The design of winglets for lowspeed aircraft mark d. At the time of this writing, the application of richard whitcomb s aeronautical technology was still in its infancy. Joe clark changed the look of airplane wings by forming a company to supply upswept fins to reduce drag and conserve fuel. Richard whitcomb s research showed that adding winglets to large aircraft decreased fuel consumption by 3 to 6 percent. After the cost of jet fuel increased in the 1973 oil crisis, the concept of winglets as a fuel saving aid was further developed by richard whitcomb, an engineer at nasas langley research center.
These are devices placed at the wingtips, normal to the wingspar, extending both upward and downward. The winglet of the boeing 747400 has a much lower dihedral angle than the whitcomb winglet, and since that time, numerous vertical. The nasa langley research center engineer has been called the most significant aerodynamic contributor of the second half of the 20 th century. Richard whitcomb, a nasa aerodynamicist, published a paper that compared a wing with a winglet and the same wing with a simple extension. Whitcomb went to work for naca now nasa at langley memorial aeronautical laboratory from 1943 until his retirement in.
Richard travis whitcomb february 21, 1921 october, 2009 was an american aeronautical engineer who was noted for his contributions to the science of aerodynamics. Both devices put an equal structural load on the wing. The term winglet was previously used to describe an additional lifting surface on an aircraft, e. Whitcomb showed that winglets reduced drag by about 20 percent and. Whitcomb, a specialist in aerodynamics at nasa, adapted this principle for aviation in the 1970s, at a time when the oil crisis had caused prices for aviation fuel to skyrocket. The aerodynamic efficiency of the wing is improved. Richard whitcomb looks over a model that incorporates his supercritical wing concept.
Richard travis whitcomb, an internationally recognized aerodynamicist, has been responsible for three landmark ideas, all of which were radical departures from conventional aerodynamic theory and all of which forever changed aircraft flight. Whitcomb introduced winglets small, inclined panels that are attached to the tips of wings and reduce drag. Nasas contributions to aeronautics, volume 1 by national. He went on to fit winglets to large tanker aircraft and realised impressive efficiency gains of up to 5%. We will not have to stop air travel, but we will have to plan for it more carefully, president nixon told the nation in november 1973. Whitcomb langley research center summary winglets, which are small, nearly vertical,winglike surfaces mounted. His father, who had flown balloons in world war i, was an engineer. The concept of winglets originated with a british aerodynamicist in the late 1800s, but the idea remained on the drawing board until rekindled in the early 1970s by dr. Richard whitcomb, one of the worlds foremost aerodynamicist, presents on his work at langley research center.
It marks the first time a winglet was seriously considered for a large and heavy aircraft. How airlines are trying to boost efficiency and cut emissions. Whitcomb, 1976, a design approach and selected windtunnel results at high subsonic speeds for wingtip mounted winglets, nasa tn d8260. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. Store smithsonian journeys smithsonian channel smithsonian books.
Winglets and wingtip fences also increase efficiency by reducing vortex interference with laminar airflow near the tips of the wing, by moving the confluence of lowpressure over wing and highpressure under wing air away from the surface of the wing. Instead of the usual 300page package were so used to, prisoners, the first book in a side series called wings of fire. Whitcomb evaluated and tested winglets concepts extensively. After modeling the idea and testing it in wind tunnels, whitcomb estimated that the winglets hed designed could reduce the use of fuel by 6 to 9 percent. Even before turning his attention to winglets, whitcomb had revolutionized jet aircraft design. Winglets reduce wingtip vortices cut back on drag up to %20 higher cruise speed increased fuel economy possibly double wings lift to drag ratio good when wing extension is not possible richard whitcomb nasa aerodynamicist picture courtesy of cessna aircraft proven performance mission block fuel is improved approximately 4. Nasa talk examines how little wings make a big difference. After considering the sudden drag increase which a wingfuselage combination experiences at somewhere around 500 mph 800 kmh, whitcomb concluded that. The nasa langley research center engineer has been called the most significant aerodynamic contributor of the second half of the 20 th century f you look at almost any large airplane today especially those that fly at supersonic speeds you can see the genius of dick whitcomb. The first application of nasas winglet technology in industry was on. His second aerodynamic achievement, the supercritical wing, came from.
Whitcomb, nasa engineer who invented the area rule, supercritical wing and winglets, all designed for planes to use less fuel and fly faster. Manuscripts collections archives special collections. A 1910, william somerville biplane design with winglets. Aircraft designers were skeptical, but boeing and others eventually.
Nasa engineer richard whitcomb published a paper in. Later, in the 1970s, whitcomb was inspired by an article on birds to refine what he called wingletsthe small, vertical wings that are now seen on the ends of nearly all airliner wings spinoff 2010. Up or downturned extensions at the tips of wings improve lift. This innovation saves airlines another 4 to 6 percent in fuel, with comparable reductions in emissions, according to aviation partners boeing. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. During the 1973 oil crisis, nasa langley aeronautical engineer richard whitcomb designed and tested a vertical wingtip that he called a winglet a device that reduces wingtip vortices and.
