Airfoil Data
RAF34
RAF 34 AIRFOIL
Wing Geometry Simulator
The RAF 34 AIRFOIL is a 8.3% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 4.2% at 30% chord, suited to general-aviation and UAV wing design. At zero angle of attack the cambered geometry generates positive lift, giving an estimated zero-lift angle of -4.2°.
Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 11.8° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 59 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 RAF34 appears in the wing design of at least 88 documented aircraft, including designs from Vickers and De Havilland. 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 RAF34 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: Falcon, GOE 362 AIRFOIL, CAP 21 (TraCFoil), GOE 115 (MVA MK.2) AIRFOIL, GOE 602 AIRFOIL. The EPPLER 332 AIRFOIL is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.
Aircraft Using the RAF34 Airfoil
ABC Robin | ABC | RAF-34 | Constant |
Air Associates NB-8G | Air | RAF-34 | Constant |
Angus Aquila | Angus | RAF-34 | Constant |
Blackburn B-100 Beverley | Blackburn | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
Blackburn B-101 Beverley | Blackburn | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
Blackburn B-65 Beverley | Blackburn | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
Bristol 105 Bulldog IV | Bristol | RAF-35 (upper) | RAF-34 (lower) |
Cijan-Obad Orao | Cijan-Obad | Goettingen 549/682 | RAF-34 |
Cijan-Obad Orao IIc | Cijan-Obad | Goettingen 549/682 | RAF-34 |
Cloudcraft Phantom | Cloudcraft | RAF-34 | ? |
Comper Streak | Comper | RAF-34 | Constant |
de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
de Havilland DH-104 Dove | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod (18.3%) | RAF-34 mod (14.5%) |
de Havilland DH-114 Heron | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod (18.3%) | RAF-34 mod (14.5%) |
de Havilland DH-86 Express | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
de Havilland DH-87A Hornet Moth | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
de Havilland DH-88 Comet | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
de Havilland DH-89 Dragon Rapide | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
de Havilland DH-90 Dragonfly | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
de Havilland DH-91 Albatross | De Havilland | RAF-34 mod | Constant |
Wing lofting: 15 of these aircraft taper from RAF34 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 RAF34 frequently compare it against profiles with comparable geometric constraints. Below are the closest matches based on maximum thickness (8.3%) and max camber (4.2%).