Aviation history
Who designed the first composite aircraft?
It took roughly 30 years after composites were first introduced in aviation for them to be used as the primary structure of a certificated aircraft.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t a military derivative or a commercial airliner that came first, but a dentist from Texas. The Windecker Eagle claims the distinction of the first certificated composite aircraft. Designed by Leo Windecker and his wife, Fairfax, the Eagle entered the market in late 1969. It was a total flop.
The Eagle had decent stats, with a useful load of more than 1,200 pounds, and a cruise speed of around 175 knots. But the project was reported to cost north of $20 million, and like so many companies, Windecker wasn’t able to transition from certification to production.
The military has been experimenting with composite structures since the days of World War II, but commercial aircraft builders have been more cautious. Boeing used composites on interior parts in the 1960s, noncritical airframe parts in the 1970s, and finally on control surfaces in the 1980s. It wasn’t until the 787 that Boeing ventured into composite fuselage and wing construction. In fact, Spirit AeroSystems built Boeing’s first composite fuselage in 2008, 40 years after a dentist in Texas.
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