Airfoils moving in air close to a dynamic water surface

Abstract Steady potential flow about a thin wing, flying in air above a dynamic water surface, is analysed in the asymptotic limit as the clearance-to-length ratio tends to zero. This leads to a non-linear integral equation for the one-dimensional pressure distribution beneath the wing, which is solved numerically. Results are compared with established “rigid-ground” and “hydrostatic” theories. Short waves lead to complications, including non-uniqueness, in some parameter ranges.