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85-637: The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company . It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good manoeuvrability, the aircraft proved very successful. The Pup was eventually outclassed by newer German fighters, but it was not completely replaced on

170-523: A Pup flown by Sqn Cdr Edwin Harris Dunning became the first aircraft to land aboard a moving ship, HMS  Furious . Dunning was killed on his third landing when the Pup fell over the side of the ship. The Pup began operations on the carriers in early 1917; the first aircraft were fitted with skid undercarriages in place of the standard landing gear. Landings utilised a system of deck wires to "trap"

255-653: A W shape cabane, however as it does not connect the wings to each other, it does not add to the number of bays. Large transport and bombing biplanes often needed still more bays to provide sufficient strength. These are often referred to as multi-bay biplanes . A small number of biplanes, such as the Zeppelin-Lindau D.I have no interplane struts and are referred to as being strutless . Because most biplanes do not have cantilever structures, they require rigging wires to maintain their rigidity. Early aircraft used simple wire (either braided or plain), however during

340-412: A biplane aircraft, two wings are placed one above the other. Each provides part of the lift, although they are not able to produce twice as much lift as a single wing of similar size and shape because the upper and the lower are working on nearly the same portion of the atmosphere and thus interfere with each other's behaviour. In a biplane configuration with no stagger from the upper wing to the lower wing,

425-624: A documented jet-kill, as one Lockheed F-94 Starfire was lost while slowing down to 161 km/h (100 mph) – below its stall speed – during an intercept in order to engage the low flying Po-2. Later biplane trainers included the de Havilland Tiger Moth in the Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and others and the Stampe SV.4 , which saw service postwar in the French and Belgian Air Forces. The Stearman PT-13

510-513: A faster and more comfortable successor to the Dragon. As the available engine power and speed increased, the drag penalty of external bracing increasingly limited aircraft performance. To fly faster, it would be necessary to reduce external bracing to create an aerodynamically clean design; however, early cantilever designs were either too weak or too heavy. The 1917 Junkers J.I sesquiplane utilized corrugated aluminum for all flying surfaces, with

595-422: A given wing area. However, interference between the airflow over each wing increases drag substantially, and biplanes generally need extensive bracing, which causes additional drag. Biplanes are distinguished from tandem wing arrangements, where the wings are placed forward and aft, instead of above and below. The term is also occasionally used in biology , to describe the wings of some flying animals . In

680-513: A high level of manoeuvrability. The introduction of a smaller 8 ft span tailplane in February 1917 was attributed with improved elevator response. The original tail assembly was identical to the Pup's, other than the inclusion of the variable incidence tailplane , which could be adjusted so that the aircraft could be flown hands-off. The Triplane was initially powered by the 110 hp Clerget 9Z nine-cylinder rotary engine . However,

765-507: A minimum of struts; however, it was relatively easy to damage the thin metal skin and required careful handling by ground crews. The 1918 Zeppelin-Lindau D.I fighter was an all-metal stressed-skin monocoque fully cantilevered biplane, but its arrival had come too late to see combat use in the conflict. By the 1930s, biplanes had reached their performance limits, and monoplanes become increasingly predominant, particularly in continental Europe where monoplanes had been increasingly common from

850-612: A phenomenal rate of climb for the era. The second prototype, N504, performed its maiden flight in August 1916. Its primary difference from the first prototype was the installation of a 130 hp Clerget 9B engine. N504 was eventually dispatched to France in December of that year. This aircraft served as a conversion trainer for several squadrons. Between July 1916 and January 1917, the Admiralty issued two contracts to Sopwith for

935-671: A production order. Sopwith was heavily engaged in the production of the Sopwith 1½ Strutter , and produced only a small number of Pups for the RNAS. Deliveries commenced in August 1916. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) also placed large orders for Pups. The RFC orders were undertaken by sub-contractors Standard Motor Co. and Whitehead Aircraft. Deliveries did not commence until the beginning of 1917. 1,796 Pups were built, including 96 by Sopwith, 850 by Standard Motor Co. , 820 by Whitehead Aircraft, and 30 by William Beardmore & Co. In May 1916,

