TF-2004-13 DFRC

The Supercritical Airfoil

Supercritical wings add a graceful appearance to the modified NASA F-8 test aircraft.
NASA Photo E73-3468

An airfoil considered unconventional when tested in the early 1970s by NASA at the Dryden Flight
Research Center is now universally recognized by the aviation industry as a wing design that increases
flying efficiency and helps lower fuel costs.
Called the supercritical airfoil, the design has led to development of the supercritical wings (SCW)
now used worldwide on business jets, airliners and transports, and numerous military aircraft.
Conventional wings are rounded on top and flat on the bottom. The SCW is flatter on the top,
rounded on the bottom, and the upper trailing edge is accented with a downward curve to restore lift lost by
flattening the upper surface.
1

vibrations. In rare cases, aircraft have also become

uncontrollable due to boundary layer separation.

At speeds in the transonic range -- just below

and just above the speed of sound -- the SCW delays
the formation of the supersonic shock wave on the
upper wing surface and reduces its strength, allowing
the aircraft to fly faster with less effort.

Supercritical wings have a flat-on-top "upside

down" look. As air moves across the top of a SCW
it does not speed up nearly as much as over a curved
upper surface. This delays the onset of the shock
wave and also reduces aerodynamic drag associated
with boundary layer separation. Lift that is lost with
less curvature on the upper surface of the wing is
regained by adding more curvature to the upper
trailing edge. Now the aircraft can cruise at a higher
subsonic speed and easily fly up into the supercritical
range. And with less drag, the aircraft is using less
fuel than it would otherwise consume.

NASA's test program validating the SCW

concept was conducted at the Dryden Flight
Research Center from March 1971 to May 1973 and
showed that the SCW installed on an F-8 Crusader
test aircraft increased transonic efficiency by as
much as 15%.
Before the program ended, the U.S. Air Force
teamed with NASA for a joint program to test a SCW
designed for highly maneuverable military aircraft.
An F-111, with a variable-geometry wing, was the
test aircraft and the basic supercritical research took
place between 1973 and 1975. Results were
extremely successful and showed the test wing
generated up to 30% more lift than the conventional
F-111 wing and performed as expected at all wingsweep angles. The F-111 program, while it did not
lead to a SCW retrofit for the entire F-111 fleet, did
produce data that is available to the aerospace
industry for development of future aircraft.

Higher subsonic cruise speeds and less drag

translates into airliners and business jets getting to
their destinations faster on less fuel, and they can
fly farther -- factors that help keep the cost of
passenger tickets and air freight down.
NASA's two-year SCW flight test program
between 1971 and 1973 substantiated predictions of
better flying efficiency and reduced operating costs
at a time when soaring fuel prices hit the aviation
industry hard.

Supercritical Benefits

Test data showed that the SCW on the F-8 test

aircraft increased its efficiency by as much as 15%.
Test results, once calculated, predicted that jetliners
with SCWs would realize a 2.5% increase in
operating profits over aircraft with conventional
wings. For an air carrier with a 280-plane fleet of
jetliners, each with 200 seats, this represented $78
million annually in 1974 dollars.

When an aircraft with a conventional wing

nears a speed of sound (Mach 1), air flowing across
the top of the wing moves faster and becomes
supersonic. This creates a shock wave on the wing's
upper surface even though the aircraft, as a whole,
has not exceeded Mach 1. The aircraft, at this point,
is flying at what is called the critical speed. The
shockwave causes the smooth flow of air hugging
the wing's upper surface (the boundary layer) to
separate from the wing and create turbulence.
Separated boundary layers are like wakes behind a
boat -- the air is unsteady and churning, and drag
increases. This increases fuel consumption and it
can also lead to a decrease in speed and cause

Other calculations indicated that the net gain

for air carriers worldwide would be nearly one-half
billion dollars -- all due to fuel savings of the
supercritical airfoil.
Rockwell, Canadair, and Lear were among the
first commercial firms to apply SCW technology to

In the 1950s, Whitcomb created the area rule

(wasp waist) design that gave supersonic aircraft the
"pinched look" to reduce aerodynamic drag and
increase transonic speed without added power. He
then turned his attention to investigating different
airfoils to weaken the shockwave and reduce the
boundary layer separation. This, he believed, would
also improve transonic performance, especially for
transport aircraft.

their business-size aircraft in the United States, and

in Europe it was Dassault, also a builder of business
jets.
Supercritical wing technology is now
incorporated into the designs of commercial,
business, and military aircraft around the world.
They include the 777 jetliner, C-17 Air Force
transport, and AV-8B Harrier built by Boeing. Others
using SCW technology carry the corporate names
of Bombardier, Lear, Challenger, Galaxy, Raytheon,
Gulfstream, Cessna, Falcon, Airbus Industries,
Dassault-Brequet-Dornier, and Israel Aircraft
Industries.

