page_title: Biplane
section_title: Ultralight aircraft
hierarchical_section_title: Biplane / History / Ultralight aircraft
caption_attribution_description: English: At EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA
context_page_description: A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage over a monoplane, it produces more drag than a monoplane wing. Improved structural techniques, better materials and higher speeds made the biplane configuration obsolete for most purposes by the late 1930s.
  Biplanes offer several advantages over conventional cantilever monoplane designs: they permit lighter wing structures, low wing loading and smaller span for 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.
context_section_description: Although most ultralights are monoplanes, 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–), the Lite Flyer Biplane, the Sherwood Ranger, and the Murphy Renegade.
caption: Mauro Solar Riser electric-powered ultralight biplane
exif: {}