Largest aircraft, biplane ever
Who
Navy Curtiss NC-4
What
38.4/20.8 metre(s)
Where
United States ()
When
1918
The largest ever biplanes were four aircraft built for the US Navy in 1918 by the Curtiss company (designated NC 1-4). They had a wingspan of 38.4 m (126 ft), were 20.8 m (68 ft 3 in) long and had an operational weight of around 12,000 kg (26,400 lb). The aircraft were powered by four 300 kW (400 hp) Liberty engines and had a top speed of 137 km/h (85 mph). They were designed as long-range anti-submarine aircraft, intended to sink German submarines in WWI, but the war ended before they could enter service. Two aircraft were destroyed while trying to become the first planes to fly across the Atlantic, and a third was cannibalised for parts, leaving just one operational aircraft (NC-4) by the end of May 1919.