Whitcomb's engineering instincts led him to

concentrate on the "upside down" airfoil, which he
refined on models in wind tunnels at Langley. On a
final series of tests, a SCW wing model was swept
rearward 35% and tested in a wind tunnel to Mach
.90 -- just under the speed of sound -- and it generated
5% less drag than conventional airfoils.

Boeing's 757 and 767 jetliners, and the new

generation of 737 aircraft, also have wings designed
with some form of applied supercritical technology.

The success of Whitcomb's wind tunnel and

design studies led to approval in February 1969 of a
SCW flight test program at Dryden. A $1.8 million
contract to build the test wing was awarded to the
North American Aircraft Division of Rockwell
International, and the completed wing was delivered
to Dryden in December 1969.

Several military aircraft in testing and

development stages are being built with SCW
technology. Among them are the Lockheed-Martin
F-22 advanced technology fighter, and the two
aircraft that will be considered for the U.S. military
Joint Strike Fighter production contract, the Boeing
X-32 and the Lockheed-Martin X-35.

The test aircraft was an F-8 Crusader obtained

from the U.S. Navy. It was the ideal SCW testbed,
because the aircrafts standard variable-incidence
wing was easily removed and the test wing could be
installed without major structural changes. The main
landing gear also retracted into the fuselage, leaving
the test wing without any obstructions. With a top
speed of Mach 1.7, the F-8 had a full transonic range.

From Sketch to Test

Dr. Richard Whitcomb, a renowned
aeronautical engineer at Langley, developed the
concept of a supercritical wing. He was one of many
engineers in the 1950s and 60s fascinated by the
transonic speed regime.

Originally, the test wing was going to be built

without any flight control surfaces -- ailerons and
flaps -- to achieve the best possible aerodynamic
performance. This would mean modifying the flight
control system to give the stabilizers asymmetric
rolling capability would produce the only roll
control. When studies showed that the rolling tail
might not have provided adequate control at low
speeds, the ailerons were returned to the design.

The X-1 research aircraft had become the first

to fly faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1) in
1947 and eliminate fears of the so-called sound
"barrier." But there was still much to be learned
about the behavior of air just below and just above
the speed of sound, and the shockwaves that form
on the top of wings.

U.S. Navy. F-8s were the first carrier-based aircraft

with speeds over 1,000 mph. A total of 1,261 F-8s
were built between 1955 and 1965.

The decision to build the wing without flaps

remained, however, giving the test aircraft a longerthan-normal takeoff roll and a landing speed of 195
mph. The landing speed was too fast for the
conventional 15,000-foot runway at Edwards,
because the aircraft did not have antiskid capabilities
in its braking system; so all landings were on Rogers
Dry Lake.

Designation: NASA 810; Navy Bureau of

Aeronautics 141353
The aircraft's engine was a Pratt and Whitney
J-57 turbojet that produced 13,750 lbs of thrust.

NASAs SCW project pilot was Tom

McMurtry. The first flight on Mar. 9, l971, lasted
50 minutes and verified the basic stability and
handling qualities of the sweeping, graceful wing
design. McMurtry was the first of 10 pilots who
eventually flew the SCW aircraft before the 86th
and final flight on May 23, 1973.

The aircraft had an original wingspan of 35 ft.

2 in. Wingspan with the Supercritical Wing was 43
feet. The overall length of 54 ft. 6 in. and maximum
height of 15 ft. 9 in. at the tail were unchanged with
the wing modification.
LTV received the Collier Trophy for the design
and development of the F-8.

Throughout the entire flight program, the test

aircraft and its supercritical wing displayed good
stability and control at all transonic speeds and at
altitudes up to nearly 50,000 feet.
Before the flight research program reached the
halfway mark, test data confirmed wind tunnel
forecasts of faster subsonic cruising speeds and
greater fuel efficiency, prompting early interest in
the SCW concept by aircraft manufacturers and
airlines.
In 1974, about one year after the final research
flight, Dr. Whitcomb received the Wright Brothers
Memorial Trophy from the National Aeronautic
Association for his SCW design work.

The SCW F-8 is publicly displayed at NASA's Dryden Flight

Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
NASA Photo EC95-43002-2

The SCW Test Aircraft

The F-8 Crusader used as the SCW test aircraft
was built by LTV Aerospace, Dallas, Tex., for the