B-17 airfoil-ed again

I was recently corrected about the type of airfoil supporting the B-17. And from a prestigious, quite knowledgeable source—I feel honored to be so corrected.

It seems that something I might have read years ago stuck in my head in a slightly detrimental way. For years, I've known there are different versions of the basic airfoil. Some are broader, some are more slender, some are faster, some are quieter with less turbulence. In large part, the airfoil—better known as "the wing"—gives the aircraft its performance characteristics.

The particular airfoil design of the B-17, a propeller driven aircraft with a very high altitude ceiling (well, high for a piston powered plane), is broader and well-rounded, like a large paddle. It is well-suited for carrying a very large airplane (24½ tons) in the thin air of the upper atmosphere. The operational ceiling—the highest a plane can normally fly—was 37,500 feet (7.1 miles).

At some time in my past, I saw the wing named. And … at some time in my past, I confused that name with another named airfoil design—the Davis airfoil, which is, I've been corrected, actually used by the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. That's the four-engine bomber with the split (twin) tail.

The correction comes from none other than Curator Dennis Parks of the Museum of Flight in Seattle, which actually has a working B-17 (yes, I've seen it in flight—it's gorgeous and majestic). It's the only operational Model F to be found anywhere in the world, so the Museum it rightfully proud of its recent restoration.

According to the Museum's data page on the B-17F, the NACA 0012 airfoil has 1,420 square feet of wing surface area. That's more square footage than the house I live in. It's no wonder that so many airmen gratefully claim they owe their lives to these airborne behemoths called Flying Fortresses.

I appreciate Dennis' taking time to offer his input into my web page and I urge you to visit the Museum's web site—and come to Seattle to visit the Museum itself. I really enjoy not only seeing the aircraft, but learning the histories and facts about planes I've read about but never before experienced. I think the displays give excellent insight into the aircraft operations, the wartime compromises of design and flight, and the parts played by planes in winning the war.

For more information, see the B-17 legend page.