| The Airfoil Polar Viewer page will show you a chart with
detailed aerodynamic data for the selected airfoil. The left-hand
chart shows the drag characteristics. A laminar flow airfoil will
typically have a "drag bucket" or a range of lift coefficient
over which the drag is particularly low. Generally you'd like to see
this drag bucket extend over your normal operating range to get the best
performance. On the right-hand side, you'll see the lift
characteristics of the airfoil. The shape of the lift curve will
provide some indication of the stall characteristics of the airfoil.
In addition to the lift curve you can click on the tab labeled
"Cd" to look at the drag variation with angle of attack,
"Cm" to see the pitching moment about the 1/4 chord, or "Cmac"
for the pitching moment about the airfoil aerodynamic center.
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(click for full size)
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