737-800 winglet integration

A joint venture between Boeing and Aviation Partners Inc. is involved in developing performance improvements for in-service aircraft.

Winglets have been proven by previous programs to improve aerodynamic efficiency of many different wing configurations. The Boeing 737-800 wing originally was designed and certified without winglets. Flight testing of the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), a derivative of the Next-Generation 737-700, showed that the expected gains in aerodynamic efficiency from winglets to be real, as were increases in flight loads. The technical challenge then became how to add winglets to the existing 737 wing design, improving aerodynamic efficiency with minimal structural weight penalty and systems changes.

The program involved integrating winglets into both existing fleet 737 aircraft and new production aircraft. Another program challenge was minimizing cost of flight test and certification for several distinct wing configurations, preferably using a common winglet design.