Airfoil Approach Center of Gravity 
Pilot Institute
APRIL 12, 2025
They are designed with a special shape called an airfoil, which encourages passing air to turn and deflect downward. This is why the typical airfoil shape has a curved top and a flat bottom, especially in slower-speed general aviation aircraft. The aircraft pivots about its center of gravity. Wings do just that.
Plane and Pilot
OCTOBER 3, 2024
But it was apparent the smallest Grumman flying boat was too small and full of quirks—the cabin door won’t open if the flaps are down, for example—to justify something approaching a direct copy. The airfoil is a Harry Riblett shape, giving modernized flow separation on the leading edge for a soft stall yet with good lift and drag performance.
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