AIRSHIPS AND AIRPLANES 315 



posed to -the weather, but in the later ones inclosed cabins 

 are made. 



Types of airplanes. Two types of airplanes are being 

 commonly used, the monoplane and the biplane. And in 

 recent years triplanes are being made. The monoplane has 

 one large plane on each side; while the biplane has two 

 planes on each side, one above the other. Biplanes are 

 slower than monoplanes, but they can carry heavier loads. 

 A brief description will be given of one of each of the first 

 two types. 



Bleriot monoplane. The Bleriot monoplane, which is made 

 to carry two passengers, is 2 7^ feet long and has a span from 



Top staying wires v JiWres to edge of wing 



Wires fixing front edge of wna^ \, // /Toppy/one 



7 ^ \ x < < '-"-^edgeofwng 



Wry 



"""3 ^4 X "T^^STi T^W^-- 



Tr siting edge of win 



FIG. 128. Bleriot monoplane. 



tip to tip of 36 feet. The area of the main plane is 263 square 

 feet. The whole machine weighs 700 pounds, and it is driven 

 by a gasoline engine of 50 horse power. One lever, moved 

 by hand, controls the warping of the wings when moved in 

 one direction, and governs the lifting tail when moved in 

 another. The rudder is controlled by a foot pedal. 



Wright biplane. The Wright biplane has two canvas- 

 covered wings arranged one above the other about 6 feet 

 apart. Each wing is 40 feet wide and 6 feet long. The 

 total area of these wings is 500 square feet. In the first 

 machines there were placed in front two smaller horizontal 

 planes, with an area of about 60 square feet, which could be 



