Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- Dissecting Boeing CEO’s statement next new airplane will cost $50bn April 15, 2024
- Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 3. Propulsive efficiency April 12, 2024
- A350-1000 or 777-9? Part 2 April 11, 2024
- Pontifications: Boeing “transparency”–not so much. April 9, 2024
- Airbus charges and write-offs since 1999: more than €33bn April 8, 2024
Winglets for the 777
Innovation Analysis Group has a 15 minute podcast with Aviation Partners, which revealed that they are working on winglets for the Boeing 777–with a prediction that the product could be ready for installation within two years.
This follows the winglets for the Boeing 767, which Aviation Partners suggests will provide a 5%-7% fuel burn improvement.
If a similar improvement is made for the 777, this will close the gap between the 777 and the projected fuel savings for the Airbus A350. Airbus projects a 20 operating cost savings over the 777, although we recognize that the remaining 13%-15% advantage still is nothing to sneeze at.
Aviation Partners is also working with Airbus, though AP declined to discuss it. It’s known, however, that Airbus and AP are getting ready to test a winglet on the A320 family. AP did discuss the prospect of winglets for the A380–which would be 17 feet tall. The wingtip fences on the Airbus family are old technology, AP says.
The podcast may be found here.
AIN’s ‘EBACE Convention News’ in 2006 said 777-200ER (and indeed 747-400) were among types which AP reportedly had studied for application of its winglet technology (see ainonline.com archive). AP also has been studying the A320 for some time, and Airbus ran its own flight-tests at least a year (maybe two?) ago – see Flight International archive I believe (at least). Of course it does AP no harm to be perceived as doing this and the oil-price impact may make efficiency gains more impressive. AP has said it has up to 25 different types, including bizjets, on its wishlist
In 2006 AP teased media with suggestions of possible “eyebrow-raising” technology that was in the wings (presumably not only metaphorically), derived from its much earlier Gulfstream work with so-called “spiroid” technology – a principle that grabbed the attention recently of one high-profile, er, flying blogger…
I cannot cite a specific source, but I thought that winglets were considered and discarded for the A380 because the increased weight of the wing needed to support such tall winglet structures negated most of the fuel savings.
Am I dreaming?
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