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1020-510: A single Triplane during the latter half of 1917, its fate being unknown. The Triplane's combat debut was highly successful. The new fighter's exceptional rate of climb and high service ceiling gave it a marked advantage over the Albatros D.III , though the Triplane was slower in a dive. During April 1917, Manfred von Richthofen , better known as The Red Baron , commented that the Triplane

1105-463: A small degree, but more often was used to improve access to the cockpit. Many biplanes have staggered wings. Common examples include the de Havilland Tiger Moth , Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann and Travel Air 2000 . Alternatively, the lower wing can instead be moved ahead of the upper wing, giving negative stagger, and similar benefits. This is usually done in a given design for structural reasons, or to improve visibility. Examples of negative stagger include

1190-473: A somewhat unusual sesquiplane arrangement, possessing a more substantial lower wing with two spars that eliminated the flutter problems encountered by single-spar sesquiplanes. The stacking of wing planes was suggested by Sir George Cayley in 1843. Hiram Maxim adopted the idea for his steam-powered test rig, which lifted off but was held down by safety rails, in 1894. Otto Lilienthal designed and flew two different biplane hang gliders in 1895, though he

1275-592: A total of 95 Triplanes, two contracts to Clayton & Shuttleworth Ltd. for a total of 46 aircraft, and one contract to Oakley & Co. Ltd. for 25 aircraft. Seeking modern aircraft for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), the War Office also issued a contract to Clayton & Shuttleworth for 106 Triplanes. Quantity production of the type commenced in late 1916. The first Sopwith-built Triplanes were delivered to Clayton & Shuttleworth, who delivered their first Triplane on 2 December 1916. A renewed urgency amongst

1360-560: Is better known for his monoplanes. By 1896 a group of young men in the United States, led by Octave Chanute , were flying hang gliders including biplanes and concluded that the externally braced biplane offered better prospects for powered flight than the monoplane. In 1903, the Wright Flyer biplane became the first successful powered aeroplane. Throughout the pioneer years, both biplanes and monoplanes were common, but by

1445-662: Is largely unknown, only that its use was curtailed after a crash-landing in Salonika on 26 March 1917. Aside from the British, the only other major operator of the Triplane was a French naval squadron based at Dunkirk, which received 17 aircraft. A single example was shipped to the United States for exhibition purposes in December 1917. Furthermore, the Imperial Russian Air Service also operated

1530-695: The Avro 504k often graduated to the Pup as advanced trainers. The Pup was also used in Fighting School units for instruction in combat techniques. Many training Pups were reserved by senior officers and instructors as their runabouts while a few survived in France as personal or squadron 'hacks' long after the type had been withdrawn from combat. The Pup was officially named the Sopwith Scout . The "Pup" nickname arose because pilots considered it to be

1615-536: The Bristol M.1 , that caused even those with relatively high performance attributes to be overlooked in favour of 'orthodox' biplanes, and there was an allegedly widespread belief held at that time that monoplane aircraft were inherently unsafe during combat. Between the years of 1914 and 1925, a clear majority of new aircraft introduced were biplanes; however, during the latter years of the First World War,

1700-570: The Danish coast on 21 August 1917. The U.S. Navy also employed the Sopwith Pup with Australian pilot Edgar Percival testing the use of carrier-borne fighters. In 1926, Percival flew a Pup from a platform on turret "B" on the battleship USS  Idaho at Guantánamo Bay , Cuba prior to the ship undergoing a major refit that added catapults on the stern. The Pup saw extensive use as a trainer. Student pilots completing basic flight training in

1785-653: The First World War -era Fokker D.VII fighter and the Second World War de Havilland Tiger Moth basic trainer. The larger two-seat Curtiss JN-4 Jenny is a two bay biplane , the extra bay being necessary as overlong bays are prone to flexing and can fail. The SPAD S.XIII fighter, while appearing to be a two bay biplane, has only one bay, but has the midpoints of the rigging braced with additional struts; however, these are not structurally contiguous from top to bottom wing. The Sopwith 1½ Strutter has

