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The Clark Y Airfoil: A Historical Retrospective
Technical Paper
2000-01-5517
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
Annotation ability available
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Language:
English
Abstract
This paper traces the life and times of Colonel Virginius Evans Clark and his most well known creation, the famous Clark Y airfoil. Despite that fact that he is today mainly remembered (if at all) for that one achievement, Clark was a many faceted and somewhat controversial aviation pioneer. He designed many aircraft and served in several important military and industry positions both during and after the First World War. Clark's eventful career, the various aircraft that he designed and the many applications of his most famous creation are reviewed.
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Authors
Citation
Piccirillo, A., "The Clark Y Airfoil: A Historical Retrospective," SAE Technical Paper 2000-01-5517, 2000, https://doi.org/10.4271/2000-01-5517.Also In
References
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- Anderson, John D., Jr. A History of Aerodynamics and Its Impact on Flying Machines Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK 1998
- Angelucci, Enzio The American Fighter Orion Books New York 1985
- Aspects of Pylon Racing, Propellers for F3D Models http://beadec1.ea.bsdlr.re/Airfoils/pylonprp.htm
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- Bowers, Peter The Curtiss Navy Hawks Profile Publications, Ltd. Surrey, England 1966
- Bruce, Guttery Opdycke Matt, Wright, Sloan, et al. The American Bristol Fighter Program Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society 17 2 Summer 1972
- Bruce, J. M. The Bristol Fighter Profile Publications, Ltd. Surrey, England 1965
- Bruce, J. M. The Fokker Dr.I Profile Publications Surrey, England 1965
- Caidin, Martin Air Force Bramhall House New York 1957
- Clark, Virginius Evans Elements of Aviation: An Explanation of Flight Principles The Ronald Press Company New York 1928
- Cowin, Hugh The Junkers Monoplanes Profile Publications Surrey, England 1967
- Emme, Eugene M. Aeronautics and Astronautics; An American Chronology of Science and Technology in the Exploration of Space, 1915-1960 NASA Washington, DC 1961
- Foxworth, Thomas G. The Curtiss R-6 Racer -Army's Bid For Speed Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society 15 2 Summer 1970
- Grey, Peter L. The Fokker D.VII Profile Publications Surrey, England 1966
- Higgins, George J. A Comparison of Well-Known and New Wing Sections Tested in the Variable Density Wind Tunnel NACA Technical Note 219 May 1925
- Hoff, Wilhelm The Development of German Airplanes During the War NACA TN 56 June 1921
- Jacobs, Eastman N. Ward Kenneth E. Pinkerton Robert M. Characteristics of 78 Related Airfoil Sections from Tests in the Variable-Density Wind Tunnel TR 460 NACA Washington, DC 1933
- Juptner, J. P. Molson K. M. Rinehart T. K. Fairchild Utility Monoplanes Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society 19 2 Summer 1974
- Lednicer, David The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage Analytical Methods, Inc. Redmond, Washington http://amber.aae.uiuc.edu/∼m-seliq/ads/aircraft.html
- Liss, Wiltold The Yak-9 Series Profile Publications, Ltd. Surrey, England 1967
- Longwood, William H. Who's Who in Aviation History Presidio Press Novato, California 1994
- Maurer, Maurer Aviation in the US Army 1919-1939 Office of Air Force History Washington, DC 1987
- Munk, Max On a New Type of Wind Tunnel NACA TN 60 Washington, DC May 1921
- Munk, M. Miller, E. W. The Variable-density Wind Tunnel of the N. A. C. A. Reports 227 and 228 NACA Washington, D. C. 1925
- O'Neil, Paul Barnstormers and Speed Kings Time-Life Books, Inc. Alexandria, Virginia 1981
- Poling, George E. An F-46 By Any Other Name Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society 19 1 Spring 1974
- Prandtl, L. Tietgens, O. G. Applied Hydro- and Aeromechanics Dover Publications, Inc. New York 1957
- Prandtl, L. The Göttingen Wind Tunnel For Testing Aircraft Models NACA TN 66 November 1920
- Robinson, Bruce United States Army and Air Force Fighters 1916-1961 Harleyford Publications Limited Letchford, England 1961
- Stack, John The N.A.C.A. High-Speed Wind Tunnel and Tests of Six Propeller Sections Technical Report TR 463 NACA Washington, D.C. 1933
- Virginius Evans Clark Biographical File Smithsonian Institution Air and Space Museum Allen R. S. November 1967
