AbstractA new method has been developed for the computation of steady two‐dimensional full‐potential transonic flow past symmetric aerofoils. This method utilizes von Mises variables (x, ψ), where ψ is taken as the streamfunction for the flow. The flow equations and appropriate boundary conditions are formulated in terms of the von Mises variables (x, ψ) for symmetric aerofoils at zero incidence. This yields a system of two equations for unknowns ρ(x, ψ) andy(x, ψ). Finite difference solutions have been computed using SLOR at subcritical and supercritical Mach numbers. The results are compared with available data and are in excellent