The NACA 0015 airfoil is symmetrical, the 00 indicating that it has no camber. įor example, the NACA 2412 airfoil has a maximum camber of 2% located 40% (0.4 chords) from the leading edge with a maximum thickness of 12% of the chord. Last two digits describing maximum thickness of the airfoil as percent of the chord.Second digit describing the distance of maximum camber from the airfoil leading edge in tenths of the chord.First digit describing maximum camber as percentage of the chord.The NACA four-digit wing sections define the profile by:

These figures and shapes transmitted the sort of information to engineers that allowed them to select specific airfoils for desired performance characteristics of specific aircraft. Engineers could quickly see the peculiarities of each airfoil shape, and the numerical designator ('NACA 2415,' for instance) specified camber lines, maximum thickness, and special nose features. By 1929, Langley had developed this system to the point where the numbering system was complemented by an airfoil cross-section, and the complete catalog of 78 airfoils appeared in the NACA's annual report for 1933. According to the NASA website:ĭuring the late 1920s and into the 1930s, the NACA developed a series of thoroughly tested airfoils and devised a numerical designation for each airfoil - a four digit number that represented the airfoil section's critical geometric properties.

NACA initially developed the numbered airfoil system which was further refined by the United States Air Force at Langley Research Center. The parameters in the numerical code can be entered into equations to precisely generate the cross-section of the airfoil and calculate its properties. The shape of the NACA airfoils is described using a series of digits following the word 'NACA'. The NACA airfoils are airfoil shapes for aircraft wings developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). A: blue line = chord, green line = camber mean-line, B: leading-edge radius, C: xy coordinates for the profile geometry (chord = x axis y axis line on that leading edge) The major problem was the multiple spaces between the x and y coordinates.Īfter altering the coordinates with a single space between x and y, I was able to display airfoils without any additional problems. I removed the foil name and all other empty lines before and after the data coordinates. The problem I discovered, was that the data posted was probably not the same as the data used. Initially, I had multiple errors and the document would not display. I am trying to include plots of airfoils in my report and have tried using this method:

Airfoil plotter programs