The word fuselage derives from the French fuselé, meaning “spindle-shaped.” The fuselage is the central body of an aircraft to which the wings, tail, and landing gear are usually attached. It may also hold the engine in a single-engine craft. The purpose of the fuselage is to accommodate crew, passengers and cargo. It also places control and stabilization surfaces to make the aircraft stable and easily maneuverable. The shape of the fuselage is determined by its purpose. A fighter jet will have a very aerodynamic fuselage while a transportation jet will be larger and rounder to accommodate a large number of passengers. No matter the purpose, a fuselage must be built strong enough to withstand the torque placed on it from the wings and ailerons when it turns.
There are several different ways to construct a fuselage. The first is a box truss structure. The box truss structure is very similar to that of bridge supports, using linked triangles for strength. The fuselage is created with formers, bands much like the ribs of a boat, and stringers, thin connectors that hold the formers in place. This structure is then covered with the skin. This was the mode of construction used in most old aircrafts built with wooden formers and wire stringers and covered with a fabric skin. This type of fuselage is still used today in lightweight aircraft with welded steel tubes. It is also the preferred method of do-it-yourself aircraft building kits. 
War II in the Vickers Wellington, a medium bomber. It is created by using many flat wooden stringers woven around the formers in opposing spirals covered with the skin of the aircraft. The effect is an interior structure much like a basket or trellis. The advantages of this design are
its weight and strength. Constructed almost entirely of wood, a geodetic fuselage is very lightweight. However, its repetitive construction also makes it very strong, able to sustain damage without compromising the integrity of the aircraft as a whole. As shown in the picture, this geodesic aircraft has had much of its skin shot off, yet it was still able to carry its crew safely home. The monocoque (from the Greek prefix mono meaning “one” and
the French coque meaning “shell”) was widely used beginning in the 1930’s. Unlike previous fuselage designs, the monocoque (also known as structural skin) fuselage used the external skin, not an internal truss, to bear the stress of flight. It also allowed for a more streamlined body than the truss method. Early models used shaped plywood; others used foam plastic covered with fiberMonocoque.jpg)
glass. However, none of these planes are truly monocoque because they do have some stiffening elements inside, otherwise the skin would buckle from concentrated loads and pressurization. A good example of wooden plane with the monocoque design is the de Havilland Mosquito, a bomber, fighter, pathfinder, and photo reconnaissance aircraft.
40’s. An internal structure of formers and stringers is created, and an aluminum shell is placed around it. The pieces of the shell are fastened together with rivets and special adhesives. Then the internal structure is disassembled leaving only the formers and stringers and the shell empty to make room for the wiring, equipment, seats, and baggage areas. This is the preferred construction of most modern day light metal aircrafts as its internal structures can be used to create large numbers of identical aircrafts. 
