Odds and Ends: Split winglets for 737NG Retro; A380 wing fix
Split winglets for 737 Retro: Boeing bypassed Aviation Partners Boeing for its split winglet on the 737 MAX, but APB just launched its own order with United Airlines to retrofit the 737NG.
A380 Wing Fix: While Boeing is getting beat up for every glitch in the 787 A380, let’s remember the Airbus A380 went through its own set of glitches. One of them, cracks in wing rib braces, while not a safety issue was nonetheless high profile. The fix is about to be certified by EASA.
Categories: Airbus, Boeing
737NG, A380, Airbus, Aviation Partners Boeing, Boeing, split winglets, United Airlines
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Leeham News and Comment
- Odds and Ends: Dominating Wide-Bodies; Trying to save the 747-8; Delta waits; China OKs 787 May 23, 2013
- Boeing’s McNerney: Interest in 787-10, 777X high; “our airplanes are better than theirs” May 22, 2013
- Odds and Ends: Boeing ponders 787 rate hike; A350 fly-by at PAS?; EMB wins order for E-Jet May 21, 2013
- United returns 787 to service today; WSJ points to other issues May 20, 2013
- Comparing the 787, 777-200/300ER and the 777-8/9X May 17, 2013
Funny typo in the wing fix section
Boeing is being beat up for every glitch in the _787_. Airbus gets beaten up for the A380 
That’s what happens when one is not yet fully awake….
APB has a proven track record in wingtip devices. The new winglet is going to be a modification to the exsisting APB winglet on the B-737NG. I expect them to offer this new style for the B-767-300ER next, after all models of the B-737NG is certified. Adding some 2500 lbs to the payload capability of the B-737-800 will keep that model ahead of the sharklet equipped A-320.
It looks like the EASA is allowing Airbus to strech the A-380 cracked wing rib feet problem out for repairs for years, by allowing the work to wait until the next scheduled “C” check for each individual airplane.
Yes the cracks in the A380 wing rib braces are real bad. Not really essential parts of the wings, but there are so many and they have to be repaired. Time and money consuming..
http://leehamnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/a380ribs.jpg?w=508&h=382
It seems the were lost a bit in the never ending stream of Dreamliner surprises.
“Adding some 2500 lbs to the payload capability of the B-737-800 will keep that model ahead of the sharklet equipped A-320.”
Ahead?!
John Leahy said a month ago sales are ahead and todays A320s are more efficient then 737s ! And they have yet to include Sharklets !
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z160/keesje_pics/737A320_zps55a9340a.jpg
The rib feet in the A-380 wings are not essential?
We can believe, word for word, what ever Arbus’s top salesman says about the competitors products? ROTFLMAO
No, TC, it is a UA B-73G. They don’t have any -600s.
They do require a reduced inspection interval and temporary repairs until the rib-feet can be replaced by the permanent repair.
It’s not a stretch of the solution, it’s an alternative cost option.
either keep earning money while spending a bit more to keep the a/c operational OR move ahead your scheduled C check to get the problem fixed soon and reduce the hassle of your a/c.
Split winglets for 737NG Retrofit.
The tip of the lower part of the split winglet, is very close to the ground and
will undoubtedly hit the ground and get damaged during cross-wind landings
once in a while. I assume that the benefits out way that risk!
Is that a United 737-600
KCT, it seems you have no problem repeating Boeing PInochio comparisons without a
Anyway Boeings graphics are way better
Apparently the fuel savings of these winglets justify replacing the old ones, on existing aircraft: modification cost/ groundtimes and shorter periods then new aircraft.
The split winglet really looks great and will improve the looks on the 737NG. If there is a company that knows how to make a wing look great it’s Boeing!
Ever since the days of the B-47, Boeing has produced fantastic looking wings. Among them are the B-52, the 727, the 747 and of course the 787. The latter is the most spectacular of them all.
I don’t understand how Airbus UK cannot come out with better looking wings, in a country that has given us the sexy wings of the Spitfire, the Vulcan, the Harrier and of course the Concorde.
