A monoplane is an aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane.
The main distinction in types of monoplane is how the wings attach to the fuselage:
- low-wing, the wing lower surface is level with the bottom of the fuselage
- mid-wing, the wing is mounted mid-way up the fuselage
- shoulder-wing, the wing is mounted above the fuselage middle (rare)
- high-wing, the wing upper surface is level with the top of the fuselage
- parasol, the wing is mounted above the fuselage (now rare)
Louis Bleriot flew across the English Channel in 1909 in a mid-wing monoplane of his own design. The Fokker 'Eindecker' of 1915 was a successful fighter aircraft.
Monoplanes then went out of fashion, until after 1930. Most military aircraft of WW2 were monoplanes, as have been all turbo-jet powered aircraft since.
