Built of composite
The airframe is composite: carbon fibre or glass fibre set in resin, moulded in large pieces with few joints, which gives smooth shapes but needs different inspection and repair methods from metal.
21 of the model families on this list are built this way, 12,412 aircraft on the register between them; the largest is the Cirrus SR22 with 7,058, then the Cirrus SR20 (1,629).
Biggest model families aircraft on the register
Cirrus SR227,058Cirrus SR201,629Diamond Aircraft DA 40 Diamond Star1,018Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet762Diamond Aircraft DA20 Katana and Eclipse364Diamond Aircraft DA 42 Twin Star264Boeing 787 Dreamliner214Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41207Icon Aircraft Inc A5202Flight Design Gmbh CTSW180Diamond Aircraft DA 62173Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER168
All 21 families with notes where the construction changed
7,058Cirrus SR22 · With a whole-airframe parachute.
1,629Cirrus SR20 · With a whole-airframe parachute.
762Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet · A carbon-fibre single-engine jet with a whole-airframe parachute.
214Boeing 787 Dreamliner · Carbon-fibre fuselage and wings, the first airliner built mostly of composite.
207Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41 · Now the Cessna TTx.
202Icon Aircraft Inc A5 · A carbon-fibre amphibian.
10Joby Aviation JAS4 eVTOL air taxi · A carbon-fibre electric air taxi with six tilting propellers.
8Beta Technologies CX300 electric aircraft · An electric aircraft with a carbon-fibre airframe.
6Pipistrel ALPHA ELECTRO electric trainer · The electric version of the Alpha trainer.
5Pipistrel TAURUS ELECTRO G2 · A self-launching electric glider.
Connections how this material links to the rest of the register
Model families
- Cirrus SR22 7,058 registered · With a whole-airframe parachute.
- Cirrus SR20 1,629 registered · With a whole-airframe parachute.
- Diamond Aircraft DA 40 Diamond Star 1,018 registered
- Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet 762 registered · A carbon-fibre single-engine jet with a whole-airframe parachute.
- Diamond Aircraft DA20 Katana and Eclipse 364 registered
- Diamond Aircraft DA 42 Twin Star 264 registered
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner 214 registered · Carbon-fibre fuselage and wings, the first airliner built mostly of composite.
- Columbia Aircraft Mfg LC41 207 registered · Now the Cessna TTx.
- Icon Aircraft Inc A5 202 registered · A carbon-fibre amphibian.
- Flight Design Gmbh CTSW 180 registered
- Diamond Aircraft DA 62 173 registered
- Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER 168 registered
Makers
- Cirrus
- Diamond Aircraft 1,872 aircraft on the register
- Pipistrel 396 aircraft on the register
- Boeing 6,665 aircraft on the register
- Columbia Aircraft Mfg 269 aircraft on the register
- Icon Aircraft Inc 202 aircraft on the register
- Flight Design Gmbh 329 aircraft on the register
- Joby Aviation 12 aircraft on the register
Other materials
- Aluminium 137 model families
- Steel tube and fabric 30 model families
- Aluminium with composite parts 30 model families
- Carbon fibre and plastic 21 model families
- Steel tube and aluminium 15 model families
- Steel tube, wood and fabric 9 model families
- Fabric and wicker 3 model families
- Fabric wing and steel frame 1 model families
These connections as data: /graph/material/composite.json · about the eFlight graph.
The FAA's register does not record construction; this list is written by hand from the makers' descriptions and the type certificate data sheets, which remain the authority for any one model. Connections as data: /graph/material/composite.json.