Posted on

Video answers: ‘What makes airplanes light enough to fly?’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. They’re engineered to withstand 1.5 times the most extreme forces they would meet in flight.
  2. Aluminium was the standard material used by manufacturers in aircraft design for decades.
  3. It was their choice because it is lighter and much cheaper than titanium, which was another possibility.
  4. About 20% of a modern-day plane is pure aluminium.
  5. Nowadays manufactures like to use composites, which are light, flexible, strong, and can be easily moulded into complex shapes.

Follow us on twitter here, Facebook here or Google+ here for more great content!