Boeing BBJ Max 9's weirdly wacky winglets?

[Shultzie]

It would seem that Boeing has been romancin' wiggeewinglets' waaaay back in the early 80's  and after looking at today's AV webcast...looks like we have another deeeveeeeeation' concept.
Perhaps the old Aviation Partners...Joe Clark with his "Spiroidal' concept  wasn't so bizzzzarrrrrrrrr' after all?

[petermick]

It's amazing how the cloud formations and the landscape don't change from one picture to another. Can anyone say photoshop?

Pete

[Shultzie]

It's amazing how the cloud formations and the landscape don't change from one picture to another. Can anyone say photoshop?
Pete

! PHOTOSHOP? How bout; SHULTZIE MICROSOFT PAINT SLOPPY-SHOPPED

[Douglas Ames]

The current crop of winglets were developed by NASA back in the late 70's on a 707. It's been a hard sell since until recently with the massive flucuations of jet fuel / oil prices. The current production 737 wing is pre-modified for winglets, but they are still "optional".

The spiroidal tips are interesting, wonder if they are only optimized for cruise?

ps- The first photo and the last are genuine.

[Shultzie]

ps- The first photo and the last are genuine.

[/b]
DAAAAAAAA-DOUG!--EZZZ for you to say?  
During those early70's I took on art projects with Joe Clark, Bernie Gratzer, and Kim Fernell...drawing up  cut away drawing, airbrush paintings and special recognitiion projects, plus  all kinds of concept models.
 Spent lots of time with Joe on "DROP DEAD DRAWINGS" during the days I was a flutter modelmaker at the Wind Tunnel across the field from Joe Clark new digs.

I was not surprised that Aviation Partners and Boeing finally got their head together...Both Bernie and Kim were engineers at Boeing
before they bailed out on their own...to a little building just across the street from The main Boeing Airport Terminal.
What a great history lessons Joe Clark, Bernie Gratzer and Kim Fernell could give about the quest for winglet R&D! n' all that jazz.

[Douglas Ames]

Well, the first one has the lower fin that was deleted by the Airlines.
Something about Fleet Circus and other ramp rats potentially busting them off with their trucks.  

[Douglas Ames]

oops!

[Serge_Krauss]

Whitcomb Winglets: 

Richard Whitcomb, who won NACA's 1956 Distinguished Service Medal for "discovery and experimental verification"  of the "area rule" used to achieve supersonic flight, published NASA's TN D-8260 in 1976 revealing his work in developing these winglets. Burt Rutan then used them on his "VariViggen" and "VariEze" homebuilts. There's a lot of theoretical and experimental research out there on these and newer developments. 'also lots of discussion on increased span vs. winglets and optimal lift distribution and wing shapes for various goals. Interesting stuff - some of it in the archives here and at SSWF. I've collected a few patents on various closed and twisted (e.g. Mobius) shapes.

SK

[Howard Rush]

Here's the lowdown on that wingtip stuff

[PJ Rowland]

Excellent read Howard.

[Serge_Krauss]

Thanks, Howard! I'm printing this for reading and then the hard files.

SK