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Metal Airplane
The German company Junkers made a prototype metal plane. The Junkers J1, better known as "Donkey Tin" was a milestone in history. From then on, more resistant metallic alloys began to be integrated into the fuselages. -
Ribs
It is the optimization of the excesses that are left for the completion of the pieces. In this case, it is necessary to take into account that the greater the stock, the greater the cutting forces. For this reason, it is important to reach a compromise between both factors in order to obtain satisfactory machining. -
Autopilot
It was a breakthrough in civil aviation. Not only did they have a greater cargo capacity, but telecommunications and air navigation equipment were improved. -
Completely metallic
The most significant model of this era was the Douglas DC-3, launched in 1935. It was fast, reliable, easy to maintain and comfortable for its passengers, and in fact, hundreds of examples of this family still fly today; they are an aerial testament to how durable a metal plane can be. -
Materials airplane and spacecraft
The composition is made up of steel fibers, glass, carbon, aluminum oxide crystals, iron, etc. The material matrix is made of metal alloys (again aluminum, titanium and magnesium) or synthetic resins, such as epoxy or polyester.
The most durable and light materials that man has chosen to build spacecraft to date are alloys of titanium, aluminum and magnesium. -
Sputnik
It was an aluminum sphere the size of a spade ball, just 58 centimeters in diameter, weighing just over 80 kilos, with four long and thin antennas. -
Cabin
It was a DC-9, a plane that began to fly what at first may seem like a jumble of logical guard buttons that was refined over time. -
Lockheed Constellation
With four propellers and piston engines it was the first to be named "Air Force One". It allowed to establish affordable and comfortable air travel for the masses. -
Partial double decker
First wide-body airliner, the partial double-decker, four-engine Boeing 747. New wide-body trijets soon followed, including the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. -
Carbon fiber
Fiberglass was the first super lightweight composite material to be used in aircraft.
In 1975, the AS350 Écureuil helicopter's main rotor was made of fiberglass composite, which significantly reduced the number of parts used for this design. However, the rigidity of the material resulted in it being little used in the structures of other transport aircraft. -
Wide body twin engine
The first wide-body twin engine, the Airbus A300. This period became known as the "Wide Body Wars" -
Space Shuttle Discovery
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off at the start of the STS-120 mission. The Shuttle components included the Orbital Vehicle (OV), a pair of solid recoverable booster rockets (SRBs) and the expendable External Tank (ET) containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. -
Oxygen mask
There are two systems: a chemical oxygen generator system connected to all masks in the compartment and
A gaseous collector system, which connects all oxygen masks to a central oxygen supply, usually in the cargo hold area. -
Carbon fiber wings
Airbus' work on building carbon fiber wings for the A400M laid the foundation for the A350 XWB.
However, metals have not become obsolete: the A350 XWB still has parts made of metal and titanium, and almost 20 percent of it is made of aluminium-lithium alloy, making it possible to use the world's lightest metal, lithium, and reduce the weight of aluminum while improving strength, durability and corrosion resistance. -
Aeronautical Digitization
One of the main advances in recent years has been carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which is a clear example of high-tech development in the aerospace sector that has later been transferred to other sectors.
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