In the domain of aircraft, and more specifically powered flight, is there any case in which you wouldn't want the airfoil used to generate as much lift (and as little drag) as possible at a null angle of attack?
I'm writing a genetic algorithm that picks the best airfoil for the required environment. I tried to visualize the output, asking myself this question. Since the lift coefficient is known at the time of creation of the airfoil (I'm using NACA's 4-digit asymmetric airfoil equation), or at the very least can be stored in a table, simulating the performance of each airfoil encountered in the algorithm might be a waste, and you could simply query the table for the best airfoil given certain variables.
I considered that perhaps having too much lift (drag) at an angle of attack of 0° might rip the air-frame apart, or at least make it very unstable and create unwanted vibrations (or rip the wings off), but I'd like to know if there are other reasons.
Thanks in advance.
Best Answer
One example I can think of:
Stunt aircraft want a symmetrical airfoil so they can fly upside down equally well. Their lift is entirely due to angle of attack.