Page:Dictionary of aviation.djvu/68

 44 DICTIONARY OF AVIATION

bight bait n. a loop of a line, in distinction from the ends of the line; a turn, bend, or loop in a kite^line.

bight bait tr. fold or double, as a kite^line, so as to form into one or more bights or loops. *

biplane 'bai,pi,een n. [also spelt biiplane\

1. a flying^ or gliding^machine having two planes or aerofoils, usually about equal in size and one above the the other, but sometimes unequal in size, and staggerd; an aerobiplane.

staggered biplane, a biplane aircraft having staggerd sustaining^planes. see stagger.

tandem biplane, an aeroplane flying^machine having two pairs of supporting^planes, or biplanes, placed tandem, or one after the other, as that designed by W. H. Walden.

2. any aerial device consisting of two superposed plane aerofoils, usually about equal in size : as, the elevator con- sists of a pivoted *biplane.

biplane 'bai,pz.een adj. having two planes, usually about equal in size, and superposed; twosplane : as, a *biplane kite : distinguish^ from monoplane, etc.

bipolar ,bai'poo-l9z adj. having two flexible axes : said of a kite tjied by Bazin in 1888, having net only the bow but also the central spine, flexible, so as to secure net only lateral but also longitudinal balance or equipoise. bird be:zd n. any fetherd vertebrate animal; a member of the class Aves, allied to the reptils but distinguisht by their warm blood, fethers, and adaptation of their foreslims as wings, with tuhich most species fly in the air.

aerial bird, see under aerial.

aquatic bird, a wading or a sunmmmg bird, as a duck.

bird of freedom, the American bald eagle.

bird of Jove, the eagle.

bird of Juno, the peacock.

bird of Minerva, the owl.

bird of night, the owl.

- bird of passage, a bird which regulary passes in the spring from a warmer to a colder climate, and back in the fall; a migratory bird; a migrant.

bird of peace, the dove.

bird of prey, a bird which seeks prey, as the hawk, eagle, owl; a bird of the order Raptores or Accipitjes.

bird of the year, a bird less than a year old.

bird of wonder, the fenix.

bird principle, the principle or method according to tuhich birds fly; the flapping^wing principle; the ernithepter idea.

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