在一战初期，传统的机翼设计是薄翼型。典型的厚度比约为4%至5%。这种趋势可能是由于在不正确的雷诺数风洞中收集的数据造成的，从而导致了关于阻力与翼型厚度的错误重组。之前设计师们青睐的对鸟翅膀的原始模仿，也是这一趋势的一个重要原因。这种情况自1917年以来发生了变化。路德维希·普朗特(Ludwig Prandtl)清晰地论证了厚翼型的性能明显优于薄翼。Anthony Fokker立即将这一进展应用到Fokker Dr-1中。Fokker Dr-1在空中战斗中立即取得了对皇家飞行队和法国法国航空军的优势，被称为Fokker Scourge，并创造了第一个著名的飞行王牌Manfred von Richthofen，被称为“红色男爵”。曼弗雷德·冯·希特霍芬(Manfred von Richthofen)在80场空战中取得了官方的胜利，他的红色三架飞机的一块织物被收藏在伦敦皇家空军博物馆(RAF Museum)。这种戏剧性的优势部分是由内翼型结构和高升力系数提供的厚翼型。 随着空战实践的呈现，速度对于一架飞机在一场战争中更加关键。飞机在二战中的运行速度比一战要快得多，尤其是战斗机。这是通过航空工程的发展和空战理论的知识来实现的。螺旋桨动力的成熟和喷气动力的创新，促使飞机进入跨音速区域，面对可压缩效应。在这样的高速下，厚翼型的升力系数急剧下降，阻力系数急剧增加。因此，厚度弦比在第二次世界大战中减小为平面。
At the beginning of WW1, the tradition about wing design is a thin airfoil. The typical thickness ratios are about 4% to 5%. This tendency could possibly cause by the data collected in an incorrect Reynold number wind tunnel, which caused a wrong reorganization about drag with the airfoil thickness. The primitive imitation about bird’s wing, which is thin, preferred by designers previously was also a considerable reason for this trend. This situation had changed since 1917. Ludwig Prandtl perspicuously demonstrated the performance of a thick airfoil is noticeable better than the thin wing. Anthony Fokker applied this development in Fokker Dr-1 immediately. Fokker Dr-1 gained the advantage over the Royal Flying Corps and the French French Aéronautique Militaire in the air combat immediately, which is described as Fokker Scourge, and created the first famous flying ACE, Manfred von Richthofen, known as the “Red Baron”. Manfred von Richthofen was officially credited with 80 air combat victories and a piece of fabric of his red triplane is collected in RAF Museum London. This dramatical advantage is partly obtained from the internal airfoil structure and high lift coefficient provided by the thick airfoil. As the practice of the air combat presented the speed is more critical for an aircraft in a war. Aircraft operated in much higher speed in WW2 than WW1, especially in fighters. This is achieved by the development of aeronautic engineering and the knowledge about air combat theory. The maturing about propeller power and innovation of the jet power drive the plane into the transonic area and facing compressible effect. In such a high speed, a thick airfoil decreases its lift coefficient and increase its drag coefficient dramatically. Therefore, the thickness to chord ratio decrease to planes in WW2.