monoplane at once leaped into
favour, and the famous "bird man" had henceforth to confine his efforts
to the building of machines and the organization of flying events. He
has since established a large factory in France and inaugurated a flying
school at Pau.

All the time that the Wrights were experimenting with their glider and
biplane in America, and the Voisin brothers were constructing biplanes
in France, Bleriot had been giving earnest attention to the production
of a real "bird" machine, provided with one pair of FLAPPING wings. We
know now that such an aeroplane is not likely to be of practical use,
but with quiet persistence Bleriot kept to his task, and succeeded in
evolving the famous Antoinette monoplane, which more closely resembles a
bird than does any other form of air-craft.

In the illustration of the Bleriot monoplane here given you will notice
that there is one main plane, consisting of a pair of highly-cambered
wings; hence the name "MONOplane". At the rear of the machine there is
a much smaller plane, which is slightly cambered; this is the elevating
plane, and it can be tilted up or down in order to raise or lower the
machine. Remember that the elevating plane of a biplane is to the front
of the machine and in the monoplane at the rear. The small, upright
plane G is the rudder, and is used for steering the machine to the right
or left. The long narrow body or framework of the monoplane is known as
the FUSELAGE.

By a close study of the illustration, and the description which
accompanies it, you will understand how the machine is driven. The main
plane is twisted, or warped, when banking, much in the same way that the
Wright biplane is warped.

Far greater speed can be obtained from the monoplane than from the
biplane, chiefly because in the former machine there is much less
resistance to the air. Both height and speed records stand to the credit
of the monoplane.

The enormous difference in the speeds of monoplanes and biplanes can be
best seen at a race meeting at some aerodrome. Thus at Hendon, when a
speed handicap is in progress, the slow biplanes have a start of one or
two laps over the rapid little monoplanes in a six-lap contest, and
it is most amusing to see the latter dart under, or over, the more
cumbersome biplane. Recently however, much faster biplanes have been
built, and they bid fair to rival the swiftest monoplanes in speed.

There is, however, one serious drawback to the us