What better photo than a winglet & Pacific Northwest icon Mt. Rainier?
During the recent Aviation Geek Fest, a reader of AirlineReporter suggested that I do a bit of a roundup of all the different ’œwinglets’ that are out in the aviation world (I wish I remembered you name). With so many different kinds of wingtip devices out in the marketplace, there needs to be a handy guide as to what they all are and what aircraft they belong to. But first maybe a little bit of background on what a winglet actually does.
In the late 1970’s, NASA engineer Richard T. Whitcomb took some research from the 1950’s and further developed what we know as the winglet. NASA wanted to see what would happen if they were to create a wingtip device that, with the correct angle and shape, could help reduce drag and increase lift, and also help break up the wingtip vortices.
Getting these benefits from the wing helps make flying easier and increases fuel efficiency – something that back in the 70’s wasn’t as crucial as it is now. How much fuel can you save by adding a winglet? On average, a 737 can save around 4% when compared to a non-winglet version. A winglet is really designed to save money when flying long distances at high altitudes, so long flights are where the most savings are realized.
Can you tell which aircraft and airlines these winglets belong to?
It seems like this was a challenging contest. A few days ago I posted this photo and asked you to identify the airline and type of aircraft. I wasn’t sure how hard it might be. Turns out that no one got every answer correct.
Here are the official answers (click on the link to see the full photo):
#1 FedEx Airbus A300
#2 Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767
#3 Zero G Boeing 727
#4 Singapore Airlines Airbus A380
#5 Martinair MD-11
#6 Aeroflot Airbus A330
#7 US Airways, PSA Livery Airbus A319
#8 United (or Continental) Airlines Boeing 757
#9 Air Canada Embraer E-190
#10 JAZZ Bombardier CRJ200
All images were taken by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren.
The sixth one, the Aeroflot Airbus A330, turned out to be the biggest challenge for most people. I probably blurred the registration number under the wing too much, which helps to ID it as Aeroflot’s. Do not feel bad, out of all the guesses only two people got it right.
I really though #3 was going to be the most difficult, but many of you got that one right.
Since #1 and #6 were hard to actually ID the actual airline and no one got every answer correct, I am going to give shout outs to those few who got all by one aspect correct:
*Anthony H
* Arthur L
* Jeremy D-L (although he took all these photos, so does that count?)
* Scott W
* Keith G
* Andy W
* Cary L
* Brandon F
Thank you to everyone who participated. Doing these contests I am always beyond impressed with how well so many people do. I do not think I would have been able to get everyone of these correct. Please feel free to share and tips and hints on how you ID’d these photos correctly in the comments.
Can you tell which aircraft and airlines these winglets belong to?
On the blog, I have done five Ultimate Livery Challenges and even one Landing Gear Contest. I decided to do something a bit different — an Ultimate Winglet Challenge. I have to admit that this one is probably the hardest on my end. Many winglets are just a plain color and many airlines look a like. The point was to try and find winglets that you might have a chance to identify the aircraft type and the airline, without being too easy, nor impossible.
Yes, I had to blur a few identifying numbers and words — sue me (actually don’t please). You uber AvGeeks might also notice which winglets that I flipped horizontally because of the nav lights. I just want to let you know that I know that you know.
No prizes on this one (other than getting an epic shout-out and link to site of your choice on the answer blog). For those of you who have not played before… here is the deal: take a look at these winglets, figure out what KIND OF PLANE AND WHAT AIRLINE THESE WINGLETS BELONG TO and then email your answers to
da***@ai*************.com
(no, I am not signing you up for any spam). Even if you do not know all 10, make your best guess anyhow. Please do not leave any answers in the comments (I will have to delete them), but questions are always welcome.
I will keep the contest open until Sunday the 8th until about 5pm (give or take). Give it your best shot and good luck!
