We've spoken about the benefits of retro-fitting winglets on aircraft before. Now, Aviation Partners Boeing, the makers of winglet devices for the Boeing 737, 757 and 767 have announced just how much these devices can save - as of tomorrow, March 5 at 19:05 in Seattle, blended winglets will have saved the world's airlines 2 billion gallons of jet fuel. This represents a global reduction in CO2 emissions of almost 21.5 million tonnes since they were first introduced in 2001.

These winglets are now flying on more than 3,700 aircraft around the world and many, such as Air New Zealand, are finding that they are saving more fuel than planned. Airbus is also getting in on the game, joining Aviation Partners to design blended winglets for their own models.

- Image from Flickr user Erwyn van der Meer.

Air New Zealand's recent order of A320 aircraft to replace its domestic jet fleet is going to come with a little something extra - sharklets! These are an extension to the current Airbus A320 wingtips that will increase efficiency and reduce fuel use by a whopping 3.5% (or around 700 tonnes of CO2 per aircraft, per year). They are really just a fancy name for winglets. Crankyflier has made an amusing suggestion of what they may look like, but in reality, they will look like the computer mock-up above. Kiwis flying domestically from 2012 will get to see them first-hand.

ATW's Eco-Aviation Today reports that Air New Zealand has made even greater fuel (and therefore emissions) savings than anticipated on its 767 aircraft that have been fitted with new winglets (famously called "sexy" additions to the aircraft). These upturned extensions to the wing increase aerodynamics and therefore increase fuel efficiency. As Captain Dave Morgan, Air New Zealand's chief pilot explained to ATW's Geoffrey Thomas:

"Aviation Partners Boeing had guaranteed a 3.8% improvement [in fuel efficiency] and Air NZ expected to get 4.5% but is actually achieving 5.3%... The 3.4 metre-high wingtips will save us 1.3 million liters of fuel on each 767 annually."

Across their fleet of five 767 aircraft, this will save 18,400 tonnes of CO2 each year. The new winglets can be seen on this YouTube clip:

A number of months ago, I made a comment about how some winglets could be considered 'sexy' and showed a sketch of a different type of winglet being looked at - known as spiroid winglets.

Little did I know that they have actually been tested in flight - apparently in 2001. Visiting the EBACE event here in Geneva yesterday, I spoke to one of the Aviation Partners team on their stand and was intrigued to see this video playing - showing a test flight of these bizarre-looking winglets. Despite looking a little odd, these could potentially save a lot of fuel, if the estimated 6-10% reduction in drag is able to be achieved. Flightglobal.com's John Croft captured the video.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just touched down in Geneva for a series of intergovernmental talks. As she disembarked outside our office window, I was impressed to see her aircraft - a Boeing 757 - fitted out with huge winglets that will help save a lot of fuel. These have been available on the Boeing 737 for quite some time and a lot of airlines are taking advantage of their ability to reduce fuel use (and therefore reduce emissions). Now, as you can see, 757's are being equipped and Aviation Partners have launched winglets for the 767 and recently the Airbus 320 aircraft.

It is sometimes easy to forget, as we check-in online, or wait in security queues, or make sure our seat back is upright and our table is folded away, that flying was once considered the height of luxury... indeed flying was once a dream in the minds of visionaries, one that many thought would never happen. Today, it is a necessary part of modern transport infrastructure. It carries millions of people each day and helps build trade links and deliver commodities and consumers all over the globe. But it is nice to know that we have not totally forgotten the visionaries.

Bauhaus Luftfahrt is a German-based aviation think-tank that “develops sustainable, innovative solutions for future air travel and air transportation”. One of the projects it is currently working on is called Claire. Rather than just describe… her, it may be easier to simply show you what she looks like:

This concept aircraft would utilise the latest in engine and wing design to be ultra-efficient and ultra-quiet while carrying large numbers of passengers in comfort. While the design may seem far-fetched, it is important to note that any of the cutting-edge elements that make up this design may spawn new technologies in their own right.

Take the idea of morphing winglets, for example. New Scientist reports that both Boeing and Airbus are looking at technologies that would allow the winglets (that are at the end of the wings on a large number of modern aircraft) to change shape mid-flight, taking advantage of the optimum operating conditions – basically altering to be the most effective angle and position at each point in the journey. This development could also provide massive savings in fuel consumption.

And our friends at Finnair have taken the vision of our aviation forefathers and run with it – all the way to the year 2093. They have commissioned artists to represent the aircraft of the future and present them – as well as the vision of aviation industry experts – on a website called Departure 2093. Below is their concept aircraft, the A1700-2400 Cruiser. I will leave you to explore the exciting world that awaits you (or your grandchildren) in 85 years…

This Airbus A320 aircraft flew last month with a new addition. While the aircraft might not look too different from an ordinary A320 at first glance, the observant among you will notice the presence of winglets on this narrowbody jet. A320's normally have small 'wingtip fences', but the winglets on this testbed aircraft are a lot larger and will potentially save even more fuel (and therefore emissions) by improving the aerodynamics of the wing. The trials of these blended wingletson the A320, produced by Aviation Partners, are expected to take around three months.

Airlines are increasingly seeing the benefits of retro-fitting older aircraft with new technologies available that help save fuel and reduce emissions. Partially, this is because of the high oil price suddenly making the return on investment period a lot shorter, but it also reflects the new emphasis within a lot of airlines on operating greener fleets. Sometimes, it may have a bit to do with making your aircraft look, well, cooler...

Take winglets. These are the upturned extensions to normal aircraft wings which not only look 'sexy' as one journalist recently put it, but also provide some massive savings in fuel use. In fact, it is estimated that by 2014, these retro-fitted winglets could save up to five billion gallons of jet fuel across the industry. While some Boeing and most Airbus aircraft have wingtip devices built into them at the point of manufacture, a company called Aviation Partners Boeing makes the 737 and 757 blended winglets that have proved very popular, with nearly 2,500 aircraft having had the technology fitted. Now, another of the industry's workhorses - the Boeing 767 - has had winglets created for it . Among the 10 launch customer airlines for the new (and, at 3.4 meters, tall) winglets are American Airlines, Air New Zealand and Hawaiian Airlines. There is even work being undertaken into the possibility of retro-fitting them on to 777 aircraft.

Another idea that has been floating around the aviation industry for a little while is the use of these exotic 'spiroid' wingtips, which help decrease drag even further...

Image: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiroids

I will leave it to you to decide whether or not they are sexy, but as Air New Zealand alone believes its normal 767 winglets will save over $7.5 million worth of fuel and 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year on its 767 fleet , we can certainly call winglet technology a good investment.

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