Once upon a time automobiles <vere built of wood. Metal is now displacing wood in aircraft as it has done in the automobile. The Aeromarine Company has built for the first time in United States aviation, a flying boat hull made entirely of duralumin. The use of this metal, which is as strong as ordinary commercial steel but only one-third as heavy, resulted in a saving in weight over wood, and will effectively prevent soaking of water and rapid deterioration which accompany wooden construction.