Why does Cessna build aircraft with aluminum as the primary structural material instead of employing so-called “modern” composite materials?
Cessna has many years of experience manufacturing and assembling aluminum airframes. Modern construction does not necessarily mean composite. Many of today’s most advanced aircraft including the Boeing 777, the Gulfstream V and Cessna’s own Mach 0.92 Citation X are made from aluminum. In the professional opinion of Cessna’s advanced design engineering group, we do not yet feel the long-promised benefits of composite construction have been realized to the extent that they out-weigh the concerns of manufacturing with these materials. Real concerns with composites remain in the areas of: weight, cost, field repairability, environmental susceptibility (primarily heat/sunlight), long-term structural integrity and lightning protection. Until these issues are fully resolved, Cessna feels aluminum aircraft offer the best combination of proven technology, value, service and reliability for our customers.
