Wing load of biplanes?

[Rangifer]

Hello!

I am building a biplane so I started thinking of wing loadings.

If you have one monoplane weighing 1 kg (2,3 lb) and one bipe weighing the same with the higher wing having the same area as the monoplane wing.

Shouldn't the biplane have much less wingload and therefore be able to fly slower?

I have a gut feeling that i'm missing something! :o

Maybe you wouldn't have the higher wing with the same area as the monoplane's wing, such that the total wing area of the two smaller wing of the biplane are not so much greater than the mono?

/Jojje

[slipstick]

If you build a plane with 2 wings the same size and it somehow still only weighs the same as the plane with only one wing of that same size it will have only half the wing loading and will probably fly slower. Of course if it has struts, flying wires etc it will also be more draggy and the wings will probably not be 100% effective because of interference between them.

But the main thing is that I find that two of something usually weighs more than one of something so a biplane will almost always weigh more than a monoplane with only half the wing area.

Steve

[DRETW]

www.roomflight.com has a tech support page that might help you solve this question. With a biplane, you only get about 85% of the effectiveness of a monoplane.So two 50 sq. in. wings are as efficent as one 85 sq. in. wing. As for total weight, the "truss" effect of a biplane with its struts and rigging wires and all make them stronger ( so they can be built lighter ) than a monoplane and still handle the same 'G' forces. This reason , and the fact they were more maneuvarable , is why biplanes were so popular in the early (ww1) years.
Hope this helps.

[Rangifer]

Thanks both!

Now I understand better.

/Jojje