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1870-715: The Fokker V.4 , prototype of the successful Fokker Dr.I . Pilots nicknamed the aircraft the Tripehound or simply the Tripe . The Triplane was famously flown by "B" Flight 10 Naval Squadron, better known as the "Black Flight". This all- Canadian flight was commanded by the ace Raymond Collishaw . Their aircraft, named Black Maria , Black Prince , Black George , Black Death and Black Sheep , were distinguishable by their black-painted fins and cowlings. The Black Flight claimed 87 German aircraft in three months while equipped with

1955-703: The Grumman Ag Cat are available in upgraded versions with turboprop engines. The two most produced biplane designs were the 1913 British Avro 504 of which 11,303 were built, and the 1928 Soviet Polikarpov Po-2 of which over 20,000 were built, with the Po-2 being the direct replacement for the Soviet copy of the Avro 504. Both were widely used as trainers. The Antonov An-2 was very successful too, with more than 18,000 built. Although most ultralights are monoplanes,

2040-617: The Lite Flyer Biplane, the Sherwood Ranger , and the Murphy Renegade . The feathered dinosaur Microraptor gui glided, and perhaps even flew, on four wings, which may have been configured in a staggered sesquiplane arrangement. This was made possible by the presence of flight feathers on both forelimbs and hindlimbs, with the feathers on the forelimbs opening to a greater span. It has been suggested that

2125-556: The Nieuport-Delage NiD 42 / 52 / 62 series, Fokker C.Vd & e, and Potez 25 , all serving across a large number of air forces. In the general aviation sector, aircraft such as the Waco Custom Cabin series proved to be relatively popular. The Saro Windhover was a sesquiplane with the upper wing smaller than the lower, which was a much rarer configuration than the reverse. The Pfalz D.III also featured

2210-501: The Sopwith Dolphin , Breguet 14 and Beechcraft Staggerwing . However, positive (forward) stagger is much more common. The space enclosed by a set of interplane struts is called a bay (much as the architectural form is used), hence a biplane or triplane with one set of such struts connecting the wings on each side of the aircraft is a single-bay biplane . This provided sufficient strength for smaller aircraft such as

2295-419: The lift coefficient is reduced by 10 to 15 percent compared to that of a monoplane using the same airfoil and aspect ratio . The lower wing is usually attached to the fuselage , while the upper wing is raised above the fuselage with an arrangement of cabane struts , although other arrangements have been used. Either or both of the main wings can support ailerons , while flaps are more usually positioned on

2380-821: The "pup" of the larger two-seat Sopwith 1½ Strutter . The name never had official status as it was felt to be "undignified," but a precedent was set, and all later Sopwith types apart from the Triplane acquired animal names ( Camel , Dolphin , Snipe etc.), which ended up with the Sopwith firm being said to have created a "flying zoo" during the First World War. Data from British Naval Aircraft since 1912. General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Biplane Biplanes offer several advantages over conventional cantilever monoplane designs: they permit lighter wing structures, low wing loading and smaller span for

2465-469: The 80 hp (60 kW) Le Rhône, but subsequent Home Defence Pups standardised on the more powerful 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape , which provided an improved rate of climb. These aircraft were distinguishable by the addition of vents in the cowling face. In 1917, the Admiralty acquired the Sopwith Pup. Sopwith Pups were also used in many pioneering carrier experiments. On 2 August 1917,

2550-680: The Allied Powers for high performance combat aircraft came following the emergence of the Albatros D.II , which entered service with Imperial Germany around this same time frame, which threatened Allied aerial supremacy. In February 1917, the War Office agreed to exchange its Triplane orders for the Admiralty's SPAD S.VII contracts. While both Sopwith and Clayton & Shuttleworth successfully fulfilled their RNAS production orders, Oakley, which had no prior experience building aircraft, delivered only three Triplanes before its contract

2635-514: The CR.42 was able to achieve success in the defensive night fighter role against RAF bombers that were striking industrial targets throughout northern Italy. The British Fleet Air Arm operated the Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber from its aircraft carriers, and used the type in the anti-submarine warfare role until the end of the conflict, largely due to their ability to operate from