My all-time favourite wing, in all categories, goes to the North American XB-70 Valkyrie. Its “winglets” will never be surpassed!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:North_American_XB-70_in_Flight_EC68-2131.jpg
dumbo style: being able to flap their ears
IMHO the A380 wings really “have something”.
Aerodynamically the unloaded droop provides more effective span under load then the upturned 787 wings that extend rather straight unloaded.
Too bad then that the split winglets (splinglets?) in the story are not from Boeing, but by AP…
Cannot say I agree that splinglets look good…I think they look odd, probably besides the point, but hey…
Concorde: that is one beautiful wing!
Keesje, the orginal configueration of the blended winglets gave a 5% fuel consumption improvement. So why just stop there? Airbus copied the technology with their sharklets. Fuel costs continue to increase, so now that Airbus introduced sharklets with a 5% improvement, why can’t Boeing (with their design for the MAX winglets) extend the improvement another few percentage points? The original blended winglets are staying on the UA aircraft, they are just being modified to get an additional fuel improvement.
The AP improved blended winglet is a different design from what Boeing is putting on the MAX. It doesn’t matter to the airline bean counters if the new style winglets look good, or not. The airline is only concerned about the ROI in fuel savings. A fuel saving of some 45,000 US Gallons per B-738NG (about $180K per airplane @ $4 per US Gallon) is a very good ROI. I don’t know how much UA is paying for this modification to the blended winglwets, but my guess is they will pay for themselves in 3 years, or less, at current fuel prices. UA has 130 B-738s, with 2 more still on order, 65 B-739/9ER, some 80 still on order, and 36 B-73Gs. If they do the entire B-737NG fleet, they can expect a fuel savings of some $56,340,000 per year, just with the B-737NG fleet. BTW, UA is still installing blended winglets on all 133 B-757s, even though some will begin retiring in 2017.
BTW, you do know that Airbus only offers sharklets on new build airplanes. They are not offering a modification kit for the (approximate) 3000 A-320s currently in service around the world, including about 100 for UA. All of the more than 2900 B-737-800s currently in service, except the P-8 military version, either already have blended winglets, or can have them installed relitively easily.
All wingtip device styles are adaption of longtime preexisting concepts. ( the reason why the AP patent is dead )
Is a retrofit from current winglets to split winglets cost effective?
IMU Airbus will offer a comparable retrofit via after market partners.
splinglets ?
Well, the tip is “feathered” and looking how birds do wingtips
a futher solution might go towards more feathers, maybe even fractal feathers
what about featherlets or just feathers ?
KCT, you mention:
- Airbus copied the technology with their sharklets.
- The AP improved blended winglet is a different design from what Boeing is putting on the MAX.
Great stuff! http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightblogger/
Btw dozens of radical winglets designs were tested/ applied on both sides, long before AP put them on the NG’s. Even the Sharklets look the same as AP winglets only from a distance..
If one looks at closeups of the competing wingtip devices that KCTB sees as derivative the differences are rather pronounced. ( But for the simple minded any advanced tech will appear as magic and … undistiguisable )
To be fair to Airbus, I must say that the dihedral of the A330 looks impressive when looking at the wing from the back towards the nose, when the aircraft is on the ground.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasbecker/4276950068/
Uwe wrote;
“IMU Airbus will offer a comparable retrofit via after market partners.”
When?
BTW, I am not “simple minded”.
Uwe was necessarily thinking about you TB when he wrote “simple minded”. I think he had Angela Merkel in mind.
Obviously, the above should read “was not necessarily”.
But unfortunately my lapsus may be an indication of where the truth is…
Ana&jal grounds all boeing 787s
After an emergency landing, followed by an emergency slides evacuation.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-boeing-anabre90f018-20130115,0,4513844.story
I think w’re out of the “A380 had problems too” decoy lines now. No one witn an aviation hart can have any joy after these latest 787 events. The trouble doesn’t seem to stop. New dissapointments every few months, almost feels “unfair”. The blame game can start again..
Not only does misery love company today it is a hard requirement.