A combined theoretical, experimental and numerical study was conducted to investigate the problem of laminar free convection underneath a hot isothermal and inclined fin array. The influence of inclination on the location where the flow stagnates, and splits, was examined. Heat transfer rates were calculated for different fin array geometries and temperatures. The results show that for small inclination angles the cooling rate is essentially constant. Beyond a certain angle, the tilting of the fin array enhances substantially the heat transfer rate. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the heat transfer coefficient increases at higher fin temperatures and larger fin spacing, but is of a lesser sensitivity to fin height changes. Additionally, it was discovered that the array optimal fin spacing do not depend on the inclination angle. In the theoretical part, a semi empirical model was developed for the heat transfer coefficient of horizontal and slightly inclined arrays that have large fin spacing. In effect it constitutes the necessary modeling addition to the previously developed model for moderately and tightly spaced fins of slightly tilted arrays. Together, they provide analytical expressions for the heat transfer coefficient of slightly inclined arrays, for any fin spacing. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.