PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - First Aircraft to Use a Symmetrical Airfoil
Old 5th Jan 2011, 01:15
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Jane-DoH
 
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PBL,

I meant the thickest part of the wing. I actually thought that area was formally called the crest...


barit,

In the P-51's case the max is at 45% chord - unusually aft for that day, when most airfoils had max thickness at 25 or 30% chord. And there was a distinct inflection at the 45% point so the thickness decreased rapidly as the air flowed aft.
So the only reason these characteristics were incorporated into the wing was to produce laminar flow, or were these characteristics also implemented to reduce wave drag?
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