Copyright © A. Filippone (1996-2005). All Rights Reserved.
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Data Base, Drag

Lift-to-Drag Ratios

Summary


On Table 1 we have a summary of aerodynamic efficiency L/D (for high speed flows, transonic as well as supersonic, the efficiency is M L/D, with M = free stream Mach number). Some data are estimated. The L/D quantity is important because it also appears in the Breguet range equation.

The ratio L/D is sometimes called glide number, or glide ratio, or finesse.

Table 1: Summary of Lift-to-Drag Ratios
Wings for Racing Cars, Re > 2.5-3.5
Hypersonic Waverider , M=8-10 [*] 3 ÷ 4
Supersonic Jet Transport (Concorde) 8
Tilt-rotor aircraft 9÷10
New Supersonic Transport [*] 15
Oblique Flying Wing [*] 16÷17
Subsonic Jet Transport 16÷18
Bomber B-52 20
Airfoil Eppler E 193 , Re=0.1 50
Airfoil Liebeck L 1003, Re= 220

[*] Estimated data

Table 2: L/D of Subsonic Jet Aircraft
Aircraft (year) (L/D)max
Boeing B707-320 19.4
Douglas DC-8 17.9
Airbus A320 17.
Boeing 767-200 19.
Boeing 747-100 17.7
Douglas DC-10 17.7
Lockeed Tristar L1011 17.0
Douglas DC-9 (1966) 16.5
Boeing B727-200 16.4
Fokker 50 (1966) 16
Douglas DC-3 (1935) 14.7
Ford Trimotor (1927) 12.
Wright Flyer I (1903) 8.3

Table 3: L/D of Some Birds
Bird L/D
House Sparrow (passer domesticus) 4.
Herring Gull (larus argentatus ) 10.
Common Tern (sterna hirundo ) 12.
Albatross (diomeda exulans ) 20.

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Copyright © A. Filippone (1996-2005). All Rights Reserved.