First composite sailplanes were Libelle (1964), Phoebus (1964)
First composite homebuilt Vari-Eze (1975 from memory) (ignoring Jupiter and
KR-1 which we really wooden)
First Certificated composite aircraft Windecker Eagle (Circa 1967).

Even composites are not new anymore .... 41 years since the first composite
gliders appeared. Of course the materials have come a long way in this time.

"richard riley" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 06:59:58 GMT, Ron Wanttaja
wrote:

:On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 11:41:02 -0500, " jls" wrote:
:
:In what context?
:
:And what is the earliest powered composite homebuilt aircraft? I'm
:thinking it's a Rutan Eze, but maybe there's something older.
:
:As you say, "context". My vote is on the Jupiter J-1. 1959. Won at
Rockford
:for "Outstanding new design." Several layers of fiberglass were laid-up
on a
:flat sheet, then glued to a wing as the skin.
:
:The Rand KR1 appeared at Oshkosh in 1972. Like the Jupiter, though, it's
rimary structure was wood.
:
:Varieze made its debut in June '75.

The Dyke Delta belongs somewhere in the mix. Steel tube frame,
fiberglass skins. Mid 1960's. Ron Scott's "Old Ironsides" is
similar, but I'm not sure when it rolled out.