Boeing has shown off its new dual-feather winglet design concept for the 737 MAX, promising up to 1.5 percent fuel-burn improvement on long range flights, on top of the 10-12 percent already offered by the MAX.
Compared to today’s wingtip technology, which provides up to a 4 percent fuel-burn advantage at long ranges, the Advanced Technology winglet provides a total fuel-burn improvement of up to 5.5 percent on the same long routes, says the manufacturer.
“The concept is more efficient than any other wingtip device in the single-aisle market because the effective wing span increase is uniquely balanced between the upper and lower parts of the winglet,” said Michael Teal, chief project engineer, 737 MAX.
Boeing aerodynamicists used advanced computational fluid dynamics to combine rake tip technology with a dual feather winglet concept into one advanced treatment for the wings of the 737 MAX.
Boeing says the Advanced Technology winglet fits within today’s airport gate constraints while providing more effective span thereby reducing drag. “Ongoing 737 MAX testing in the wind tunnel validated the new concept on the airplane,” says Boeing.
“We have assessed the risk and understand how to leverage this new technology on the MAX within our current schedule,” said Teal. “This puts us on track to deliver substantial additional fuel savings to our customers in 2017.”
To date, the 737 MAX has more than 1,000 orders and commitments from 16 customers worldwide.
