To make the shell, thin strips of wood were laminated into a three dimensional shape; a technique adopted from boat hull construction. One of the earliest examples was the Deperdussin Monocoque racer in 1912, which used a laminated fuselage made up of three layers of glued poplar veneer, which provided both the external skin and the main load-bearing structure.Aeronautics, 1912, p. 112 This also produced a smoother surface and reduced drag so effectively that it was able to win most of the races it was entered into.
To make the shell, thin strips of wood were laminated into a three dimensional shape; a technique adopted from boat hull construction. One of the earliest examples was the Deperdussin Monocoque racer in 1912 which used a laminated fuselage made up of three layers of glued poplar veneer, which provided both the external skin and the main load-bearing structure.Aeronautics, 1912 p. 112 This also produced a smoother surface and reduced drag so effectively that it was able to win most of the races it was entered into.