NACA cowling

Curtiss AT-5A Hawk with NACA cowling at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, October 1928
Close-up of the cowling on the Curtiss AT-5A[1]

The NACA cowling is a type of aerodynamic fairing used to streamline radial engines installed on airplanes. It was developed by Fred Weick of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1927. It was a major advancement in aerodynamic drag reduction, and paid for its development and installation costs many times over due to the gains in fuel efficiency that it enabled.[2] It won the 1929 Collier Trophy.[3]

  1. ^ White, Graham (1995). Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II. pp. Figures 2.2 & 2.3. ISBN 1-56091-655-9.
  2. ^ White, Graham (1995). Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II. pp. 7–8. ISBN 1-56091-655-9.
  3. ^ "Engineering Science and the Development of the NACA Low-Drag Engine Cowling". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-09-17.