- Von Mises, Richard Theory of Flight Dover Publications, Inc. New York 1959
- Wagner, Ray American Combat Planes Third Edition Doubleday and Company Garden City, New York 1982
- Wagner, William Reuben Fleet and the Story of Consolidated Aircraft Aero Publishers, Inc. Fallbrook, California 1976
- Higgins, George J. A comparison of well-known and new wing sections tested in the variable density wind tunnel NACA Technical Note 219 May 1925
- Munk, Max M Miller, Elton W Model tests with a systematic series of 27 wing sections at full Reynolds number NACA Report 221 1926
- Higgins George J. The NACA CYH airfoil section NACA TN 240 Jun 1926
- Aerodynamic characteristics of airfoils IV: continuation of reports nos. 93, 124, and 182, NACA Report 244 1927
- Freeman, Hugh B Comparison of full-scale propellers having R.A.F.-6 and Clark Y airfoil sections NACA TR-378 1932
- Wenzinger, Carl J Shortal, Joseph A The aerodynamic characteristics of a slotted Clark y wing as affected by the auxiliary airfoil position NACA Report 400 1932
- Weick Fred E. Harris Thomas E. The aerodynamic characteristics of a model wing having a split flap deflected downward and moved to the rear NACA TN 422 May 1932
- Weick, Fred E Bamber, Millard J Wind-tunnel tests of a Clark Y wing with a narrow auxiliary airfoil in different positions NACA Report 428 1933
- Weick, Fred E Shortal, Joseph A The effect of multiple fixed slots and a trailing-edge flap on the lift and drag of a Clark Y airfoil NACA Report 427 1933
- Zimmerman, C H Characteristics of Clark Y airfoils of small aspect ratios NACA Report 431 1933
- Dearborn, Clinton H The effect of rivet heads on the characteristics of a 6 by 36 foot Clark Y metal airfoil NACA TN-461 May 1933
- Theodorsen, Theodore Clay, William C Ice prevention on aircraft by means of engine exhaust heat and a technical study of heat transmission from a Clark y airfoil NACA Report 403 1933
- Weick, Fred E Wenzinger, Carl J The characteristics of a Clark y wing model equipped with several forms of low-drag fixed slots NACA Report 407 1933
- Noyes, Richard W Pressure distribution tests on a series of Clark y biplane cellules with special reference to stability NACA Report 417 1933
- Stack, John The N.A.C.A. high-speed wind tunnel and tests of six propeller sections Technical Report TR 463 1933
- Jacobs, Eastman N. Ward Kenneth E. Robert M. Pinkerton, The characteristics of 78 related airfoil sections from tests in the variable-density wind tunnel Report 460 1933
- Anderson, Raymond F Tests of three tapered airfoils based on the N.A.C.A. 2200, the N.A.C.A.-M6, and the Clark Y sections NACA TN-487 1934
- Silverstein, Abe Scale effect on Clark Y airfoil characteristics from NACA full-scale wind-tunnel tests NACA Report 502 1935
- Valentine, E Floyd Tests of nacelle-propeller combinations in various positions with reference to wings V: Clark Y biplane cellule - NACA cowled nacelle -tractor propeller NACA Report 506 1935
- Bamber, M J Spinning characteristics of wings II: rectangular Clark Y biplane cellule: 25 percent stagger; 0 degree decalage; gap/chord 1.0 NACA TN-526 April 1935
- Bamber, M J Zimmerman, C H Spinning characteristics of wings I: rectangular Clark Y monoplane wing NACA Report 519 1936
- Platt, Robert C Aerodynamic characteristics of a wing with Fowler flaps including flap loads, downwash, and calculated effect on take-off NACA Report 534 1936
- Platt, Robert C Aerodynamic characteristics of wings with cambered external airfoil flaps, including lateral control, with a full-span flap NACA Report 541 1936
- Jacobs, Eastman N Albert Sherman, Airfoil section characteristics as affected by variations of the Reynolds number NACA Report 586 1937
- Theodorsen, Theodore Stickle, George W Brevoort, M J Characteristics of six propellers including the high-speed range NACA Report 594 1937
- Gauvain, William E Wind-tunnel tests of a Clark Y wing with ‘Maxwell’ leading-edgeslots NACA TN-598 April 1937
- Wenzinger, Carl J Pressure distribution over a Clark Y-H airfoil section with a split flap NACA TN-627 December 1937
- Bamber, M J House, R O Spinning characteristics of wings IV: changes in stagger of rectangular Clark Y cellules NACA TN-625 December 1937
- Bamber, M J House, R O Spinning characteristics of wings III: rectangular and tapered NACA TN-612 September 1937
- Anderson, Raymond F The experimental and calculated characteristics of 22 tapered wings NACA Report 627 1938
- Pinkerton, Robert M Harry Greenberg, Aerodynamic characteristics of a large number of airfoils tested in the variable-density wind tunnel NACA Report 628 1938
