On fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, the fuselage refers to the main body of the aircraft. This category includes the frame of the aircraft (usually comprised of steel and aluminum) that extends from nose to tail and out to the wings, the paneling that covers the aircraft, and the windows that allow the crew and passengers to see out of the craft.
There are several methods for constructing an aircraft’s fuselage, depending on the materials used to construct the aircraft, with wooden and metal airframes requiring different techniques. Most metal airframes are made as either a truss structure, where steel tubes are welded together to provide the structure of the aircraft, or the semi-monocoque method. In the semi-monocoque method, a series of frames in the shape of the fuselage’s cross sections are held in position on a fixture, then joined with longitudinal elements called stringers. These are then covered by a skin of sheet aluminum, which is then attached by riveting or bonding with adhesives. The fixture is then disassembled and removed from the complete fuselage shell, which can be completed with wiring, controls, and interior equipment.
Note that while fasteners and bearings are technically part of the fuselage, they are not included in this section, for the sake of convenience and browsing our catalog.
At NSN Parts Now, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we supply aircraft and helicopter fuselage parts from some of the top manufacturers around the world. These manufacturers include Bell, Boeing, Airbus, and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.