Aircraft component fixed to the end of the wings to improve performance
"Winglet" redirects here. For the personal transporter by Toyota, see Toyota Winglet.
Not to be confused with wing fence.
The Airbus A350 wingtip deviceLine drawing of wingtip vortices behind a conventional wingtip (on the left) and a blended winglet (on the right)
Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag.[1] Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft's drag. Wingtip devices can also improve aircraft handling characteristics and enhance safety for following aircraft. Such devices increase the effective aspect ratio of a wing without greatly increasing the wingspan. Extending the span would lower lift-induced drag, but would increase parasitic drag and would require boosting the strength and weight of the wing. At some point, there is no net benefit from further increased span. There may also be operational considerations that limit the allowable wingspan (e.g., available width at airport gates).
Wingtip devices help prevent the flow around the wingtip of higher pressure air under the wing flowing to the lower pressure surface on top at the wingtip, which results in a vortex caused by the forward motion of the aircraft. Winglets also reduce the lift-induced drag caused by wingtip vortices and improve lift-to-drag ratio. This increases fuel efficiency in powered aircraft and increases cross-country speed in gliders, in both cases increasing range.[1] U.S. Air Force studies indicate that a given improvement in fuel efficiency correlates directly with the causal increase in the aircraft's lift-to-drag ratio.[2]
^ abRobert Faye, Robert Laprete, Michael Winter (January 2002). "Blended winglets for improved airplane performance" (PDF). Aero magazine. No. 17. Boeing.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Committee on Assessment of Aircraft Winglets for Large Aircraft Fuel Efficiency (2007). Assessment of Wingtip Modifications to Increase the Fuel Efficiency of Air Force Aircraft. National Academies Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-309-38382-0. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)[permanent dead link]
Wingtipdevices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which...
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LEAP or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines and fitted with sharklets wingtipdevices as standard, the A320neo is 15% to 20% more fuel efficient than prior...
extend further and has contributed to a crash. Wingtipdevices may slightly lessen the power of wingtip vortices. However, such changes are not significant...
winglet was achieved for the "Maturity Gate 5" on 17 December 2008. The wingtipdevice curves upwards over the final 4.4 m (14 ft). The wings are produced...
wing, and spiroid tip devices. Like many wingtipdevices, the closed wing aims to reduce the wasteful effects associated with wingtip vortices which occur...
pusher configuration Rutan VariEze and Rutan Long-EZ, acting as both a wingtipdevice and a vertical stabilizer. Several other derivatives of these and other...
they prevent the entire wing from stalling at once, as opposed to wingtipdevices, which increase aerodynamic efficiency by seeking to recover wing vortex...
are probably also exploiting this effect. Using wingtipdevices to reduce induced drag caused by wingtip vortices has been tested for aircraft, and could...
with Sharklets, wingtipdevices which reduce lift-induced drag and improve efficiency through reduced fuel consumption. The optional devices, which will also...
700 t of CO2 per aircraft per year. The 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall wingtipdevices are manufactured by Korean Air Aerospace Division. In December 2011...
000 kg (205,000 lb). Wingspan remained unchanged, supplementing various wingtipdevices. Two suppliers provided turbofan engines for the A321: CFM International...
Lucia, cut its fleet to six Boeing 737-800 aircraft retrofitted with wingtipdevices (winglets) and reduced its staff to 800, with a majority of the staff...
has showcased wingtipdevices (sharklets or winglets) that can achieve 3.5 percent reduction in fuel consumption. There are wingtipdevices on the Airbus...
systems. Externally, it is recognizable by its four-window cockpit, raked wingtips, and noise-reducing chevrons on its engine nacelles. Development and production...
[citation needed] The Original -100 and -200 series were built without wingtipdevices, but these were later introduced to improve fuel efficiency. The 737...
improved avionics software, enhanced high-lift devices controls and retrofittable "sabrelet" blended wingtipdevices. After 2021 the SSJ100R would replace western...
Blériot VIII in 1908, some designs of early aircraft used "wingtip" ailerons, where the entire wingtip was rotated to achieve roll control as a separate, pivoting...
world to have their Boeing 737-800s fitted with blended winglets, wingtipdevices that are intended to improve fuel efficiency. Air Berlin introduced...
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