Chapter 3 Aircraft Fabric  Covering General History Fabric-covered aircraft play an important role in the history of  aviation. The famous Wright Flyer utilized a fabric-covered  wood frame in its design, and fabric covering continued  to be used by many aircraft designers and builders during  the early decades of production aircraft. The use of fabric  covering on an aircraft offers one primary advantage: light  weight. In contrast, fabric coverings have two disadvantages:  flammability and lack of durability. 