Airfoil Data
NACAM12
NACA M12
Wing Geometry Simulator
The NACA M12 is a thin 8.0% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 4.0% 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 -4.0°.
Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 11.8° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 58 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 NACAM12 appears in the wing design of at least 52 documented aircraft, including designs from Inland and Szybowcowy. 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 NACAM12 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: HSNLF(1)-0213 AIRFOIL, GOE 371 AIRFOIL, TsAGI 12% AIRFOIL, E62 (5.62%), EH 2.0/12. The NACA 64A-010 10.0% is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.
Aircraft Using the NACAM12 Airfoil
Arado Ar 66 | Arado | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Breda Ba.25 | Breda | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Breda Ba.65 | Breda | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Breda Ba.88 Lince | Breda | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Buhl LA-1 Bull Pup | Buhl | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Cessna A | Cessna | NACA M-12 mod | Constant |
Cessna AW | Cessna | NACA M-12 mod | Constant |
Cessna DC-6 | Cessna | NACA M-12 mod | Constant |
D'Appuzzo 200 Junior Aero Sport | D'Appuzzo | NACA M-12 | Constant |
D'Appuzzo 201 Sportwing | D'Appuzzo | NACA M-12 | Constant |
D'Appuzzo 260 Aero Sport | D'Appuzzo | NACA M-12 | Constant |
D'Appuzzo 295 Senior Aero Sport | D'Appuzzo | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Ditta Movo F.M. 1 Sparviero | Ditta | Goettingen 535 | NACA M-12 |
EMSCO B-4 | EMSCO | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Fieseler F2 Tiger | Fieseler | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Flamingo G-2-W | Flamingo | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Ginn-Lesniak Kestrel | Ginn-Lesniak | Goettingen 549 | NACA M-12 |
Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer | Great | NACA M-12 (upper) | NACA M-6 (lower) |
Great Lakes 2T-1E Sport | Great | NACA M-12 (upper) | NACA M-6 (lower) |
Great Lakes Biplane | Great | NACA M-12 | Constant |
Wing lofting: 13 of these aircraft taper from NACAM12 at the root to a different tip section. Use the Tapered filter to isolate them, then click any tip airfoil link to compare geometries.
Related Airfoils
Engineers evaluating the NACAM12 frequently compare it against profiles with comparable geometric constraints. Below are the closest matches based on maximum thickness (8.0%) and max camber (4.0%).