- Biermann, David Hartman, Edwin P The effect of compressibility on eight full-scale propellers operating in the take-off and climbing range NACA Report 639 1938
- Hartman, Edwin P Biermann, David The aerodynamic characteristics of full-scale propellers having 2, 3, and 4 blades of Clark y and R.A.F. 6 airfoil sections NACA Report 640 1938
- Hartman, Edwin P Biermann, David The negative thrust and torque of several full-scale propellers and their application to various flight problems NACA Report 641 1938
- Wenzinger, Carl J Wind-tunnel tests of a Clark Y wing having split flaps with gaps NACA TN-650 May 1938
- House, R O The effects of partial-span plain flaps on the aerodynamic characteristics of a rectangular and a tapered Clark Y wing NACA TN-663 September 1938
- Wagner, William Reuben Fleet and the Story of Consolidated Aircraft Aero Publishers, Inc. Fallbrook, California 1976
- The first year of formal graduate study in aeronautical engineering was completed at MIT in June 1915 with one Master of Science degree being awared
- The NACA, originally known as the advisory Committee on Aeronautics, was established as a rider to the Naval Appropriations Act of March 3, 1915. Its purpose was to “supervise and direct the scientific study of the problems of flight, with a view of their practical solution.”
- On April 2, 1915, President Wilson appointed the first 12 members of the NACA and on April 23, the Secretary of war held the first meeting of the NACA in his office
- Virginius Evans Clark Biographical File Smithsonian Institution Air and Space Museum Allen R. S. November 1967
- Ibid
- Bruce, Guttery Opdycke Matt, Wright, Sloan, et al. The American Bristol Fighter Program Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society 17 2 Summer 1972
- A British-built Bristol Fighter would eventually be fitted with a Liberty-8 engine late in 1918, after the production program was cancelled. It crashed on September 6, 1918 but a small number of Bristol Fighters with the V-8 Liberty were built in the US and used post war
- Bruce, Guttery Opdycke Matt, Wright, Sloan, et al.
- Letter exerpt, Col. V. E. Clark, A.S.M.A., to Director of Military Aeronautics Aug. 12 1918 Bruce, Guttery Opdycke Matt, Wright, Sloan, et al. Society 17 2 Summer 1972
- Virginius Evans Clark Biographical File
- Ibid
- The Engineering Division conducted aeronautical research and was responsible for the design and construction of army aircraft. It had experimental stations at McCook Field and Langley Field, Virginia. The Langley Field site, on land located north of Hampton, Virginia, was the location of the first NACA experimental laboratory. Purchase of this site had been recommended by NACA on November 23, 1916
- Robinson, Bruce United States Army and Air Force Fighters 1916-1961 Harleyford Publications Limited Letchford, England 1961
- Wagner, William
- Ibid
- Caidin, Martin Air Force Bramhall House New York 1957
- On November 1, 1917, of the 38 US Air Service frontline squadrons in France, fifteen squadrons were equipped with the Spad XIII fighter, ten with the Salmson 2A2 bomber, two with the Breuget 14B bomber, and one with the British SE-5A fighter. Eight squadrons flew the US-built DH-4
- Bowers, Peter M. The American D.H.4 Profile Publications, Ltd. Surrey, England 1966
- Aerofiles The Pulitzer Trophy Races http//www.aerofiles.com.pulitzer.html
- Angelucci, Enzio The American Fighter Orion Books New York 1985
- Foxworth, Thomas G. The Curtiss R-6 Racer - Army's Bid For Speed Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society 15 2 Summer 1970
- Virginius Evans Clark Biographical File
- Wagner, William
- Ibid
- Ibid
- Aerodynamic Characteristics of Airfoils IV: Continuation of Reports nos. 93, 124, and 182, NACA Report 244 Washington, DC 1927
- Virginius Evans Clark Biographical File
- Wagner, William
- According to his Smithsonian Biographical File, Clark had married Rose U. Scholl of New York City on December 20, 1917
- After leaving the Army, Laddon worked for Reuben Fleet at Consolidated Aircraft. He was chief designer on the famous PBY Catalina flying boat and then the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. Later as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Consolidated Vultee (Convair), he played a key role in managing the development of the B-36 strategic bomber
- Clark, Virginius Evans Elements of Aviation: An Explanation of Flight Principles The Ronald Press Company New York 1928
- Ibid