Furthermore, the winglets had no adverse impact on the airplanes handling. The nasa langley research center engineer has been called the most significant aerodynamic contributor of the second half of the 20th century. Sep 30, 20 new york airguide inside air travel mon, sep 30, 20 anyone who has made a paper airplane knows that folding the wingtips upward makes your plane look better and fly farther, though the reasons for the latter might be a mystery. Oct 15, 2009 richard whitcomb, who let us fly faster, has died. Whitcomb, an engineer at nasas langley research center, further developed hoerners concept in response to the sharp increase in the cost of fuel after the 1973 oil crisis. Winglets, is only a tiny 32 pages long and only about three chapters.
Unfortunately for winglet technology, oil prices plummeted during the 1980s and remained low throughout the 1990s, distracting the governments energy conservation priorities and burying the winglet concept for large military. The devices reduce wingtip vortices and the induced drag such vortices create. A graduate of worcester polytechnic institute with a bs in mechanical engineering high distinction in 1943, dr. Winglets reduce wingtip vortices, the twin tornados formed by the difference between. A design approach and selected windtunnel results at high subsonic speeds for wingtip mounted winglets by richard t whitcomb book 4 editions published in 1976 in english and held by 58 worldcat member libraries worldwide. How private jets benefit from winglets monarch air group.
In his research he discovered the area rule, a method for predicting the large increases in drag at the speed of sound. Richard whitcomb, an aerodynamicist working for nasa, studied the causes of high airplane drag near the speed of sound and invented shapes reducing this drag. Jul 22, 2014 whitcombs work on winglets was equally innovative and impactful. He compared a wing with a winglet to one with a slightly longer wing. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. This collection contains papers and articles by and about richard t. Richard whitcomb created quite a few advances in flight hardware, and specifically mentioned watching how birds create lift. Part of this work was published in 1976, in a nasa report he authored 48. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. And while it contains the word wing, its function is very different. Whitcomb has been called the most significant aerodynamic contributor of the second half of the 20th century.
In the late 1970s, whitcomb developed a winglet for use on a boeing kc5 tanker aircraft. In the 1960s, he had originated the supercritical wing, an airfoil shape that reduced drag at speeds just below mach 1. We built airplane models with cokebottle shaped fuselages and lo and behold the drag of the wing just disappeared, said whitcomb. Richard whitcomb when the price of aviation fuel started spiraling upward. Winglets responsible for saving billions of gallons of jet fuel. Nasa engineer richard whitcomb pioneered the technology in the 1970s, and theyve become a fixture on almost every modern jet. Whitcomb designed winglets to decrease drag at the tips of an aircrafts wings and, to a degree, convert it into thrust. Nov 08, 2016 in the 1970s, nasa engineer richard whitcomb published a paper in response to the oil crisis of 1973. The original winglet design was by nasa langley aeronautical engineer richard whitcomb during the 1973 oil crisis.
On modern airliners, the wing tips are often bent up to form winglets. Wingtip devices 3 winglets short history frederick w. They were the third of his major aeronautical discoveries. A flight test evaluation of a whitcomb winglet on the mcdonnell douglas dc10 commercial. Winglets responsible for saving billions of gallons of jet. Richard whitcomb, who let us fly faster, has died plane talking. Indeed, whitcomb s research in 1976 indicated that winglets could reduce induced drag by 20. Winglets oppose the drag wingtip vortices create by harnessing the vortices airflow. Jun 09, 2017 originally a test aircraft, the vertical winglets had first been conceived by nasa aerodynamics genius richard t. Aerospace free fulltext winglet geometry impact on dlr. Winglets were wind tunnel tested and computer analyzed by richard whitcomb of the nasa langley research center in the mid 1970s. Whitcomb invented these nearly vertical wingtip extensions in the early 1970s as a means by which wing lifttodrag performance could be increased.
Whitcomb news newspapers books scholar jstor february 20 learn how and when to remove this template message richard t. As a result, he designed winglets, upcurving wingtips that save about five percent of an airplane s. Whitcomb whitcomb in front of the arearuled convair f106 used by nasa for flight research, on its retirement in 1991. When his research was published in 1976, whitcomb proposed that winglets would produce a 20% reduction in induced drag. In the late 1970s richard whitcomb of langley research center, hampton va. At first, fans of the wings of fire series might find this ebook a bit underwhelming. Whitcomb elaborated on a concept introduced in the late 1800s by british aerodynamicist frederick w. As a young man, richard whitcomb used his parents basement to improve model planes he bought. Whitcomb langley research center summary winglets, which are small, nearly vertical,winglike surfaces. The original design for a set of split winglets designed by richard whitcomb and his team at nasa circa 1976. Lanchester patented the endplate concept in 1897 england theoretical investigations by weber in 1954 indicated a beneficial effect on both lift and drag characteristics. One available brand of winglets is estimated to reduce interference drag to provide a 4% fuelburn reduction over long ranges.
