Classification of Aircraft (based on Number of wings)
Aircrafts are also classified on the basis of the number of wings. Having multiple wings means that the same aircraft can produce more lift for the same wingspan, as they have a greater wing area. As a result, the biplanes, monoplanes and triplanes have lesser wing loading, which results in shorter to/landing and lower stall speeds. In this article we are going to discuss about the different types of aircraft based on the number of wings.
There are three types of airplane classified on the basis of the number of wings which are as follows :-
1. Monoplanes
2. Biplanes
3. Triplanes
Monoplane
It is a Fixed Wing Aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces or an aircraft with a single main wing plane. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing configuration and is the simplest to build. However, during the early years of flight these advantages were offset by its greater weight and lower manoeuvrability, making it relatively rare until the 1930s. Since then the monoplane has been the most common form for a fixed-wing aircraft.
The Monoplanes can be classified on the basis of the position of wing which are :-
1. Low Wing Aircraft
2. Mid Wing Aircraft
3. Shoulder wing Aircraft
4. High wing Aircraft
5. Parasol wing Aircraft
Low Wing Aircraft
A low wing is one which is located on or near the base of the fuselage.
Placing the wing low down allows good visibility upwards and frees up the central fuselage from the wing spar carry-through. By reducing pendulum stability it makes the aircraft more manoeuvrable. A feature of the low wing position is its significant ground effect, giving the plane a tendency to float further before landing.Conversely, this very ground effect permits shorter takeoffs.
Mid Wing Aircraft
A mid wing is mounted midway up the fuselage. It is aerodynamically the cleanest and most balanced, but the carry-through spar structure can reduce the useful fuselage volume near its centre of gravity, where space is often in most demand. It is common on high-performance types such as Glider (sailplanes).
Shoulder wing Aircraft
A shoulder wing (a category between high-wing and mid-wing) is a configuration whereby the wing is mounted near the top of the fuselage, but not on the very top. It is so called because it sits on the "shoulder" of the fuselage, rather than on the pilot's shoulder. Shoulder-wings and high-wings share some characteristics, namely: they support a pendulous fuselage which requires no wing dihedral for stability; and, by comparison with a low-wing, a shoulder-wing's limited ground effect reduces float on landing. Compared to a low-wing, shoulder-wing and high-wing configurations give increased propeller clearance on multi-engined aircraft.
High wing Aircraft
A high wing has its upper surface on or above the top of the fuselage. It shares many advantages and disadvantages with the shoulder wing, but on a light aircraft the high wing has poorer upwards visibility. On light aircraft such as the Cessna 152, the wing is usually located on top of the pilot's cabin, so that the centre of lift broadly coincides with the centre of gravity.
Parasol wing Aircraft
A parasol wing aircraft is essentially a biplane without the lower pair of wings. The parasol wing is not directly attached to the fuselage, but is held above it, supported either by cabane struts or by a single pylon. Additional bracing may be provided by struts extending from the fuselage sides. Some early gliders had an open cockpit and a parasol wing mounted on a pylon.
Biplanes
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. The primary advantage of the biplane over the more traditional single plane or monoplane is to combine great stiffness with light weight. Stiffness requires structural depth and, where early monoplanes had to have this added with complicated extra bracing, the box kite or biplane naturally has a deep structure and is therefore easier to make both light and strong. A braced monoplane wing must support itself fully, while the two wings of a biplane help to stiffen each other. The biplane is therefore inherently stiffer than the monoplane.
Triplanes
A triplane is a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with three vertically stacked wing planes. Tailplanes and canard foreplanes are not normally included in this count, although they may be occasionally.
