Aircraft Building Has Come Out of the Woods

Timber holds a special place as the primordial material in airplane construction.

Tuesday, January 02, 2024 at 12:57 PM ET

Verified

American aviator Howard Hughes (in hat) atop his flying boat the Spruce Goose (a Hughes H-4 Hercules), directing operations for the launch at Long Beach, California, on November 6, 1947. Here the aircraft is towed away from its dry dock on Terminal Island. [Library of Congress]

Key Takeaways:

Early aviation extensively relied on wood, valued for its strength-to-weight ratio, ease of repair, and smooth surfaces, despite some projects like the Bell XP-77 not meeting expectations.
Cultural biases profoundly shaped the acceptance of wood in aircraft manufacturing, with the U.S. largely rejecting it as outdated in favor of "modern" metal, while Britain embraced it for performance-driven designs like the Mosquito.
Ultimately, despite its historical importance and specific advantages, wood was largely superseded by metal construction as the dominant material in aviation, becoming a relic of the past.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Among the volumes crumbling on my bookshelves is one entitled American Combat Planes, by the late historian Ray Wagner. Originally published in 1960, it presents trading card-sized photos of countless airplanes, together with their specifications and a running narrative of the history of American military aviation, beginning with World War I. From time to time, when leafing through it in search of something else, I have happened upon a sweet-looking little airplane incongruously wedged between the school bus-sized Republic XP-72 and General Motors XP-75.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

If you're not already a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today to get the issue as soon as it is released in either Print or Digital formats.