Page "Biplane" Paragraph 17

Many biplanes were designed with the wings positioned directly " one-above-the-other ," as was first done with the Wright's 1903 Flyer I.

Moving one wing forward relative to the other can help increase lift and reduce drag, though it may distort the box girder effect of the wing and reduce the structural benefits of the biplane layout.

Many biplanes have been designed with the upper wing positioned with its leading edge ahead of the that of the lower wing, in a " positive stagger " format ( a common example from the 1930's is the layout found for the Waco Standard Cabin series ).

Less common have been biplanes with the lower wing's leading edge ahead of the upper wing, called " negative stagger ".

Examples of negative stagger include the Airco DH. 5, Sopwith Dolphin, and the Beechcraft Staggerwing.