'Plastic planes'take off

摘要

On 1 november the first aircraft with a pressurised fuselage and wings made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) flew its first passengers from Tokyo to Hiroshima, The All Nippon Airways Boeing 787's composite structure makes it around 15 per cent lighterthan a typical aluminium-based plane of that size, increasing fuel efficiency and making aviation greener, But the media hoopla over the flight disguised some worrying questions about the long-term safety of composite aircraft, On 20 October, the US Government Accountability Office (CAO) published a report which, while accepting that the 787 has been certified as airworthy, questions the ability of the US regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, to ensure that inspectors are capable of assessing and repairing damage to composite structures over the long life of a plane.