They were making certain planes with wood fuselages even during WWII, but I don’t think I’d like to fly in an airliner made of densified wood.
I think the most famous was the British Mosquito, a twin engine fighter bomber. Known for its high performance. PT boats were also made from plywood. IIRC they both used Merlin V12 engines (beautiful sounding engine, also in P51 Mustangs and Spitfires) , although the PT boat had three of them.
“They were making certain planes with wood fuselages even during WWII, but I don’t think I’d like to fly in an airliner made of densified wood.”
Another benefit of making planes out of wood is that wood is a naturally radar absorbent material, a very low-tech approach to getting stealth technology.
“They were making certain planes with wood fuselages even during WWII, but I don’t think I’d like to fly in an airliner made of densified wood.”
De Havilland Mosquito bomber.
“...but I don’t think I’d like to fly in an airliner made of densified wood.”
You will like it, if no choice. Decades ago, I vowed to fly over an ocean in a 2-engine jet...so much for that vow over the years.
As to this, I worry about composites. Their early history, with much smaller planes, was that they’d seem all good and fine through many pressurization cycles, and then BOOM! you have 100,000 small pieces to pick up...and forget investigating, of course.
As it is, that’s life...
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