May 18, 2007
General Story on Composites in Aircraft - Not Quickstep Specific.
The 787 has redefined what the 21st century airliner will be and thus it is hardly surprising that the aircraft is the fastest selling in history, with 583 sold to date.
The durability of the composites is outstanding with no maintenance required on any 777 composite structures, while composites used on 737s and DC-10s are in perfect order.
According to Boeing's Melbourne-based Hawker de Havilland general manager of business development Tony Carolan, the durability of composites is extraordinary.
"We have replaced the wing flaps on the C-130 Hercules Transport for the Royal Australian Air Force. These metal flaps normally start cracking after 3000 hours. We stopped testing the composite flaps at 60,000 hours."