What were the main types of aeroplanes used during the pre-WWI period in the U.S.?
The Curtiss Model D Biplane (left, the Curtiss Reims Machine with front elevator assembly, the precursor to the Curtiss Model D Biplane) was by far the most commonly used biplane in the United States especially in its “headless” form, flown by both amateurs and exhibition aviators. The Wright Model B Biplane (right) was also frequently used, especially by exhibition aviators. Cal Rodgers used a Wright EX, a version of the Wright Model B, for his transcontinental flight of 1911. Among monoplanes, the Blériot XI (left), especially the versions using rotary engines and ‘racing’ wings, was by far the most frequently used. Because the Blériot XI monoplane was expensive to build and repair, when it was flown it was most often by exhibition aviators. Many Blériot XI monoplanes, notably simplified versions of them, were built by amateurs, although it appears that they were not flown as much as other types, perhaps because they were so unforgiving of errors. The French Antoinette Mo
