Boeing 737-800 (NG) Aerodynamic/Geometry

Parameters
Wing & Fuselage (clean configuration): The 737-800 has a 25° leading-edge swept wing 1 with span
≈34.32 m (112 ft 7 in) and planform area ≈124.6 m² 1 . Its aspect ratio is ≈9.44 1 . From Boeing data, the
wing root chord is ≈5.71 m and tip ≈1.25 m 2 , giving a mean aerodynamic chord of about 3.96 m
(≈13.0 ft). A modern supercritical (proprietary) airfoil is used on the wing (also on the horizontal tail) 3 . A
typical skin-friction “form factor” K for the wing is ~1.1–1.3 4 . The Oswald efficiency factor in clean cruise
is on the order of e≈0.80–0.83 5 (values drop when flaps/slats are deployed).

• Key geometry: wing sweep = 25° 1 ; AR ≈9.4 1 ; span ≈34.3 m 1 ; wing area ≈124.6 m² 1 ; MAC
≈3.96 m (≈13.0 ft) 2 ; e≈0.8 (clean) 5 ; K (wing) ≈1.2 (order-of-magnitude) 4 .

Fuselage drag (clean): The fuselage is ~39.5 m long by 3.76 m wide 6 1 . This yields a length‐to‐diameter
ratio ≈10.5:1. The wing reference area is 124.6 m² 1 . The wetted area of the fuselage (sides, nose and tail)
is on the order of ≈446–450 m² 7 (SUAVE-based estimate; includes cylindrical body plus cones).

• Key parameters: fuselage L/D ≈10.5 (39.5 m/3.76 m) 6 1 ; wing ref. area S_ref ≈124.6 m² 1 ;
fuselage wetted area S_wet,fus ≈446 m² 7 .

Wing and Tail drag (clean): The horizontal stabilizer and elevator use a similar supercritical section as the
wing, while the vertical tail typically has a symmetric (e.g. NACA 00xx) section 8 . The wing’s mean
thickness-to-chord ratio is roughly 10–12% 9 (SUAVE uses 0.10). Tailplane t/c is comparable (~0.10). The
wing taper ratio (tip chord/root chord) is about 0.22 (using 1.25/5.71 from Boeing data 2 ). The horizontal
and vertical tails have more moderate taper (data sparse, but roughly 0.3–0.5 typical). The total wing wetted
area (upper+lower) is roughly 2×S_ref ≈250 m² 10 .

• Key values: wing airfoil = supercritical (not NACA) 3 ; vertical-tail airfoil = symmetric; wing t/c ≈0.10–
0.12 9 ; tail t/c ≈0.10; wing taper ≈0.22 (tip/root) 2 ; wing wetted area ≈250 m² 10 .

Landing Gear (landing configuration): The 737-800 has a conventional tricycle gear (one nose strut, two
main struts) 11 . (Thus 3 gear assemblies total.) Main wheels are large (~1.2 m diameter including tire) and
spaced ≈5.71 m apart (track width) 12 ; the nose wheel is smaller (~0.5–0.6 m) and centrally mounted. Gear
is stowed in cruise, deployed for takeoff/landing.

• Key data: gear type = tricycle (1 nose + 2 main) 11 ; main gear track ≈5.7 m 12 ; wheel diam. ~1.2 m
(approx).

Engines/Nacelles (clean): The standard engines are CFM56-7B turbofans 13 . Two thrust variants exist: the
–7B24 (~107.6 kN each) or –7B27 (~121.4 kN each) 14 . In Boeing data the 737‑800 thrust is given as ~117 kN

1
(26,300 lbf) each 13 . Each nacelle is roughly 4.90 m long and 2.46 m in diameter 15 (length/diameter
≈2.0). The total wetted area per nacelle is on the order of ~40–45 m² (using ~1.1×πDL).

• Key values: engine = CFM56-7B turbofan 13 ; thrust (SL) ≈107–121 kN per engine (CFM56-7B24/7B27)
14 ; nacelle L/D ≈2.0 (4.90 m/2.46 m) 15 ; nacelle wetted area ≈42 m² (each).

Flap drag (takeoff/landing): The 737‑800 uses double-slotted Fowler flaps on the trailing edge (three-
segment flaps) 16 . The flap chord is about 20–35% of local wing chord. A typical flap/chord ratio (C_flap/
C_mean) is ~0.3 (range ~0.2–0.35 17 ). In cruise (clean) flaps are retracted; during takeoff/landing they
extend, greatly increasing profile drag.

• Key data: flap type = double-slotted Fowler (high-lift) 16 ; flap chord ratio C_flap/C_wing ≈0.25–0.35
17 (≈0.3 typical).

Slat drag (takeoff/landing): The 737‑800 has leading-edge slats (and Krueger flaps inboard). The slat chord
is small – roughly 10–15% of wing chord. A representative slat-chord ratio is ~0.1 (e.g. ~0.1–0.15 of wing
chord). Slats are deployed during takeoff and landing to increase camber and lift, but they also add drag.

• Key data: slat chord ratio C_slat/C_wing ≈0.1–0.15 (leading-edge slats).

Configurations: The above clean-configuration values apply with flaps/slats retracted and gear up. In
takeoff or landing configuration, flaps (20–30°) and slats (open) add surface area (via C_flap/C, C_slat/C
above) and increase Cd0 substantially. The wing/body geometry (sweeps, spans, etc.) remains the same.

Sources: Boeing/FAA data and credible references 1 6 2 , supplemented by technical analyses

(Stanford SUAVE, NASA textbooks, forums) 4 3 7 17 .

2
 1 Boeing 737 Next Generation - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_Next_Generation

2 12 BOEING 737
https://janes.migavia.com/usa/boeing/boeing-737.html

3 8 boeing 737 - P-8A Poseidon Airfoil type - Aviation Stack Exchange

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/100967/p-8a-poseidon-airfoil-type

4 Boeing 737-700 Drag | PDF | Drag (Physics) | Reynolds Number

https://www.scribd.com/doc/220607389/Boeing-737-700-Drag

5 Consider a Boeing 737-800 airplane with the following characteristics

https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/consider-boeing-737-800-airplane-following-characteristics-
mtow-180-000-lb-takeoff-thrust--q114598044

6 11 13 BOEING 737-800 | SKYbrary Aviation Safety

https://skybrary.aero/aircraft/b738

7 9 10 Boeing 737-800 - SUAVE Tutorial

https://suave.stanford.edu/tutorials/B737.html

14 Aircraft Directory
https://www.rocketroute.com/aircraft/boeing-737-800

15 dedienne-aero.com
https://dedienne-aero.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Leaflet-CFM56-7B-Engine-Stand.pdf

16 22.16.6. Support and Actuation Concepts - Abbott Aerospace UK Ltd

https://www.abbottaerospace.com/aa-sb-001/22-aircraft-specific-design-features-and-design-methods/22-16-57-wings/22-16-6-
support-and-actuation-concepts/

17 Thickness-to-Chord Ratio - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/thickness-to-chord-ratio