CREC Academy students building RV-12- a 2-seater, all-aluminium aircraft

The students of CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering are building an RV-12, a light-sport aircraft out of aluminium. The experimental two-seater airplane, being built as a summer project, will be kept at Brainard Airport on completion.

Advanced aluminium alloy technologies, including the latest Al-Lithium products, help aircraft engineers achieve enhanced fabrication benefits by offering an optimal combination of lower density (hence, reduced weight), improved strength, and higher corrosion resistance.

The CREC project seems to be completely in line with the recent trend of increased aluminium usage in the aerospace industry, which is characterised by strong demand for aircrafts in the foreseeable future.

According to Aluminium Federation (ALFED), the trade association representing the British aluminium industry, companies supplying high-end aluminium alloy sheets to the big aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing are reporting excellent order volumes.

Will Savage, CEO of ALFED, said, aluminium has got huge prospects in the aerospace domain: “Demand for aluminium in aviation remains strong and I predict it will really start to grow when orders for new players, like those in China, begin to take off. Just like the automotive sector, we are certain aluminium is going to play a major role in aircraft manufacture for many years to come.”