Knell for Biplanes?

Fashions in fighting planes have changed since the War. Nearly all nations have gone over from the once popular biplane type to the monoplane. But the U. S. government has continued satisfied with the proven fighting performance of its Vought Corsairs, Curtiss Hawks and Falcons, Boeing Navy F4-B's and Army P12's, all biplanes. Last week Boeing Airplane Co., supplanting Curtiss as chief purveyor of single-seater fighters to the government, announced its latest experimental handiwork: a high-wing, cantilever, all-metal, parasol type of fighting monoplane. Experts in touch with Air Corps destinies foresaw in this announcement the ascension of monoplanes, the supplanting of biplanes, in the U. S. air forces.

The reluctance of the Air Corps to re-equip with monoplanes has been due to incomplete research into wing construction. At extreme speeds, a monoplane wing is subject to "flutter," or rhythmic oscillation, which leads to rapid destruction of the member involved. The new Boeing model has satisfactorily overcome this difficulty, performs better than its biplane cousin. Equipped with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp motor, supercharged to develop 475 h. p., it cruises at 165 m. p. h., has a high speed well in excess of 200 m. p. h. It carries two machine guns shooting through the propeller, a bomb-rack for a few small "eggs."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.