Walking the ramp here at the Dubai International airport on the eve of the Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) show, I happened on a good example to show the difference between blended winglets and elliptical winglets.
Blended winglets are the intellectual property via patent law of Seattle-based Aviation Partners..
Elliptical Winglets are the intellectual property via patent law of Wichita-based Winglet Technology, the founder of which used to work for the former.
Needless to say, they don't like it when you get the two technologies mixed up, despite the fact that both increase maximum load and increase cruise range.
So here's the deal:
- Blended winglets as seen on the Boeing Business Jet (B737) in the background consist of a straight winglet joined to a straight wing via a curved joint.
- Elliptical winglets, shown in the foreground on a Cessna Citation X, consist of a constantly curving winglet joined to a straight wing.
.
Leave a comment
Want a user picture? Get a Gravatar!