PLEASE - What are the upright additions retrofitted on the wing tips of commercial jet airliners called?

Question

These started appearing sevaral years ago. Do they provide stability in flight? Greater lift?? Less turbulance?? Help!!

Answer 1

There are several parts to the answer of your question. Firstly the items you are refering to are WINGLETS. The reason they are retro fitted is to reduce wing tip vorticies. Wing tip vorticies are created as air passing over the wing starts to roll [barrell roll] while moving over and outward from the wing root [nearest the fusalage] to the wing tip. Drag at the wing tip caused by the different speed of the still air just outside the wing tip, and air that has just passed over the wing tip, coming into contact after being disturbed, cause it to start rolling as it combines. This makes those cylinderical trails one sees in cold weather as the aircraft comes in to land. At speed this process continues, though not often visible as there is less moisture in upper air, but it still causes drag as it rolls off the wing tip. By adding the WINGLETS, this process is greatly reduced, as the rolling air cannot make the sudden turn upward to the new wing tip at the end of the WINGLET, thus flowing cleanly off the wing. This not only reduces drag, but makes the air flow smoother and therefore creates less drag = less energy required to move aircraft = results in fuel savings. Also see relivent answer above on how does an airplane fly.

Answer 2

They are called Winglets, they reduce the high pressure ever contact the low pressure off the wing, it acts like a barrier, and what that does, is reducing the drag. Which allows the wing to operate more effeciently and allows the aircraft to save on fuel. Yes they do reduce the amount of Wake Turbulance off the wing, It however does not reduce the Turbulance felt in the sky. That is caused by wind shifts, pressure changed and other variables in the sky. Turbulance in that nature is not caused by the aircraft.

Answer 3

I'd go with proflyers answer as to what they're called, Basically they're there to help with fuel consumption and reduce wake turbulence. Infact the two are interlinked. Wingtip vortices are formed when the high pressure air below the wing spirals up to the low pressure area, thus increasing the drag. It's also bad for aircraft behind (Wake turbulence) When you have winglets (boeing) or wingtip fences (airbus) they reduce this, thus decrease fuel consumption / drag

Answer 4

These are called WINGLETS.

Winglets are vertical extensions of wingtips that improve an aircraft's fuel efficiency and cruising range. Designed as small airfoils, winglets reduce the aerodynamic drag associated with vortices that develop at the wingtips as the airplane moves through the air. By reducing wingtip drag, fuel consumption goes down and range is extended.

Answer 5

Vortex generators. They keep the air stream from curling around then ends of the wings. They add a boat-load of efficiency (technical answer huh?) Some propellers are using this principle now too.

Answer 6

Yes, these are called winglets. They save fuel over a period of time, and also help airflow over the wing.

Answer 7

When Airbus first began putting them on their aircraft, they referred to them as "wingtip fences", but as more and more manufacturers began adding them to more planes, they're now more popularly known by the Boeing-coined term "winglets".

Answer 8

they are called wing tips.
they reduces turbulence in the tip area

Answer 9

They are called winglets.

Answer 10

winglets