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2720-528: The Caribou , performed the first non-stop flight between the Canadian mainland and Britain in 30 hours 55 minutes, although the intended target for this long distance flight had originally been Baghdad , Iraq . Despite its relative success, British production of the Dragon was quickly ended when in favour of the more powerful and elegant de Havilland Dragon Rapide , which had been specifically designed to be

2805-515: The First World War, the British Royal Aircraft Factory developed airfoil section wire named RAFwire in an effort to both increase the strength and reduce the drag. Four types of wires are used in the biplane wing structure. Drag wires inside the wings prevent the wings from being folded back against the fuselage, running inside a wing bay from the forward inboard corner to the rear outboard corner. Anti-drag wires prevent

2890-577: The French Nieuport 17 and German Albatros D.III , offered lower drag than a conventional biplane while being stronger than a monoplane. During the Interwar period , numerous biplane airliners were introduced. The British de Havilland Dragon was a particularly successful aircraft, using straightforward design to could carry six passengers on busy routes, such as London-Paris services. During early August 1934, one such aircraft, named Trail of

2975-609: The Germans had been experimenting with a new generation of monoplanes, such as the Fokker D.VIII , that might have ended the biplane's advantages earlier had the conflict not ended when it had. The French were also introducing the Morane-Saulnier AI , a strut-braced parasol monoplane , although the type was quickly relegated to the advanced trainer role following the resolution of structural issues. Sesquiplane types, which were biplanes with abbreviated lower wings such as

3060-444: The Pup was also longitudinally unstable. At the peak of its operational deployment, the Pup equipped only four RNAS squadrons (Nos. 3, 4, 8 and 9), and three RFC squadrons (Nos. 54, 46 and 66). By the spring of 1917, the Pup had been outclassed by the newest German fighters. The RNAS replaced their Pups, first with Sopwith Triplanes , and then with Sopwith Camels . The RFC soldiered on with Pups, despite increasing casualties, until it

3145-639: The RNAS received its first Pups for operational trials with "A" Naval Squadron. The first Pups reached the Western Front in October 1916 with No. 8 Squadron RNAS , and proved successful, with the squadron's Pups claiming 20 enemy machines destroyed in operations over the Somme battlefield by the end of the year. The first RFC Squadron to re-equip with the Pup was No. 54 Squadron , which arrived in France in December. The Pup quickly proved its superiority over

3230-416: The Triplane concept as a private venture initiative. The design, which was passed by the company's experimental department on 28 May 1916, was contemporary to the Sopwith L.R.T.Tr. project, which never progressed beyond the prototype stage; Bruce speculated that Smith may have been inspired by the L.R.T.Tr.'s atypical wing configuration to adopt the iconic triplane configuration for the new project. Beyond

3315-532: The Triplane via captured examples and produced numerous tri-winged aircraft shortly thereafter. Nevertheless, the Triplane was built in comparatively small numbers to that of the more conventional Sopwith Pup . It had been decided to withdraw the Triplane from active service as increasing numbers of the Sopwith Camel arrived in the latter half of 1917. Surviving Triplanes continued to serve as operational trainers and experimental aircraft until months following

3400-425: The Triplane. Collishaw scored 34 of his eventual 60 victories in the aircraft, making him the top Triplane ace. The Triplane's combat career was comparatively brief, in part because it proved difficult to repair. The fuel and oil tanks were inaccessible without dismantling the wings and fuselage; even relatively minor repairs had to be made at rear echelon repair depots. Spare parts became difficult to obtain during

3485-523: The Western Front until the end of 1917. The remaining Pups were relegated to Home Defence and training units. The Pup's docile flying characteristics also made it ideal for use in aircraft carrier deck landing and takeoff experiments and training. In 1915, Sopwith produced a personal aircraft for the company's test pilot Harry Hawker , a single-seat, tractor biplane powered by a seven-cylinder 50 hp (37 kW) Gnome rotary engine which

