Editing Triplane (section)

===Pioneer years===
[[File:Roe III Triplane.jpg|thumb|A British [[Roe III Triplane]] in the [[United States]] in September 1910 with its designer, [[Alliot Verdon Roe]], in the [[cockpit]].]]
[[File:Aeroplane Bousson Borguis (driven by Paul Borguis) LCCN2014682118.tif|thumb| Bousson-Borgnis canard  triplane]]
The first heavier-than-air machine to carry a human on a free, untethered flight was a triplane glider constructed by [[George Cayley]] and flown in 1848. It was modern in form, having three stacked wings above the fuselage and a separate stabilising tail with both fin and tailplane. The wings were of typical Cayley kite-like planform having a low aspect ratio. The craft was not large enough to carry an adult so a local boy was chosen as the passenger. His name is not known.<ref>Wragg, D.; ''Flight before flying'', Osprey, 1974, Page 60</ref>{{sfn|Angelucci|Matricardi|1977|p=14}}

Between 1907 and 1911 a number of pioneers experimented with triplanes, some capable of flight and others not. None proved outstanding, although the series produced by A.V. Roe had some success and sold in small numbers.

In 1907 the Danish pioneer [[Jacob Ellehammer]] flew a powered [[Ellehammer triplane|triplane]] and would later receive a prize for flying it in Germany.

The French Bousson-Borgnis [[canard (aeronautics)|canard]] triplane of 1908 was a failure. The [[Goupy No.1]], designed in 1908 by Ambroise Goupy and built by [[Voisin (aircraft)|Voisin]], was more successful. A few weeks after the Goupy No.1 flew, Hans Grade's triplane became the first German-built aeroplane to fly. In the same year Farman modified his original Voisin machine to triplane configuration, and [[Émile Dorand|Dorand]] constructed a military triplane.

In 1909 the American [[Morris Bokor]] constructed his own canard triplane<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1909/1909%20-%200378.html ''Flight'', 26 June 1909, Page 380]</ref> and the Frenchman [[Alfred Groos]] constructed a triplane which failed to fly. Through 1909 and 1910 the British aviation pioneer [[Alliot Verdon Roe|A.V. Roe]] built a series of four experimental triplanes&mdash;types [[Roe I Triplane|I]], [[Roe II Triplane|II]], [[Roe III Triplane|III]] and [[Roe IV Triplane|IV]]&mdash;and selling a small number of his Type II and III designs, before abandoning the triplane.

[[Alexander Graham Bell]] was experimenting with an "octahedral" wing design and in 1910 built a triplane example, the [[Bell Oionus I|Oionus I]], which failed to fly.

In 1911 the Belgian [[César Battaille]] constructed a triplane capable of short flights or hops, and the Russian Rodjestveisky also constructed a triplane.