Missiles and projectiles stabilization is usually accomplished through fins, which can be represented by thin flat plates. The flow field over thin plates is difficult to predict due to the existence of laminar-to-turbulent transition, boundary layer separation, leading edge bubble and reattachment. The purpose of this study is to analyze the flow over a thin flat plate, and at the same time, to investigate the performance of different models to predict turbulence, by employing two methodologies. The first one is based on the Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes Equations (RANS), which requires less computational effort, since it can be applied to a two-dimensional steady flow. In this case, three levels of modeling were employed, through the solution of one, two and five differential equations, corresponding to the Spalart-Allmaras (SA), kapa-ômega Shear Stress Tensor (SST) and Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) models, respectively. The second approach corresponds to the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) methodology, and the performance of the Dynamic Smagorinsky model was investigated. Results were obtained for Reynolds number equal to 2.13 x 10(5) and for three incidence angles (one, three and five degrees). The results were validated by comparing with available numerical and experimental data. It was shown that, in spite of predicting better turbulence levels, the RSM is not adequate to predict free shear layers. The SA model is too diffusive and it fails to predict the normal stresses, while the SST is capable of predicting the separation bubble with reasonable accuracy. However, in spite of the larger cost, the long separation bubble predictions obtained with the LES methodology were substantial superior and more complete than RANS solutions.