Clark Y airfoil Pros and Cons

Clark Y is the term used for a specific airfoil profile, extensively being used in aircraft design elements for general purposes, and thoroughly investigated over the years in aerodynamics. Virginius E. Clark developed the profile in 1922.

The diameter of the airfoil is 11.7 % and straight on the bottom side aft of 30 % of the chord. The flat bottom streamlines measurements of angles on propellers and enables wings easy to build. The Clark Y has been an appropriate airfoil segment for many applications; it provides reasonable total efficiency in terms of its lift-to-drag ratio and has soft and relatively benign stall features.

However, from an aerodynamic context, the flat lower surface is not perfect and is seldom used in advanced design. The Clark YH airfoil is equivalent but produces a more effective pitching moment with a reflexed (turned up) trailing edge, lowering the horizontal tail load needed to trim an aircraft.

2 of the better-known aircraft utilizing the Clark Y profile are the Lockheed Vega and Spirit of St. Louis, whereas the Ilyushin Il-2 and Hawker Hurricane are instances of mass-produced users of the Clark YH. A Clark Y was also used for the Northrop Tacit Blue stealth technology demonstrator aircraft.

The Clark Y was picked because its flat base did work well for a low radar cross section's design objective. Due to the flight performance offered by the section at medium Reynolds, Clark Y was favorable for the development of model aircraft.

Model aircraft frameworks are very broad, varying from free-flight gliders to models of multi-engined radio control scales. The Clark Y has a pretty flat low surface which helps to build wings on plans mounted on a flat construction board. Untrained modelers are more capable of building model aircraft with benign stalling features that provide good flight performance.

Clark Y airfoil Pros and Cons:

• The flat bottom streamlines the angle measurements for propellers and makes it simple to create wings.
• For several applications, the Clark Y was a suitable airfoil segment; it offers fair overall efficiency in terms of its lift-to-drag ratio and has soft and relatively benign stall characteristics.
• The flat lower surface is not perfect from an aerodynamic viewpoint, however, and is rarely used in advanced design.
• With a reflexed (turned up) trailing edge, the Clark YH airfoil is similar but provides a more powerful pitching moment, lowering the horizontal tail load required to trim an aircraft.
• The Lockheed Vega and Spirit of St.Louis are two of the better-known aircraft using the Clark Y profile, while the Ilyushin Il-2 and Hawker Hurricane are examples of mass-produced Clark YH users.