Looking out the plane window, you might be beginning to wonder what those fins on the wingtip are for. Some resemble tails, while others resemble arrows; some are large, while others are small, and still others are simply pointed at the edge. They are what you call a winglet, and they are wingtip devices that improve aircraft efficiency by reducing drag.
Winglets are not their primarily for aesthetics purposes
Drag is defined as the force acting in the opposite direction of the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid, in this case air.
When air moves at different speeds at the top or bottom of the wing, a winglet or wingtip device helps reduce the wake of air vortices. These vortices on the wing’s edge create drag, reducing aircraft efficiency as more power is used. By reducing the vortex, which reduces drag, less power is used, making the aircraft more efficient.
Wingtip devices have resulted in significant fuel savings and emissions reductions of 3 to 6%, in addition to making the aircraft look more slick and stylish.
Wingtip devices of various shapes and sizes are used on various aircraft.
Blended winglets and wing fences
The Airbus A320 family employs two types: wing fences and blended wingtips known as “sharklets” by Airbus. The wing-fence seen in the above photo of an AirAsia A320 was first seen on earlier versions of the aircraft. While both a wing-fence and a sharklet serve the same purpose, the latter has proven to increase the efficiency of the A320.
Today, all A320 aircraft use ‘Sharklets,’ or Airbus’ proprietary version of a blended wingtip.
The blended wingtip, similar to that of the Airbus sharklet, is used on the majority of the New Generation Boeing 737s. However, prior to the 737 MAX, some versions of the NG were already outfitted with a newer type of wingtip device known as a “Split-scimitar winglet”.
Later models of the Boeing 737NG feature Split-Scimitar Wingtips, as seen in the image above. The wingtip may appear to split from a distance, but if you look closely, you will notice a main blended wingtip with an added fin pointing downwards. The wingtip of the 737 MAX, on the other hand, splits in two. This is called “split-tip winglet.” A comparison of both is provided below. The left wingtip belongs to a 737 MAX, while the right belongs to a 737NG.
Canted winglets
The canted wingtip is used by the Boeing 747-400, Airbus A330, and A340. The Jumbo jet was the first to use a canted wingtip, which increased range by 3.5% over the previous model, the 747-300. In 1992 and 1993, Airbus followed suit by using canted wingtips on its A330 and A340.
Raked wingtips
Almost all of Boeing’s current widebody aircraft, such as the 777, 787, and 747-8, have raked wingtips, which have a greater sweep and a more pointed edge than the rest of the wing. Boeing claims that this improves fuel efficiency, take-off performance, and climbing performance.
Wingtip devices, also known as winglets, are not just for show; they also improve an aircraft’s performance and efficiency. Wingtip devices are now used by over 8,000 aircraft flying around the world. Since 2000, this has saved nearly 20 billion liters of jet fuel and prevented over 56 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
