Aerospace

Rising fuel costs, environmental regulations and an increase in airline traffic have helped drive the increasing use of composite materials in the aerospace industry. Composites are used in military, business and commercial aircraft of all sizes, including spacecraft.

Airbus to test New Laminar Wing on the A340

According to a report from Flightglobal, Airbus will soon start flight testing an A340 that has been fitted with experimental laminar-flow wing sections. The effort is part of a larger EU-funded technology...

Aerospace Industry Poised to Redefine the Wing

Composite innovation centers seek to address production challenges and explore new material combinations. In many areas, the aerospace design and manufacturing industry – with its tight tolerances and...

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First Ever US-Built Airbus A320 Takes Off

On August 15, the first Airbus A320 aircraft to be produced at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Ala., flew for the first time. The flight lasted approximately four hours, during which tests...

Airbus Perlan 2 Sets the Bar Higher with New Altitude Record

The Perlan 2, a composite-intensive, engineless glider from Airbus, has set another new altitude record. Back in May, the glider flew 30,615 ft. while flying over the Sierra Mountains. This month, the glider...

Airbus Delivers its 100th A350 XWB

Last Wednesday, Airbus delivered its 100th A350 XWB, just 30 months after the first delivery of the widebody aircraft in December 2014. The 100th aircraft delivered is an A350-900 for China Airlines. “The...

Facebook Drone made with Composites Lands Successfully for the First Time

On June 29, Facebook announced the second test flight of Aquila – the company’s unmanned, solar-powered plane that will beam internet to remote parts of the world. During the plane’s first test last...