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3570-435: The aircraft, serial N500, three times in succession. Hawker noted that this was due to his high confidence in the aircraft despite its radical design. The Triplane was very agile, with effective, well-harmonised controls. When maneuvering, however, the Triplane presented an unusual appearance. One observer noted that the aircraft looked like "a drunken flight of steps" when rolling. While initially lacking any armament, N500

3655-469: The aircraft. Later versions reverted to the normal undercarriage. Pups were used as ship-based fighters on three carriers: HMS  Campania , Furious and Manxman . Some other Pups were deployed to cruisers and battleships where they were launched from platforms attached to gun turrets. A Pup flown from a platform on the cruiser HMS  Yarmouth shot down the German Zeppelin L 23 off

3740-407: The biplane naturally has a deep structure and is therefore easier to make both light and strong. Rigging wires on non-cantilevered monoplanes are at a much sharper angle, thus providing less tension to ensure stiffness of the outer wing. On a biplane, since the angles are closer to the ideal of being in direct line with the forces being opposed, the overall structure can then be made stiffer. Because of

3825-608: The competition aerobatics role and format for such a biplane well-defined by the mid-1930s by the Udet U 12 Flamingo and Waco Taperwing . The Pitts Special dominated aerobatics for many years after World War II and is still in production. The vast majority of biplane designs have been fitted with reciprocating engines . 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

3910-470: The drag from the number of struts used. The structural forces acting on the spars of a biplane wing tend to be lower as they are divided between four spars rather than two, so the wing can use less material to obtain the same overall strength and is therefore lighter. A given area of wing also tends to be shorter, reducing bending moments on the spars, which then allow them to be more lightly built as well. The biplane does however need extra struts to maintain

3995-462: The earlier Pup . While the fuselage was structurally similar, Bruce notes that there were several areas of differences present. One example was the attachment points present for the center wings, which were carried upon the top and bottom longerons of the fuselage and in turn also attached to the center-section struts. One innovation that was present only on the Triplane was the use of single broad-chord interplane struts, which ran continuously between

4080-471: The early Fokker , Halberstadt and Albatros biplanes. After encountering the Pup in combat, Manfred von Richthofen said, "We saw at once that the enemy aeroplane was superior to ours." The Pup's light weight and generous wing area gave it a good rate of climb. Agility was enhanced by having ailerons on both wings. The Pup had half the horsepower and armament of the German Albatros D.III , but

4165-549: The end of World War I . At the start of World War II , several air forces still had biplane combat aircraft in front line service but they were no longer competitive, and most were used in niche roles, such as training or shipboard operation, until shortly after the end of the war. The British Gloster Gladiator biplane, the Italian Fiat CR.42 Falco and Soviet I-153 sesquiplane fighters were all still operational after 1939. According to aviation author Gianni Cattaneo,

4250-459: The end of the conflict. During the First World War , the Sopwith Aviation Company became a prominent British manufacturer of military aircraft. It was amid this conflict that one of its employees, Herbert Smith , designed the Sopwith Pup , a single-seat biplane fighter aircraft which was described by aviation author J.M. Bruce as being "one of the world's greatest aeroplanes". While it

4335-416: The gap between the wings, which add both weight and drag. The low power supplied by the engines available in the first years of aviation limited aeroplanes to fairly low speeds. This required an even lower stalling speed, which in turn required a low wing loading , combining both large wing area with light weight. Obtaining a large enough wing area without the wings being long, and thus dangerously flexible

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4420-415: The hind limbs could not have opened out sideways but in flight would have hung below and slightly behind the fore limbs. Sopwith Triplane The Sopwith Triplane is a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War . It has the distinction of being the first military triplane to see operational service. The Triplane

4505-654: The inboard cabane struts of surviving Triplanes. One aircraft, serial N5912, was fitted with additional mid-bay flying wires on the upper wing while used as a trainer. Another drawback of the Triplane was its light armament. Contemporary Albatros fighters were armed with two guns but most Triplanes carried one synchronised Vickers machine gun . Efforts to fit twin guns to the Triplane met with mixed results. Clayton & Shuttleworth built six experimental Triplanes with twin guns. Some of these aircraft saw combat service with Nos. 1 and 10 Naval Squadrons in July 1917 but performance

