Do the wiglets on the new airliners reduce drag, and if they do how much. example 737 or 747?

Question

I heard from a pilot that this can increase the range on some planes so they can fly longer routs. Example 757 can fly trans atlantic with them.

Answer 1

Winglets reduce parasitic drag and improve fuel efficiency by up to 6%.

To say that something increases lift and does not reduce drag is erm... not a good statement. The increase in lift at the same air speed allows for a tiny reduction in pitch and drag. So while reduction in drag is not the direct effect it is a side effect and it is the side effect for which the winglets are added.

Another way of looking at it is that they reduct the energy used to create the wingtip vortices, but the vortices are created by the higher pressure air under the wing tip wrapping around to the low pressure area above the wing tip... which reduces lift and increases parasitic drag.

Another way of solving the same issue is to sweep back the win tips.

(below) No, they reduce the wingtip vortex. Anything the aircraft does that doesn't result in it moving forward, including making noise and pretty twisty patterns in the air, results in higher energy consumption and less efficient opperation. Wing tip vortices are bad, not good. They are an expression of lost energy.

Answer 2

Winglets do reduce drag. They don't increase lift, lift remains the same as the weight of the aircraft. They do increase the COEFFICIENT of lift per angle of attack.

But winglets do not reduce drag any more than a wing of increased span. The winglet's angle to the rest of the wing increases interference drag and causes the wingtip to twist to a higher angle of attack. This requires a large weight to be installed on the leading edge and reinforcing of the wing structure, which adds weight and reduces the performance gain.

This is why Boeing went for a long thin wing for the 777 instead of winglets.

I heard from a pilot who flew the 747-400 with and without winglets that fuel burn was nearly identical for each.

Answer 3

It's true that they reduce drag, but winglets do MUCH more than that. The create a vortex around the wing, allowing the plane to create more lift and get off the runway faster.
Let's say a 737-700 had no winglets. It would be able to fly at around 2,200 miles.
If it DID have winglets, it would have a range of about 2,500 miles.
This is an increase of about 8-15%
Hope it helps!

Answer 4

It does not really reduce drag but it can create more lift from the same wings. By doing that, it increases fuel efficency which increase the range with the same amount of fuel. The winglets prevent the higher pressure below the wing travels to lower pressure above the wing at the tip of the wings. By preventing that, the wing can create more lift and less vortex.

Answer 5

Air, flowing over swept back wings, have a tendency to slide off the wing tips. The addition to the wing tip keeps the air flowing where it is supposed to be....across the wing. That, in turn, will give the aircraft more lift. Good luck. Pops