Originally Posted by
India Four Two
Going back to the Kinner Playboy, it is clear that a lot of effort was put into streamlining and drag reduction. I often wonder why the designer just didn't build a cantilever wing and get rid of all those wires. Was the weight penalty too much?
The arrangement is very much like the Boeing P-26; a braced monoplane with heavy emphasis on streamlining. I have seen it a lot and assume it's just the natural evolution from biplane to fully cantilevered metal monoplane. Possibly more about confidence of the designer and confidence of the owner/passenger than anything else? It does remind me of chicken rivets on composite structure, so again there isn't anything new under the sun...