Anderson Core
AIRFOIL & FINITE WING LAB
ANDERSON • CH. 4–5 • THIN AIRFOIL + LIFTING-LINE THEORY
Airfoil & Finite Wing Lab
Explore how camber, thickness, angle of attack, and aspect ratio shape lift and drag. Real thin-airfoil + lifting-line theory.
AIRFOIL GEOMETRY (NACA 4-DIGIT)
Camber m2.0%
Position p40%
Thickness t12.0%
FLIGHT CONDITIONS & WING
Angle of Attack α4°
Aspect Ratio AR8
Taper Ratio λ0.60
AIRFOIL SHAPE + CAMBER LINENACA 2412
FINITE WING PLANFORM + INDUCED DOWNWASHAR = 8 λ = 0.6
Cl (2D)
0.6368
CL (Wing)
0.479
CD,i
0.0111
Oswald e
0.823
α_L=0
-1.81°
Lift vs α (2D section vs 3D wing)
Drag Polar (CL vs CDi)
Induced drag drops dramatically with higher AR (try AR=12+).
Pressure Coefficient Distribution (simplified thin-airfoil model)
Reference: John D. Anderson Jr., Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, 5th Edition, Chapters 4 (Inviscid Incompressible Flow) and 5 (Finite Wing Theory).
Thin airfoil theory assumes small α and thickness. Lifting-line is a 3D extension for high AR wings. Real aircraft have viscous and compressibility corrections.
Thin airfoil theory assumes small α and thickness. Lifting-line is a 3D extension for high AR wings. Real aircraft have viscous and compressibility corrections.