SWA Winglets - It's Official!

[fokkerjet]

Actually..

Boeing had tried the winglets on the 747-200 as a test bed..Winglets were later designed into the 747-400..

As far as the 737..Im fairly certain that the 737-800 was the first 737 to have the winglets flight tested and were later offered as an option for the BBJ..

The original BBJ did not have winglets nor were they an option until later..

Mike

Aviation Partners Boeing tested the blended winglets on a production B737-800 and then offered them as an STC on the BBJ in late 2000. Boeing then offered the blended winglet on B737-800's at least a year later, followed by -700 and now the -300. Aviation Partners Boeing tested (or are going to test) the blended winglet on the B747-200 and -300, but I've not heard any STC yet available on those models.

The winglets you talk about on the B747-400 are of a different design of those on the B737 line.

 

[CoopDog]

What about the -300?

So if Boeing offers them for the -300, will SWA get them for those airplanes as well? And is the -500 going to be wingletless? Anybody know what the plans are?

 

[Freight Dog]

Aloha Airlines is also going to use winglets to outfit our -700's which fly to the mainland. This should improve performance out of airports where we occasionally get weight-restricted due to headwinds.

 

[fokkerjet]

Re: What about the -300?

So if Boeing offers them for the -300, will SWA get them for those airplanes as well? And is the -500 going to be wingletless? Anybody know what the plans are?

I haven't read anything about the -500 series but Boeing's website states they are studing the -600 and -900 series next.

 

[StopNTSing]

Re: ATA took the lead

ATA took the lead with winglets, lets see who else follows.

That's right...and I'll bet they paid WAY more for them than SWA did. The only reason we're finally getting them is because Boeing finally came down on the cost.

 

[StopNTSing]

Re: What about the -300?

So if Boeing offers them for the -300, will SWA get them for those airplanes as well? And is the -500 going to be wingletless? Anybody know what the plans are?

Heard our -300s and -500s will remain wingletless. They just don't have the life left in the airframes to make the mod costs worth it.

 

[Cardinal]

Out of curiosity, I've always wondered why winglets were not added to the 777 and new 767's. Seems like they are a popular option for improving efficincy but never understood why they are not used on some of the new heavies, but are used on the 744. I guess the aero. engineers have a good reason!

I'll try not to sound too pedantic, but I will approach this in a linear fashion. It's all about aspect ratio, span/chord. A long skinny wing is more efficient than a short stubby wing because of reduced tip losses - that annoying tendency of air to spill from under the wing and up around the wingtip. A winglet increases the effective wingspan, only in a slightly different direction, thus uping the aspect ratio. The 777 ends up with a very high aspect ratio even before any winglets. From the crank at the inboard aileron and outboard from there it resembles a glider. The 767-400 has cranked wingtips, kinda like the Dorniers, that taper to almost nothing. This increases the effecive aspect ratio, it's as if the wing never ends. The motivation to not go with a vertical winglet is structural. Extending the wing in it's same plane by a few feet is comparatively easy, just continue the taper of the spar. But it's more difficult (heavier) to transfer the aerodynamic loads of a winglet through a small, delicate curved structure to the spar. Another factor, particularly with larger aircraft is gate space and taxiway clearance, a vertical winglet fits much nicer than an extra 20 or 30 feet of wingspan.

Actually I find it interesting the WN adopted the winglets given their shorter stage lengths. Either ANA or JAL (perhaps both) operate their domestic 744s without winglets, while their international birds are equipped. Apparently the extra weight was not justifiable over short legs.

 

[firstthird]

Here is a link to a website that explains it all pretty well

http://airtransportbiz.free.fr/Technique/Thewinglet.html

Boils down that you can either extend the wing or put on a winglet that is 4/5's as high as you would've made the wing longer. Winglets also increase the structural complexity/weight of the wing so that is thrown in the mix.

Back in the late 80's when I was in college my aero professors taught that no one had over come the increased planform drag that winglets caused to make them worthwhile even though they were known to reduce the induced drag (from the wingtip vortices) I guess someone figured it out about when they were teaching me that.

 

[Dieterly]

Boeing, Well Done!!!

Aviation Partners Boeing, a joint venture between Aviation Partners Inc. and Boeing, will provide 169 Blended Winglet shipsets to Southwest.

vs.

Airbus wins $12.5B Emirates order. Deal at Paris Air Show pushes firm's orders for year to 197 compared with 38 for archrival Boeing.

 

[G4G5]

I am pretty sure that the G3/G2B were the first with winglets. And IMHO the G3 is still the best looking corporate aircraft