Airfoil Data
USA28

The USA 28 AIRFOIL is a 9.6% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 4.8% at 40% 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 -4.8°.

Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 11.7° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 62 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 USA28 appears in the wing design of at least 1 documented aircraft — notably by Swallow. Its proven track record across canard designs makes it one of the more field-validated profiles in the UIUC database.

Designers evaluating the USA28 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: GOE 12K AIRFOIL, GOE 796 AIRFOIL, NACA 64(2)-415 [NACA 6a series from Theory of Wing Sections], NACA 64(2)-415, EPPLER 328 AIRFOIL. The E168 (12.45%) is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.