SA 7035, 7036 and 7038

Airfoil history class
Why bother with airfoils?
Choosing airfoils
Model design
 
Aquilla
Clark Y
E 226
FK 32r4
HD 48
HQW
MG06
MH 32
NACA 2410 mod.
RG 15
S 3021
S 7055
S 7075
SA 7035, 7036 and 7038
SD 7037 and SD 7032
 
Airfoils
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In 1996 Michael Selig checked the planes of 101 pilots at the AMA nationals. 40 of them flew SD 7037, 8 used the S 3021, 8 used RG 15 and 6 used another one of Selig/Donovan’s airfoils – SD 7080. 40 pilots flying the same plane did not cause the reason for SD 7037 popularity. 60 different planes were flown and the highest number for one airplane was 6 (Peregrine and Thermal Eagle). Michael Selig also talked to the pilots and found out that some of them wanted to fly a bit slower and some faster than the performance offered by the SD 7037. As the trees grew green in 1997, Selig started all over again together with Ashok Gopalarathnam and they designed the SD 7037 once again. Since 1986 they had got a new computer and new design program. The result was of course the SD 7037 like 10 years earlier as it was the starting point. At the same time they made 3 other airfoils. One was a bit slower than SD 7037, it was called SA 7038, one was a bit faster – the SA 7036, and one was faster again – the SA 7035. Notice that SA 7035 only differs a fraction – close to nothing - from one of the airfoils in Selig’s AMA nationals 1996-survey – the SD 7080.

There is now a family of 4 airfoils to choose from when building you new super glider – SA 7038, SD 7037, SA 7036 and SA 7035. When Selig and Ashok designed these 4 airfoils, they also promised to make 8 other with thickness of 5,5% and 7,7%. I have not yet heard the news of these airfoils, but the new Giga 2000 from TUN (www.tun.ch) and Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com) use an 7,8% thick SA 7038.