Why was the word “aeroplane” used instead of “airplane”?
In the U.S., until The Great War (World War I), aeroplane was the term used almost universally for heavier-than-air flying machines. “Airplane” came into general usage during World War I, so that after that horrific conflict “aeroplanes” were known as “airplanes.” Perhaps one reason for this change was the fact that aeroplane was often misspelled, becoming areoplane, aroplane and the like. Heavier-than-air flying machines of the pioneer period should therefore always be referred to as “aeroplanes.
