Aviation Partners, Inc. (API) and Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) announced today that its unique Blended Winglet and Split Scimitar Winglet technologies have now saved the world’s commercial and business jet operators an estimated 7 billion gallons of jet fuel, resulting in a corresponding global reduction of 74 million tons of CO2 emissions.
Blended Winglets are additions to the airplane wing that are significantly more efficient than standard wing tips. These winglets reduce the drag caused by wingtip vortices, the twin tornados formed by the difference between the pressure on the upper surface of an airplane’s wing and that on the lower surface. By reducing drag, Blended Winglets increase fuel efficiency and boost range. The Blended Winglets, which feature a large radius and smooth chord variation in the wing-to-winglet transition area, have demonstrated more than 60 percent greater effectiveness over conventional winglets with an angular transition. Aviation Partners’ latest winglet design, the Split Scimitar® Winglet, uses existing Blended Winglet technology, but adds new aerodynamic Scimitar tips and a large ventral strake, further increasing the efficiency of the airplane.
Blended Winglets have now been installed on over 8,000 aircraft; including, in chronological order of FAA certification, the: Gulfstream II, 737-BBJ, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-300, Hawker 800, Boeing 757-200, Boeing 737-500, Boeing 737-900, Boeing 737-900ER, Boeing 767-300ER/F, Dassault Falcon 2000, Boeing 757-300, Dassault Falcon 900, and Dassault Falcon 50. Split Scimitar Winglets are now installed on nearly 900 aircraft; including, in chronological order of FAA certification, the: Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900ER, Boeing 737-BBJ, Boeing 737-700, and Boeing 737-900.
APB and API expect the cumulative fuel savings from their technology to exceed 10 billion gallons by 2019. “We are very proud of being a leader of fuel conservation and emission reductions in the commercial airline industry and in private aviation,” said Joe Clark, founder and chief executive officer of API, and chairman of APB. “We are always looking for ways to both adapt our current products and develop new technologies toward improving the efficiency and performance of commercial and private aircraft.”
