is no doubt that all warring states sought ways to improve their aircraft to harm their opponents. Looking back, we can see that no one has ever managed to do this with a monoplane.
It was clear that these planes could not both carry weapons and increase their speed capabilities. The only way to increase the payload was to increase the wingspan, but the materials and design of the aircraft were not suitable for this. Ultimately, these needs and deprivations led to the rise of the biplane.
Since a more powerful engine could not be built, the engineers concentrated on the wings and thought that using two blades instead of one would compensate for the lack of engine.
This planned structure not only increased the lifting power, but also had a positive effect on the durability and robustness of the aircraft. Thus began the era of biplane aircraft.
The use of biplanes allowed a smaller wingspan, with shorter wings providing greater maneuverability. Over time, biplanes have excelled in durability and capacity for the amount of payload they can take. However, since there is no improvement in the engine, we cannot say that there has been an improvement in the speed problem.
So why did biplanes give way to monoplanes over time?
The two wings had increased the carrying power, but it did not increase it much. Because the wings were moving in the same part of the atmosphere, this negatively affected aerodynamics. The parts that held the two wings together also caused too much friction. Low visibility was also a reason not to use it.
Despite these disadvantages we have mentioned, the advantages of biplanes outweighed the other types in World War I.
Over time, technological advances and the production of composite materials have changed this equation. Because the manufacture of lightweight materials allowed engineers to expand the wingspan. Composite materials also provided additional aerodynamic contributions.
Structural integrity was no longer an issue and less friction was a significant advantage. In addition, advances in engine technology have made it possible to make lighter and more powerful engines.
Of course, biplanes were no match for monoplanes. The main problem is that technological advances make monoplanes more responsive to their needs. Thus, this innovative tool that marked the beginning of the 1900s, II. It expired after World War II. We can only watch these biplanes, which are considered to be a very important part of aviation history, in aerobatic flights, museums and historical films.
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