CF prices have come down rapidly in the past 20 years and it's becoming the standard structural material for original airframes. It's more workable and less exotic than it was before. I think most, if not all, aviation startups are using it, like the Icon A5.
> CF prices have come down rapidly in the past 20 years and it's becoming the standard structural material for original airframes.
No and no.
CF can mean anything, but typically you end up with structural members that are heavier than aluminum when all is said and done.
Also, CF is used for sub-subsonic (actually sub-transsonic) skins, which SpaceX found out the hard way.
> It's more workable and less exotic than it was before.
No.
> I think most, if not all, aviation startups are using it, like the Icon A5.
Composites are used for subsonic planes and interiors. And the Icon A5 is a toy.
The one good thing about composite (as in the Diamond Aircraft models) is that it's hail resistant up to a certain diameter and intensity, around 1 inch. That has been helpful with some storms in Florida, for example.
