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num num, Considering I hadn't heard of RAF 34 aerofoils until yesterday I have read some interesting stuff. good topic.Hope you like bacon
My post was purely intuitive, I am in no way an expert. It is based on this.That is probably true, the Mosquito's wing root was (IMO including the radiator housing) noted as with 13% thickness-to-chord ratio. Link to the excellent thread, root TtC are noted in the photo #2 there. Note the hight TtC of 19% for the Whirlwind and Beaufighter, as well as apalling 21% for the Welkin. Both Westlands with Cd0 greater than 0.03.
NACA proposed the same radiator layout for the YP-38 as it was on the Mossie, part of the increase in chord (= lowers TtC) aimed to cure it's problem with sharp rise of drag above mach .6.
My post was purely intuitive, I am in no way an expert. It is based on this.
1. The research into aerofoils is on an aerofoil with the flow going either above or below the wing. Putting a radiator in the wing leading edge changes all of this airflow, that may or may not be a disadvantage but since I know jack all really I am confident that overall it was a compromise worth making on overall cooling drag etc.
2 The RAF 34 profiles used were also modified by de Havilland. If the P51s success was due to its wing aerofoils, its low cooling drag and its refined overall aerodynamic finish then the major difference between the two amounts to the difference between the modified RAF 34 profiles and the P51s NACA profiles, which is very little.