airframen.

1930 Times 16 Sept. 8/2 A machine with a new engine and an old War airframe.

1941 J. G. Glover & W. B. Cornell Devel. Amer. Industries (rev. ed.) xxxii. 721 When the fuselage shell is removed from the jig, the power plant or engine is installed; the wing, tail, and landing gear following in close order as the air frame (as it is called at this stage) proceeds down the final assembly line.

1970 New Scientist 26 Feb. 407/1 Those contractors who have plans for the airframe or engines of the reusable shuttle must submit them to NASA.

1976 W. W. Warner Beautiful Swimmers v. 93 At the lateral extremities are wickedly tapered spines, the Pitot tubes, one might say, of the crab's supersonic airframe.

2004 A. Levy Small Island xxxv. 345 We were both channelled as aircrafthands... Ground crew. Options given were airframes or engines. Frank chose frames so I took engines.