Flow measurement on the fuselage of a Boeing 737 airplane

Results are presented on flow measurements on the fuselage of a Boeing 737 aircraft, carried out during flight tests. The instruments used to measure static pressure, local skin friction, boundary layer characteristics, turbulence properties, and pressure fluctuations are described together with the computational methods used. Boundary layer thicknesses were found to be typically 6-8 inches at Reynolds numbers based on the momentum thickness of 60-180,000, depending on flight conditions and location along the fuselage.