Airfoil Data
NACA16009

The NACA 16009 is a thin 4.5% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 2.3% at 50% 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 -2.3°.

Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 12.0° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 48 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.

Designers evaluating the NACA16009 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: EPPLER EA 6(-1)-009 AIRFOIL, EH 0.0/9.0, S9032 (9%), YS-900, NACA-0009 9.0% smoothed. The NACA 747A315 is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.