[jonnycowboy]

Not in this case. With SpaceX they also need high (de-entry, Mach heating) and low temperature (cryo fuel & oxygen) resistance but in the case of Boom the surface won’t heat enough to need high temp materials.

That said, I’m not sure their choice of materials is the good one for a startup.

[starpilot]

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.

[redis_mlc]

> 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.