Airfoil Data
FX73K170
FX 73-K-170/22
Wing Geometry Simulator
The FX 73-K-170/22 is a 12.9% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 6.5% at 43% chord, suited to high-lift UAV wings, RC sailplanes, and low-Reynolds-number slow-flyers. At zero angle of attack the cambered geometry generates positive lift, giving an estimated zero-lift angle of -6.5°.
Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 11.3° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 70 at typical UAV and light-aircraft Reynolds numbers — useful benchmarks before running a full XFOIL or NeuralFoil polar. The 13% thickness provides structural depth for main-spar placement without excessive drag penalty at moderate speeds.
The FX73K170 appears in the wing design of at least 3 documented aircraft, including designs from Akaflieg and Glaser-Dirks. 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 FX73K170 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: GOE 797 AIRFOIL, EPPLER 561 AIRFOIL, DAI 1335, USA 98 AIRFOIL, GOE 683 AIRFOIL. The FX 73-CL2-152 is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.
Aircraft Using the FX73K170 Airfoil
Akaflieg Stuttgart FS-29 TF | Akaflieg | Wortmann FX 73-170 | Wortmann FX 73-K-170/22 |
Glaser-Dirks DG-500 | Glaser-Dirks | Wortmann FX 73-K-170/20 | Wortmann FX 73-K-170/22 |
Rolladen Schneider LS-3 | Rolladen | Wortmann FX 67-K-170/17 | Wortmann FX 73-K-170/22 |
Wing lofting: 3 of these aircraft taper from FX73K170 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 FX73K170 frequently compare it against profiles with comparable geometric constraints. Below are the closest matches based on maximum thickness (12.9%) and max camber (6.5%).