Experimental observations of self-sustained pitch oscillations of a NACA 0012 airfoil at
transitional Reynolds numbers were recently reported. The aeroelastic limit cycle
oscillations, herein labelled as laminar separation flutter, occur in the range 5.0× 104≤
Rec≤ 1.3× 105. They are well behaved, have a small amplitude and oscillate about θ= 0°. It
has been speculated that laminar separation leading to the formation of a laminar
separation bubble, occurring at these Reynolds numbers, plays an essential role in these …