4590-639: The low speeds and simple construction involved have inspired a small number of biplane ultralights, such as Larry Mauro's Easy Riser (1975–). Mauro also made a version powered with solar cells driving an electric motor called the Solar Riser . Mauro's Easy Riser was used by "Father Goose", Bill Lishman . Other biplane ultralights include the Belgian-designed Aviasud Mistral , the German FK12 Comet (1997–),

4675-400: The lower and upper wings. The most distinctive feature of the Triplane is its three narrow- chord wings; these provided the pilot with an improved field of view. These wings had the same span as that of the Pup, while being only 21 square feet less in terms of area. Ailerons were fitted to all three wings. The relatively narrow chord and short span wings have been attributed with providing

4760-519: The lower wing. Bracing is nearly always added between the upper and lower wings, in the form of interplane struts positioned symmetrically on either side of the fuselage and bracing wires to keep the structure from flexing, where the wings are not themselves cantilever structures. The primary advantage of the biplane over a monoplane is its ability to combine greater stiffness with lower weight. Stiffness requires structural depth and where early monoplanes had to have this provided with external bracing,

4845-411: The majority of production examples were instead fitted with the more powerful 130 hp Clerget 9B rotary. At least one Triplane was tested with a 110 hp Le Rhône rotary engine, but this did not provide a significant improvement in performance, the only seeming benefit being a slight increase in its rate of climb. No. 1 Naval Squadron became fully operational with the Triplane by December 1916, but

4930-573: The most famed copies was the Siemens-Schuckert D.I . The Albatros D.III and D.V , which had also copied the general layout from Nieuport, similarly provided the backbone of the German forces during the First World War. The Albatros sesquiplanes were widely acclaimed by their aircrews for their maneuverability and high rate of climb. During interwar period , the sesquiplane configuration continued to be popular, with numerous types such as

5015-609: The night ground attack role throughout the Second World War. In the case of the Po-2, production of the aircraft continued even after the end of the conflict, not ending until around 1952. A significant number of Po-2s were fielded by the Korean People's Air Force during the Korean War , inflicting serious damage during night raids on United Nations bases. The Po-2 is also the only biplane to be credited with

5100-413: The obvious difference in terms of wing configuration, the Triplane's design largely conformed with that of the Pup. It has been described as being a "remarkably simple aircraft". The initial "prototype of what was to be referred to simply as the Triplane" first flew on 28 May 1916, with Sopwith test pilot Harry Hawker at the controls. Within three minutes of takeoff, Hawker startled onlookers by looping

5185-486: The outbreak of the First World War biplanes had gained favour after several monoplane structural failures resulted in the RFC's "Monoplane Ban" when all monoplanes in military service were grounded, while the French also withdrew most monoplanes from combat roles and relegated them to training. Figures such as aviation author Bruce observed that there was an apparent prejudice held even against newly-designed monoplanes, such as

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5270-424: The reduced stiffness, wire braced monoplanes often had multiple sets of flying and landing wires where a biplane could easily be built with one bay, with one set of landing and flying wires. The extra drag from the wires was not enough to offset the aerodynamic disadvantages from having two airfoils interfering with each other however. Strut braced monoplanes were tried but none of them were successful, not least due to

5355-657: The relatively compact decks of escort carriers . Its low stall speed and inherently tough design made it ideal for operations even in the often severe mid-Atlantic weather conditions. By the end of the conflict, the Swordfish held the distinction of having caused the destruction of a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft. Both the German Heinkel He 50 and the Soviet Polikarpov Po-2 were used with relative success in

5440-728: The series of Nieuport military aircraft—from the Nieuport 10 through to the Nieuport 27 which formed the backbone of the Allied air forces between 1915 and 1917. The performance of the Nieuport sesquiplanes was so impressive that the Idflieg (the German Inspectorate of flying troops) requested their aircraft manufacturers to produce copies, an effort which was aided by several captured aircraft and detailed drawings; one of

