Aviation Partners Credits Blended Winglet Technology With The Savings

Aviation Partners, Inc. said in a news release that as of 1049 PST Tuesday, its unique Blended Winglet Technology has saved the worlds' commercial and business aircraft operators an estimated four billion gallons of jet fuel. The company said this represents a global reduction in CO2 emissions of almost 43 million tons. Aviation Partners' Winglets are now flying on almost 5,500 individual airplanes, and more than 20 airplane types worldwide.

API's Blended Winglets are an addition to the airplane wing tip that efficiently adds effective wingspan. The 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% greater effectiveness over conventional winglets with an angular transition.

One of the unique features of API's technology is that it can be installed during production or retrofitted to existing (i.e. in-service) aircraft. API Blended Winglets are certified and in-service on Dassault's Falcon 2000, 900 & 50 series, the Hawker 800 series and the Gulfstream II aircraft. API's joint venture with The Boeing Company, Aviation Partners Boeing (APB), has Blended Winglets certified and in-service on the Boeing 737-300, -500, -700, -800 & -900, 757-200 & -300 and 767-300ER/F series aircraft, as well as all 737 NG based Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) aircraft.

Aviation Partners' latest product, the new Split Scimitar Winglets (pictured) are in development for the Boeing 737 NG family of aircraft, with first deliveries to commence in early 2014; this revolutionary new design will lead to further incremental fuel savings. Both companies have additional airframe development programs in-work for Blended Winglets and Split Scimitar Winglets, as well as radical new Winglet technologies for the future.

API expects the amount of fuel saved to grow exponentially to more than seven billion gallons in the next 4-5 years. Joe Clark, CEO of API and Chairman of APB, said, "We are proud to be the world leader in the field of fuel savings for the airlines and private aviation," adding that, "We look forward to adapting our new technology to both existing airplanes and new production designs in the near future".

FMI: www.aviationpartners.com