Airfoil Data
N0012

The NACA 0012 AIRFOILS is a thin 6.0% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 3.0% at 30% chord, suited to high-speed UAVs, sailplane tip sections, and propeller blade design. At zero angle of attack the cambered geometry generates positive lift, giving an estimated zero-lift angle of -3.0°.

Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 11.9° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 52 at typical UAV and light-aircraft Reynolds numbers — useful benchmarks before running a full XFOIL or NeuralFoil polar. The slim profile minimises pressure drag at higher speeds but leaves limited spar depth for structural integration.

The N0012 appears in the wing design of at least 217 documented aircraft, including designs from Sikorsky and Cessna. Its proven track record across conventional and rotorcraft designs makes it one of the more field-validated profiles in the UIUC database.

Designers evaluating the N0012 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: NACA 16-012, NACA 0012-64, E. Bambino, NASA SC(2)-0012 AIRFOIL, NACA 0012-34. The NACA 0015 is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.