Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-06

mate form and that the
future probably will bring air
craft as little resembling those Of
today as the modern airplane re-
SembleS the early Wright biplane
aeronautical research laboratories
are opening the new year with
studies based upon the premise
that the best method now in pros
pect for securing any material i'm
provement in airplane efficiency
by aerodynamic methods will be
to reduce air resistance by de-
velopment of the so-called clean
design.
There are many engineers who
hold that the modern theory of
airfoils has proved beyond any
reasonable doubt that there is
little hope of designing wing sec
tionS much more efficient than
those of today. This narrowS the
field for aerodynamic improve
ment to the development of eff
cheney by reducing air friction and
turbulence caused by elements
other than the wings.
MOnOpIaneS Studied.
In their search for the clean
design, one school of airplane
builders has turned to the mono
plane, with the wings built on the
"cantilever" principle, or with
strut-braceS. In the cantilever
type, found in the Fokker planes,
all wing bracing is contained
within the wings and there are no
outside struts or wires to inter-
fere with the air flow The strut
braced type is adopted by many
of the smaller cabin monoplane
builders and is seen in such planes
as the Ryan, CurtisS, Robin and
StinSon- Detroiter. Certain design
erS, notably Bellanca, recognizing
the deSirability of strut braces in
connection with the monoplane
type, have widened the struts into
a semi wing to aid in giving lift,
resulting in the "SeSquiplane," or
'plane-and-a-half."
Though the monoplane type
seemingly should be cleaner and
aerodynamically more efficient
than the biplane, with it's exposed
struts and wires between the
wings, results in many cases have
not been all that engineers hoped
to obtain. MonoplaneS have failed
to show any marked superiority
over biplaneS designed for the
same purposes, and there have
been instances where monoplaneS,
produced by experienced and
skilled designers, have fallen far
short of biplaneS in actual per-
Torrance. AS result we find the
biplane almost universally adopted
for military purposes by the lead
ing nations.
British Developed Warrior.
The British army, however, has
developed a monoplane pursuit
ship which is claimed to have a
top speed of 100 miles per hour
eAd to be as maneuverable as
'biplane. This plane now is being
tested in actual service and de-
finite performance figures should
be available soon. The monoplane
type also is favored for racing
purposes, and it is probable that
practically all Of the planes which
will be entered in the Schneider
cup races in England next Summer
will be Of the Single-wing type.
Although the monoplane is used
almost universally for multi
rnotored commercial air transport
work, the Army Air Corps has
found the biplane better adapted
to bombing purposes, where great
weights must be carried long dis
tanceS.
Although each type has it's own
drawbacks, nothing better has
been devised as yet, and we prob
ably will see conventional mono
planes and biplanes used in their
own respective fields for some time
to come. The triplane types
which appeared during the World
War almost entirely have disap-
peared.
Fuselage, motor and landing
gear air resistance or drag" form
problems which are under search
ing study in the aeronautical lab