I used to work for a well known helicopter manufacturer. I worked as a mechanic, building helicopters. I can tell you, those helicopters use a lot of carbon fiber composite. They wouldn't fly without it. And being that it has to fly, they are pretty weight weenie about parts, spare no expense, really. $50.00 titanium screws and what not. But the main thing the manufacturer can't do is kill people, though. The equivalent of one steerer tube failure would put an end to that. The FAA is not the most proactive agency, but one thing they do not like is headlines about aircraft falling out of the sky. That's bad for business. So design tends to be conservative. This is what amazes me about the current state of carbon fiber bicycle frame manufacturing. The disregard for customer safety and the complacency with respect to safety. Carbon fiber works in aviation because the design emphasis is on safety and reliability, then weight. Qualified technicians inspect the aircraft before every flight and at regular specified intervals, and damage tolerance is very low. Good ol' Bubba doesn't decide if a nick or scratch requires a repair, the structural repair manual does. Also, carbon fiber is not used exclusively. If wear and abrasion is expected, as in the leading edge of a main rotor blade, then metal, usually very thin titanium or stainless steel is bonded on top of the carbon fiber. So I would say that carbon fiber is an excellent material if designed intelligently and used intelligently, but it is not as forgiving as steel. Steel tolerates damage that carbon fiber doesn't. People are used to steel, but don't understand that carbon fiber requires more from them. Is that stone chip a problem? With steel it's not, but with carbon fiber it's different. It's an easy answer in aviation. Look it up in the structural repair manual. There you will read: does the damage exceed such a depth, such a width, such a length, is it located in a critical area, and so forth. Then you will know, yes its safe or no it needs a repair. Do carbon fiber bikes come with structural repair manuals? They should. In my mind, carbon fiber is best reserved for professional rides for whom weight is critical AND who have qualified mechanics inspecting the bikes every time they are ridden. I really doubt that individual users understand the maintenance requirements of carbon fiber, or are capable of and willing to meet them. Carbon fiber requires maintenance, and that is expensive and inconvenient. Even aluminum is a lot more rugged.
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