Why aircraft makers retained wood and fabric construction

Wood was light, locally available, well understood, and supported by mature shaping and covering techniques. Aluminium did not arrive as an instantly mastered replacement, so manufacturers adopted it gradually while learning how to form, join, and protect it. Transitional aircraft could combine aluminium tube structures with wooden formers and doped fabric skins, using each material where industry already trusted it. Wood also reduced dependence on mined strategic materials and made use of an established craft workforce. Geodetic framing helped designers obtain rigid curved shapes when faster aircraft could no longer remain simple box structures.