Monoplane

Low wing on a Supermarine Spitfire

Mid wing on a de Havilland Vampire T11

High wing on a de Havilland Canada Dash 8

Parasol wing on R.J. Mitchell's 1930 Supermarine Air Yacht

A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.

A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing configuration and is the simplest to build. However, during the early years of flight, these advantages were offset by its greater weight and lower manoeuvrability, making it relatively rare until the 1930s. Since then, the monoplane has been the most common form for a fixed-wing aircraft.