5525-497: The squadron did not see any significant action until February 1917, when it relocated from Furnes to Chipilly . No. 8 Naval Squadron received its Triplanes in February 1917. Nos. 9 and 10 Naval Squadrons equipped with the type between April and May 1917. All but one British Triplane were dispatched to squadrons based in France; this sole aircraft was instead sent to the Aegean , although its service details and purpose there

5610-415: The structural problems associated with monoplanes, but offered little improvement for biplanes. The default design for a biplane has the wings positioned directly one above the other. Moving the upper wing forward relative to the lower one is called positive stagger or, more often, simply stagger. It can increase lift and reduce drag by reducing the aerodynamic interference effects between the two wings by

5695-406: The summer of 1917, resulting in the reduction of No. 1 Naval Squadron's complement from 18 to 15 aircraft. According to Bruce, it is plausible that squadrons were slow to refit their Triplanes with the improved tailplane due to a lack of available kits for doing so. The Triplane also gained a reputation for structural weakness because the wings of some aircraft collapsed in steep dives. This defect

5780-670: The two planes when the high pressure air under the top wing and the low pressure air above the lower wing cancel each other out. This means that a biplane does not in practice obtain twice the lift of the similarly-sized monoplane. The farther apart the wings are spaced the less the interference, but the spacing struts must be longer, and the gap must be extremely large to reduce it appreciably. As engine power and speeds rose late in World War I , thick cantilever wings with inherently lower drag and higher wing loading became practical, which in turn made monoplanes more attractive as it helped solve

5865-414: The type commenced in response to orders received from the Admiralty . During early 1917, production examples of the Triplane arrived with Royal Naval Air Service squadrons. The Triplane rapidly proved to be capable of outstanding agility, and thus was quickly deemed to be a success amongst those squadrons that flew it. Praise for the type extended to opposing pilots; Imperial Germany extensively studied

5950-400: The upper and lower wings together. The sesquiplane is a type of biplane where one wing (usually the lower) is significantly smaller than the other. The word, from Latin, means "one-and-a-half wings". The arrangement can reduce drag and weight while retaining the biplane's structural advantages. The lower wing may have a significantly shorter span, or a reduced chord . Examples include

6035-434: The wings from folding up, and run from the underside of the outer wing to the lower wing root. Conversely, landing wires prevent the wings from sagging, and resist the forces when an aircraft is landing, and run from the upper wing centre section to outboard on the lower wings. Additional drag and anti-drag wires may be used to brace the cabane struts which connect the fuselage to the wings, and interplane struts, which connect

6120-421: The wings from moving forward when the aircraft stops and run the opposite direction to the drag wires. Both of these are usually hidden within the wings, and if the structure is sufficiently stiff otherwise, may be omitted in some designs. Indeed many early aircraft relied on the fabric covering of the wing to provide this rigidity, until higher speeds and forces made this inadequate. Externally, lift wires prevent

6205-430: Was a capable fighter that possessed impressive handling qualities for its era, from an aerodynamic perspective, the Pup was an entirely conventional design. Certain figures, including those within Sopwith's experimental department, sought to develop a successor which would instead pioneer new concepts for such an aircraft; out of such ambitions would emerge the Triplane. Early on, Sopwith decided to pursue development of

6290-464: Was attributed to the use of light gauge bracing wires in the 46 aircraft built by subcontractor Clayton & Shuttleworth. Several pilots of No. 10 Naval Squadron used cables or additional wires to strengthen their Triplanes. Bruce alleges that there was no substance to the concerns of structural weakness. In 1918, the RAF issued a technical order for the installation of a spanwise compression strut between

6375-472: Was cancelled during October 1917. For unknown reasons, the RFC Triplane contract issued to Clayton & Shuttleworth was simply cancelled rather than being transferred to the RNAS. Total production of the type amounted to 147 aircraft. The Sopwith Triplane was a single seat fighter aircraft; it shared a considerable amount of its design features, such as its fuselage and empennage , with those of

