Design reviews move faster when everyone sees the same comparison set. HFOIL’s batch tools help you overlay polars and rank candidates under identical flow conditions.
Build a fair test matrix
Fix Re, Mach, and alpha range. Change only the geometry. Uncontrolled variables make “winner” charts meaningless.
Score against the mission
Create a short scorecard: cruise Cl/Cd, Cl max, stall gentleness, and Cm behaviour. Weight the scorecard to your aircraft type.
Hand off to structures and propulsion
Once a shortlist exists, thickness and chord choices feed structural work and propeller matching later in the program.
Engineering takeaway
Airfoil selection is a trade among lift, drag, stall gentleness, and pitching moment. Document Reynolds number, Mach assumptions, and geometry provenance whenever you share polars with a team.
How HFOIL helps you act
Use HFOIL on Windows to iterate sections, generate polars, move into wing loading, and prepare review-ready plots. For licensing in any country, use Contact Us or email support@hendoi.com.
Learn more
Students: treat each case as a lab notebook entry. Companies: shortlist two or three sections before freezing CAD. Academies: assign compare-and-justify exercises using batch plots.