In the minds of most aviators, the word biplane is likely to be associated with vintage aeroplanes, or the Pitts Special. The biplane configuration itself was probably made obsolete in the 1930s, yet there are still plenty of aircraft with two wings flying–and in many cases, flying hard–and home builders keep building them. And you can even buy a brand-new Pitts from the Aviat factory, or a Great Lakes or a YMF from the Waco factory.
What makes a biplane a viable option for some aerial activities? It seems that for some applications, biplanes still offer advantages, and for the sake of nostalgia, biplanes can be very attractive.
What is a biplane?
It seems a simple enough question to answer, but there are some complicating nuances. The Collins dictionary has an almost insulting definition of “an old-fashioned type of aeroplane with two pairs of wings, one above the other”, and the Oxford definition likewise includes the phrase “early type of aircraft”. Another definition clarifies that the two sets of wings have “one above and usually slightly forward of the other”.
To be fair, a classic biplane–be it a Boeing Stearman, a Tiger Moth, a Sopwith Camel, or a Pitts Special–does usually have the top wing forward of the bottom. But many types, such as the Vickers Vimy, have wings stacked directly above each other. A beautiful reversal is the Beech Model 17 Staggerwing, which