triplane
Three-tiered flying machine
A triplane is an aircraft with three sets of wings stacked vertically, one above another.
This configuration was used briefly in early aviation—most famously the Fokker Dr.I flown by the Red Baron in World War I—before biplanes and monoplanes proved more practical.
The design offered high lift in a compact wingspan but created excessive drag.
German WWI flying ace
- dogfightClose combat between aircraft
- aceSingle-pip card
- squadronMilitary aviation unit
- escadrilleFrench aerial unit
rotary engine · machine gun · flying circus · aerodrome · Western Front · Allied Powers · Central Powers · armistice
Close combat between aircraft
- maneuverDeliberate tactical movement
- strafingAerial gunfire at ground
- sortieArmed raid outward
- engagementCommitment to wed or attend
tactics · gunnery · pursuit · evasion · Immelmann turn · wingman · formation · patrol
Touring rural areas performing
- wooden frameStructural timber assembly
- propellerRotating blades creating thrust
- radial engineMotor with hub-spoke cylinder arrangement
- taildraggerAircraft with rear-mounted wheel
spoked wheels · airshow · restoration · museum · replica · antique · collectible · warbird
Lift-generating curved surface
- dihedralAngle joining two planes
- cantileverBeam supported one end
- wingletUpturned aircraft tip extension
- aileronWing-mounted roll control
fuselage · rigging · lift · drag · maneuverability · climb rate · wing loading · aspect ratio
Red Baron
German WWI flying ace
escadrille · rotary engine · machine gun · flying circus · aerodrome · Western Front · Allied Powers · Central Powers · armistice · chivalry
dogfight
Close combat between aircraft
engagement · tactics · gunnery · pursuit · evasion · Immelmann turn · wingman · formation · patrol · interception
barnstorming
Touring rural areas performing
- wooden frameStructural timber assembly
- propellerRotating blades creating thrust
- radial engineMotor with hub-spoke cylinder arrangement
taildragger · spoked wheels · airshow · restoration · museum · replica · antique · collectible · warbird · aviatrix
airfoil
Lift-generating curved surface
- dihedralAngle joining two planes
- cantileverBeam supported one end
- wingletUpturned aircraft tip extension
aileron · fuselage · rigging · lift · drag · maneuverability · climb rate · wing loading · aspect ratio · stagger
- aircraftairliner, airplanes, planes, fighter, jets
- threestrio, triad, triple, triplet, trinity
- Early AviationWright brothers, Wright Flyer, first flight, Kitty Hawk, Orville Wright
- WWI Aviationair combat, aerial combat, dogfights, fighter pilots, ace pilots
- planesjet, airliner, fighter jet, seaplane, glider
- wing anatomyforewing, hindwing, venation, wing membrane, wing shape