Wright Brothers aircraft engine

First aerospace use of aluminum-copper alloy (engine housing, 1903). Used to anchor the historical depth of the 2000-series aerospace alloys.

The non-heat-treatable aluminum alloys, which are the 1000, 3000, 4000, 5000 series, have lower strengths. The heat-treatable ones — 2000, 6000, 7000 — the aluminum-copper alloys were the first aerospace alloys. I think I mentioned that the housing for the engine of the Wright brothers aircraft, the first one to fly, was an aluminum-copper alloy, and that was sort of new back in 1903 or so. The 6000 series are common high-strength aluminum alloys — general-purpose, structural, architectural alloys. The 7000 and 8000 series are most of the aviation, aircraft, Boeing, Airbus type alloys nowadays, and we'll talk about some of that.