The companyhopes its 787 airlinerwillbethe first with a pressurised fuselage made from lightweight, fuel-saving carbon-fibrereinforcedplastic (CFRP) compositematerials, rather than aluminium.
Worldwide, airlines have been slowly but steadily putting into operation two next-generation aircraft -- Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 -- both of which have shells made heavily of composite materials, such as carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, instead of aluminium.
One of the ways that Chapman added lightness to his cars, the use of composite materials such as carbonfibre and glass-reinforced plastic, is not that practical either.