6460-604: Was developed by the firm's experimental department as a private venture, the project was headed by the designer Herbert Smith . Aside from its obvious difference in wing configuration, the aircraft shared many similarities with the company's successful biplane fighter, the Sopwith Pup . The prototype Triplane performed its maiden flight on 28 May 1916 and was dispatched to the French theatre two months later, where it garnered high praise for its exceptional rate of climb and high manoeuvrability. During late 1916, quantity production of

6545-484: Was known as "Hawker's Runabout". Another four similar aircraft have been tentatively identified as Sopwith Sparrows . Sopwith next developed a larger and more powerful aircraft as a fighter that was heavily influenced by this design, although controlled laterally with ailerons rather than by wing warping . The resulting aircraft was a single-bay, single-seat biplane with a fabric-covered wooden framework and staggered equal-span wings. The cross-axle type main landing gear

6630-404: Was more readily accomplished with a biplane. The smaller biplane wing allows greater maneuverability . Following World War I, this helped extend the era of the biplane and, despite the performance disadvantages, most fighter aircraft were biplanes as late as the mid-1930s. Specialist sports aerobatic biplanes are still made in small numbers. Biplanes suffer aerodynamic interference between

6715-417: Was much more manoeuvrable, especially over 15,000 ft (4,600 m) due to its low wing loading . Ace James McCudden stated that "When it came to manoeuvring, the Sopwith [Pup] would turn twice to an Albatros' once ... it was a remarkably fine machine for general all-round flying. It was so extremely light and well surfaced that after a little practice one could almost land it on a tennis court." However,

6800-608: Was possible to replace them with Camels in December 1917. The raids on London by Gotha bombers in mid-1917 caused far more damage and casualties than the earlier airship raids. The ineffective response by British interceptor units had serious political repercussions. In response, No. 66 Squadron was withdrawn to Calais for a short period, and No. 46 was transferred for several weeks to Sutton's Farm airfield near London. Two new Pup squadrons were formed specifically for Home Defence duties, No. 112 in July, and No. 61 in August. The first Pups delivered to Home Defence units utilised

6885-609: Was reduced and the single gun remained standard. Triplanes built by Oakley would have featured twin guns, an engineering change which severely delayed production. In June 1917, No. 4 Naval Squadron received the first Sopwith Camels and the advantages of the sturdier, better-armed fighter quickly became evident. Nos. 8 and 9 Naval Squadrons re-equipped with Camels between early July and early August 1917. No. 10 Naval Squadron converted in late August, turning over its remaining Triplanes to No. 1 Naval Squadron. No. 1 operated Triplanes until December, allegedly suffering heavy casualties as

6970-407: Was subsequently furnished with a single Vickers machine gun , which was mounted centrally in front of the cockpit. In July 1916, N500 was sent to Dunkirk for evaluation with "A" Naval Squadron, 1 Naval Wing. Being put into action within 15 minutes of its arrival to intercept enemy aircraft, N500 quickly proved to be highly successful. According to Bruce, it demonstrated exemplary maneuverability and

7055-554: Was supported by V-struts attached to the lower fuselage longerons . The prototype and most production Pups were powered by the 80 hp (60 kW) Le Rhône 9C rotary engine. The armament was a single 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun synchronized with the Sopwith-Kauper synchronizer . A prototype was completed in February 1916 and sent to Upavon for testing in late March. The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) quickly ordered two more prototypes, then placed

7140-427: Was the best Allied fighter at that time, a sentiment that was echoed by other German senior officers such as Ernst von Hoeppner . Multiple Triplanes were captured and subject to considerable evaluation and study. The Germans were so impressed by the aircraft's performance that it spawned a brief triplane craze among German aircraft manufacturers. Their efforts resulted in no fewer than 34 different prototypes, including

7225-777: Was widely used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) while the US Navy operated the Naval Aircraft Factory N3N . In later civilian use in the US, the Stearman became particularly associated with stunt flying such as wing-walking , and with crop dusting, where its compactness worked well at low levels, where it had to dodge obstacles. Modern biplane designs still exist in specialist roles such as aerobatics and agricultural aircraft with

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