Dynamic responses of plates with temperature dependent and nonhomogeneous linear vis- coelastic functionally graded materials (VFGM) are investigated under lift and aerodynamic noise loadings, and thermal stresses and moments. Due to the strong temperature dependence of viscoelastic properties, thermal gradients in essence produce VFGM in addition to other sources. In a fundamental sense VFGM, as well as their elastic counterparts (EFGM), are non- homogeneous isotropic or anisotropic materials and need to be treated as such. Creep buckling and flutter instabilities, and probabilities of material failures are analyzed to determine plate survival times. Optimum designer materials using inherent viscoelastic damping properties, particularly viscoelastic functionally graded ones, are studied to minimize thermal stress and bending load effects while concurrently lowering failure probabilities and extending survival times. Instead of using “off the shelf” materials for specific service demands, the inverse pro- tocol in essence, leads to discoveries of best material properties and their optimal distributions throughout the structure and its components. Subsequent tasks of how to manufacture such designer materials are not covered here and are left to a separate study.