The structural members of the Hawk fuselage are constructed of aluminum spars, ribs, and skin. Spars are usually made of a thin plate, while ribs and skin are made of sheet. Since aluminum sheet will bend easily only in one direction, the craftsman's skill is challenged in keeping aluminum parts flat-wrapped, while at the same time making the structure appear sleek, curved and aerodynamic. Rivets are mostly used for permanent fastening of aluminum because of the difficulty of welding thin sheet and because rivets do not change the metallurgical proper ties of unique alloys that may be adversely affected by the heat of welding.

The compound (bending in more than one direction) curved parts of the Hawk are non-structural fairings. These are designed to connect smoothly with the aluminum structure and provide a minimally disturbed air flow around the fuselage. The Hawk's nose, engine cowling, and wingtips are made of composites, and the windshield and door bubbles are formed in heated ovens from acrylic sheet.

No matter how modern our machines and materials have become, our industry continues to assemble aircraft primarily by hand. It is paradoxical, that in the age of robotics, six-axis numerically-controlled routers, digitally-controlled mills and lathes, and CAD/CAM manufacturing, we still cannot do without the human eye and hand. At GBA, we have decades of experience in assembling aircraft. Even so, we have created innovative fixtures, digitally controlled hole indexing (to avoid drilling on final assembly) and eliminated bucked (rat-a-tat-tat) rivets, all to reduce the human error that comes with repetitive tasks.

While it is true that form usually follows function, it is the balance of modern technology with the human touch that sets the Hawk apart from the gyroplanes of the past, and which has created a new rotorcraft of superior function and beauty.