Winglets on a Lufthansa Airbus A319, best seen on the magnified picture

Winglets on a Privatair Boeing Business Jet

The winglets of a Learjet 60 business jet

Winglets are also used in the aerodynamics of racing cars, as seen on the edges of these Formula 1 front spoilers.

A winglet is a device used to improve the efficiency of aircraft by lowering the lift-induced drag caused by wingtip vortices. The winglet is a vertical or angled extension at the tips of each wing. Winglets on a Lufthansa Airbus A319. ... Winglets on a Lufthansa Airbus A319. ... Airbus S.A.S., based in Toulouse, France, is an aircraft manufacturer. ... The Airbus A320 is a short to medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Airbus. ... Winglet on a Privatair Boeing Business Jet (HB-IIP), landing at London (Heathrow) Airport, England. ... Winglet on a Privatair Boeing Business Jet (HB-IIP), landing at London (Heathrow) Airport, England. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA)(TYO: 7661 ) is the worlds largest aircraft manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Washington. ... A Privatair Boeing Business Jet The Boeing Business Jet series are factory conversions of the Boeing 737 airliners for the corporate jet market. ... The winglets of a Learjet 60 business jet at Filton Airfield, Filton, Bristol, England. ... The winglets of a Learjet 60 business jet at Filton Airfield, Filton, Bristol, England. ... The Learjet 60 is a private jet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace. ... Business jet (slang, Bizjet) is a term for a jet aircraft, usually of modest size, designed for transporting small groups of business people for commercial reasons at a time convenient to their business needs. ... Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 4192 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 4192 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Aerodynamics is a branch of fluid dynamics concerned with the study of gas flows. ... Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel auto racing. ... Airbus A380 An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... In aerodynamics, lift-induced drag, or more simply, induced drag, is a drag force arising from the generation of lift by wings or a lifting body during flight. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Wake turbulence. ... A Laughing Gull on the beach in Atlantic City. ...

Winglets work by increasing the effective aspect ratio of a wing without adding greatly to the structural stress and hence necessary weight of its structure - an extension of wing span would also permit lowering of induced drag, though it would cause parasitic drag and would require boosting the strength of the wing and hence its weight - there would come a point at which no overall useful saving would be made. A winglet helps to solve this by effectively increasing the aspect ratio without adding to the span. The low aspect ratio wing of a Piper PA-28 Cherokee In aerodynamics, the aspect ratio is an airplanes wings span divided by its standard mean chord (SMC). ... In aerodynamics, lift-induced drag, or more simply, induced drag, is a drag force arising from the generation of lift by wings or a lifting body during flight. ... Parasitic drag is drag caused by moving a solid object through a fluid. ... The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip. ...

The exact upward angle (called cant) of the winglet, and its inward angle (or toe) is critical for correct performance, and is determined for each aircraft application. The vortex which rotates around from below the wing strikes the angled surface of the winglet, generating a small lift force that angles forwards relative to the direction of flight - thus the energy in the vortex contributes to thrust rather than drag as it normally would. This is analogous to a sailing boat sailing very close to the wind. This small contribution can be very worthwhile on long distance flights. Sailing at sunset Wooden sailing boat Sailing is the skillful art of controlling the motion of a sailing ship or smaller boat, across a body of water. ... Some boats in a harbor in Miami Beach, Florida A boat is a watercraft, usually smaller than most ships. ...

Some types of aircraft, especially airliners, have winglets, for example the Airbus A340, and the Boeing 747-400. Other designs such as the Boeing 777 omit them, because the gain available is very small and would make the aircraft just too large for a standard airport gate. Recently, blended winglets have been offered as an aftermarket retrofit for Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft by Aviation Partners Inc., allowing these aircraft improved performance and efficiency characteristics. Airbus S.A.S., based in Toulouse, France, is an aircraft manufacturer. ... For the road, see A340 road The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined widebody commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Airbus. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA)(TYO: 7661 ) is the worlds largest aircraft manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Washington. ... Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 The Boeing 747, commonly called the Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable modern airliners and is the largest airliner currently in airline service. ... The Boeing 777 is a family of long range widebody twin engine airliners built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. ... The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular medium range - narrow body commercial passenger jet aircraft. ... The Boeing 757 is a medium-range transcontinental commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. ...

Some airlines have taken advantage of the fact that winglets are visible to many passengers onboard through the airplane's windows. Some examples include Southwest Airlines and WestJet, which advertise their website addresses on the interior side of their 737's winglets. Southwest Airlines, Inc. ... WestJet TSX: WJA is a Canadian low-cost carrier based in Calgary, Alberta that flies to most major cities in Canada and 12 cities in the United States. ...

External links

• Article on initial winglet research (NASA)
• Drawing of the wingtip vortices with and without winglet
• Detailed article explaining the aerodynamics of winglets