- Juptner, J. P. Molson K. M. Rinehart T. K. Fairchild Utility Monoplanes Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society 19 2 Summer 1974
- Ibid
- General Aviation became North American Aviation in 1935. The GA-43 was renamed North American GA-43
- Haskelite was a well-known supplier of plywood products to the US aircraft industry
- Poling, George E. An F-46 By Any Other Name Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society 19 1 Spring 1974
- From Aerofiles.com
- Wagner, Ray American Combat Planes Third Edition Doubleday and Company Garden City, New York 1982
- Barton, Charles Howard Hughes and His Flying Boat Charles Barton, Inc. Vienna, Virginia 1998
- Longwood, William H. Who's Who in Aviation History Presidio Press Novato, California 1994
- Barton
- Anderson, John D., Jr. A History of Aerodynamics and Its Impact on Flying Machines Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK 1998
- Prandtl, L. The Göttingen Wind Tunnel For Testing Aircraft Models NACA TN 66 November 1920
- The larger Göttingen wind tunnel, completed in early 1917, had a four square meter test section and could achieve velocities of 50-60 meters per second
- Bruce, J. M. The Fokker Dr.I Profile Publications Surrey, England 1965
- Grey, Peter L. The Fokker D.VII Profile Publications Surrey, England 1966
- Reynolds number (after Osborne Reynolds (1842-1912), English scientist) is a non-dimensional parameter representing the ratio of the momentum forces to the viscous forces about a body in a fluid flow. It is often expressed as the fraction ρvl/μ, where ρ is the density of the fluid, v is its velocity across the body, I is a characteristic dimension of the body, and μ is the coefficient of viscosity of the fluid. In the case of a wing, the characteristic length used to compute Reynolds number is usually the length of the chord line c
- Cowin, Hugh The Junkers Monoplanes Profile Publications Surrey, England 1967
- Lednicer, David The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage Analytical Methods, Inc. Redmond, Washington http://amber.aae.uiuc.edu/∼m-selig/ads/aircraft.html May 2000
- Anderson
- Munk, Max On a New Type of Wind Tunnel TN 60 NACA Washington, DC May 1921
- Prandtl, L. Tietgens O. G. Applied Hydro- and Aeromechanics Dover Publications, Inc. New York 1957
- Another approach that would be adopted by NACA later in the 1920s was simply to build very large wind tunnels capable of holding large models (or even full-scale aircraft) thus producing conditions that were highly representative of actual flight. The NACA Propeller Research Tunnel with a test section 20 feet in diameter was opened in 1927 followed by the Full-Scale Tunnel (with its 30 by 60 foot open-throat test section) in 1931
- The term Variable-Density Wind Tunnel was officially used in contemporary NACA documents and reports. However, by the NASA era the facility had become known simply as the Variable Density Tunnel
- Baals, Donald D. Corliss William R. The Wind Tunnels of NASA SP-440 Washington, DC 1981
- Munk, M. Miller E. W. The Variable-density Wind Tunnel of the NACA Reports 227 and 228 NACA Washington, DC 1925
- Von Mises, Richard Theory of Flight Dover Publications, Inc. New York 1959
- Ibid
- Lednicer
- The term “reflexed trailing edge” is used to describe the trailing edge of an airfoil in which the curvature of the mean camber line changes sign near the trailing edge. Mean camber line describes the curvature, or the amount of curvature, of the mean line of an airfoil profile from the chord. Camber is considered positive when the departure of the curve is upward from the chord, negative when downward
- Anderson
- Aspects of Pylon Racing, Propellers for F3D Models http://beadec1.ea.bsdlr.re/Airfoils/pylonprp.htm
- Ibid
- Stack, John The NACA High-Speed Wind Tunnel and Tests of Six Propeller Sections TR 463 NACA Washington, DC 1933
- Stack
- Ibid
- Anderson
- In the NACA four-digit nomenclature, the first digit expresses the camber in percent chord, the second digit gives the location of the maximum camber point in tenths of chord, and the last two digits give the thickness in percent chord. For example, the NACA 4506 airfoil has a maximum camber of 4% of the chord located back at 50% from the leading edge and its thickness is 6% of the chord. The NACA 0008 airfoil is a symmetric airfoil having a maximum thickness of 8%
- Jacobs, Eastman N. Ward Kenneth E. Pinkerton Robert M. The Characteristics of 78 Related Airfoil Sections from Tests in the Variable-Density Wind Tunnel Report 460 NACA Washington, D. C. 1933
- Anderson
- Jacobs