Biplane



Equalist biplanes are quick-maneuvering aircraft capable of delivering powerful bombs and torpedoes as well as rearward firing bolas for defense against other aircraft. They were engineered by Hiroshi Sato.

History
Upon the arrival of the United Forces in Republic City's harbor, several Equalist biplanes began flying towards the fleet, launching bombs and torpedoes at the battleships. One of these biplanes was being flown by Hiroshi Sato. During the battle, General Iroh launched a number of firebending blasts towards a biplane that was headed straight for the helm of his ship, but was tossed into the harbor by an explosion caused by one of the biplane's bombs. After the battle, the planes emerged victorious, having successfully destroyed the entire fleet of battleships.

Later on, General Iroh, who had been rescued by Korra, sent a wire to Commander Bumi, telling him not to bring the second wave of reinforcements any closer to the city until he had taken care of the biplane problem. Iroh, Bolin, and Asami then discovered the location of the Equalists' airfield and decided to infiltrate the base. Upon their arrival, however, the group was captured and imprisoned. While in the cell, they were visited by Hiroshi Sato, who told them that he had intercepted General Iroh's transmission and knew exactly where Bumi's fleet was hiding and that he planned on destroying the fleet. A few moments later, after Hiroshi had left, Naga broke into the base and freed Iroh, Bolin, and Asami from their cell. The group then headed outside, toward the airstrips.

Upon reaching the airstrips, General Iroh decided to go after a biplane that was preparing to take-off. Through utilizing his firebending in a manner similar to jet-propulsion, the General managed to catch up to the moving biplane and hijack it, causing the Equalist pilot to bail out and deploy his parachute. Although Iroh found the biplane difficult to control at first, he eventually managed to catch up with the rest of the fleet and began attacking the other planes. Although he was doing well at first, his plane was destroyed when another biplane launched a bola at his engine, causing its blades to stop rotating. Iroh then utilized his firebending once more to propel himself onto the wing of another biplane. Once on the wing, he launched another fireblast, which destroyed the engine of a biplane in front of him. Iroh then successfully hijacked the plane he currently was on. His luck didn't last very long, however, as his new biplane was attacked and damaged by another aircraft that had dropped a bomb on him from above. Before the attacking biplane had the chance to drop even more bombs, Iroh launched an upward firebending blast, causing the bombs to detonate in the attacking aircraft's bomb bay, effectively destroying it. Soon after this success, Iroh was forced to abandon his biplane, as it was headed straight for the statue of Avatar Aang on Aang Memorial Island. After Iroh jumped out and grabbed onto the Equalist banner hanging from the statue's staff, the plane he had stolen crashed into the statue's head, causing the giant Amon mask to fall off.

Back at the airfield, Bolin used his earthbending to destroy the individual airstrips, thus stopping any more biplanes from taking off.

Design


The Equalist biplanes have three engines, one in 'pull' configuration on the front of the fuselage, as well as one in 'push' configuration mounted under the edge of each upper wing.

The biplanes are also equipped with various weapons for combat. Located on the underside of the aircraft is a bomb bay that, when opened, will drop numerous powerful bombs on the targeted areas. The biplanes are also equipped with torpedoes that, once in the water, continue on a straight trajectory, under their own power and detonate on impact with another object. As a means of self-defense against any airborne threat, the biplanes have a compartment located beneath the cockpit capable of shooting bolas at anything behind them, which can become entangled in the engines of an enemy planes.

Weaknesses
Due to their relatively small size, flimsy build, flamable components, and lack of defensive armor, the biplanes can be easily destroyed once hit. However, their small size and high air-borne speeds make them difficult targets. Regardless, one hit to a biplane's fragile structure will likely render them useless and force its pilot to bail out.

Trivia

 * Upon seeing the biplanes flying towards Republic City's harbor, Bolin rhetorically asked Asami how her father managed to find the time to continuously create "evil machines".
 * The aircraft's design has similarities to the Airco DH.4, a British airplane designed for bombing during World War I.
 * While it is a biplane, the bends on the bottom wings and the fact that it is a bomber pose similarities to the Stuka, a dedicated dive-bombing aircraft that was utilized by Nazi Germany during World War II.
 * The manner in which General Iroh, Bolin, and Asami destroyed the biplane armada is very similar to how Sokka, Toph, and Suki destroyed the Fire Nation airship fleet 70 years earlier.