Have you ever wondered why the end of the airplane wing is curved upward? It’s called a winglet and it’s there for a specific reason.
If you’ve been lucky enough to take an airplane in the last few years, you may have realized that when you looked out the window, there was something new. In fact, the wing of the aircraft is different than usual: at its end, there is a vertical winglet.
Winglet, what is it
Why does the aircraft’s wing end in an upward fold? — AdobeStock
This is an extension of the wing that looks right at the cabin and is generally exploited to insert the company’s logo. By doing so, those who take a selfie outside the window, 90 out of 100 will also take the wing and therefore in customers’ photographs the brand remains and advertising is done. However, there is another, much more important reason behind this new vertical flap.
Why does this vertical winglet exist?
As CNN reports, this winglet, which is now present in all modern aircrafts, serves to save fuel and make the aircraft even more aerodynamic. This is due to the particular position of this winglet, which reduces the air vortices that are naturally created at the bottom of the wings. The explanation behind the reason why this small curved fin of modern airplanes saves fuel is very technical and relates purely to the world of physics.
The origins of this insight
However, this is not new in 2022 because already in 1897, wing end plates were mentioned. Their purpose was to reduce the resistance of the airflow moving upwards from the bottom. Clearly the idea has been perfected over the years also thanks to the work of NASA engineers and today thanks to the correct setting of the angle of this winglet at the bottom of the aircraft wing the advantages are many.
Winglet: no mystery from today
Now, when we look out of the window of an airplane and we realize this particular conformation of the wing, the so called «Winglet», we will know that the reason is not only related to a question of marketing or brand diffusion, but above all a choice related to energy saving and dynamism of the aircraft.