Interestingly, many of these designs had odd shapes-for example, one design resembled a dragonfly wing. This resulted in dramatically different airfoil shapes-many by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).Ī good number of early airfoil designs were based on lower laminar Reynolds numbers.

However, the problem of mastering sustained flight over long distances, which requires balancing the airplane aerodynamic forces of thrust, drag, lift, and gravity, was quickly added to the analysis. This is understandable, as the initial problem was simply to get the aircraft off the ground. Throughout this history, the primary consideration has and continues to be how, and to what extent, does airfoil shape affect the aerodynamic forces of lift and drag for different aircraft applications? The History of Airfoil ShapesĮarly concepts surrounding airfoil shape subscribed to the idea that thin, curvy, or cambered airfoils were superior, as shown in the figure below.Īirfoil shapes through the years. All of these, whether symmetrical or cambered, were based upon the knowledge that airfoil shape tremendously affects the performance and characteristics of aerodynamic vehicles. Since Lilienthal’s time, many different airfoil designs have emerged. For example, Otto Lilienthal suggested that highly curved airfoils would produce a significantly higher lift to drag ratio than a flat surface in his book “ Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation.” Lilienthal, who is the first man to fly safely, was a prolific glider builder and his work was an inspiration to many.

It is probably not surprising that some of the earliest airfoils were inspired by the shape of bird wings. Here is an example of multiple airfoil shapes on one aircraft Understanding the effects of airfoil shape on lift.Īpplications of different airfoil shape designs.

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