Ask an Explainer

Many commonly used aircraft are made of high quantities of aluminum because it is both strong and light weight. The original airplane, the Wright Flyer, was made of wood and cloth. For many years airplanes used these materials, but to make faster and more stable airplanes, engineers turned to other resources. Nowadays, airplanes are often made of multiple different materials. Examples of other materials commonly used are steel and titanium. The reasons aluminum is often picked is because it is relatively lightweight for the amount of strength it produces. However, it loses its strength at high temperatures and so cannot be used for airplanes that go extremely fast.