n (obsolete) A flying machine composed of aeroplanes. An aeroplane, particularly one constructed by or according to the design of w:Samuel Pierpont Langley|Samuel Pierpont Langley and w:Charles M. Manly|Charles M. Manly.'1911', s:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Aeronautics|Aeronautics, w:Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|Encyclopædia Britannica — The term aeroplane is understood to apply to flat sustaining surfaces, but experiment indicates that arched surfaces are more efficient. S. P. Langley proposed the word aerodrome, which seems the preferable term for apparatus with wing-line surfaces.