Ubiquitous supercritical wing design cuts billions in fuel. What youre looking at on the wing tip what is called a winglet. Using computer and wind tunnel testing whitcomb test his hypothesis and in 1976 published findings that predicts winglets would diminish drag by about 20% and improve and aircrafts lift. Whitcomb 19212009, who in the early 1970s conducted research with his team of scientists in the langley 8foot transonic pressure tunnel 47. Richard whitcomb s research in the 1970s at nasa first used winglet with its modern meaning referring to nearvertical extension of the wing tips. This is the fifteenth volume in the series of memorial tributes compiled by the national academy of engineeri. The flight test showed that the winglets could increase the aircrafts range by as much as 7 percent at cruise speeds. Apr 01, 2020 we will not have to stop air travel, but we will have to plan for it more carefully, president nixon told the nation in november 1973. The initial theoretical concept goes back to times before even the wright brothers first took to the skies in 1905, but it was picked up and developed by richard t. What does that vertical surface on the wing tip do. Back in the 1970s, a nasa aerodynamicist, richard whitcomb, did initial research on winglets. Richard whitcomb, a mechanical engineer who changed the way we fly today with three design innovations that made airplanes fly farther and faster using less fuel, has died. Joe clark added upswept fins to jet wings, saving fuel wsj.
This reduction in drag equated to significant improvement in fuel burn. Nihf inductee richard whitcomb invented the supercritical wing. If you look at almost any large airplane today, especially those that fly at supersonic speeds. Featured movies all video latest this just in prelinger archives democracy now. How airlines are trying to boost efficiency and cut. May 05, 2015 on modern airliners, the wing tips are often bent up to form winglets. The collection also includes many awards given to dr. Addon winglets are also custom made for many types of aircraft. Business transportation industry aerospace industry aircraft design aircraft equipment and supplies aircraft parts industry jet fuels jet planes fuel and fuel systems. The idea behind the winglet is to reduce the strength of the tip vortex and therefore cause the flow across the wing to be more twodimensional. His father, who had been a balloon pilot in world war i, was a mechanical engineer who specialized in rotational dynamics. In this article, the growth of aerodynamic efficiency and the growth of the wing structural stress is studied for dlrf4 typical transport aircraft wingbody, after installing classical whitcomb winglets of different configurations and a delta wingtip fence.
Sutherland born july 31, 1978 in caracas, venezuela is a venezuelanamerican childrens book author who has also written under the pen name heather williams. Whitcomb 19212009, whom many historians of aviation call the most. Whitcomb, a specialist in aerodynamics at nasa, adapted this principle for aviation in the 1970s, at a time when the oil. Richard travis whitcomb, an internationally recognized aerodynamicist, has been. Wingtips winglets make aircraft look better and fly farther. Whitcomb, whose understanding of the way air rips around an airplane as it approaches the sound barrier revolutionized the way jets are shaped, allowing them to fly faster on less fuel. A newconcept curvedspan winglet was mathematically developed and approved through computational fluid dynamics cfd and static.
Whitcomb of nasa after the 1973 oil crisis in order to reduce fuel consumption. Flight tests at the nasa dryden flight research center have found a 6. He proposed that by placing a vertical surface at the tip of the wing, induced drag could be cut down significantly. Design optimization studies and windtunnel tests led by richard whitcomb of the nasa langley research center have shown that these extensions can produce significant increases in the lifttodrag ratios on some of todays transport aircraft. A winglet, developed by richard whitcomb of the langley research center, was tested on a kc5a tanker loaned to nasa by the air force. High subsonic speeds for wingtip mounted winglets richard t. Jan 05, 2009 in the late 1970s richard whitcomb of langley research center, hampton va. Maughmer the pennsylvania state university university park, pennsylvania 16802 abstract although theoretical tools for the design of winglets for lowspeed aircraft were initially of limited value, simple methods were used to design winglets that gradually became accepted as. Richard whitcomb changed the shape of wings to come. The tests demonstrated a 7percent increase in liftdrag ratio with a 20percent decrease in induced dragdirectly in line with the langley engineers original findings. The idea was developed by aviation pioneer richard t. Nasa tn d8260 a design approach and selected windtunnel results at high subsonic mounted speeds for winglets wingtip richard t.
With careful aeronautical design, he showed that correctly. How do winlets or sharklets help reduce drag on modern. The development of the whitcomb winglet see figure 1073 is attributed to richard t. Whitcomb proved that winglets reduced tip drag by about 20% and offered double the improvement in the wings lifttodrag ratio. In the 1970s nasa engineer richard whitcomb, revolutionized wing design with his refinement of the winglet and the split winglet. In the 1960s, he had originated the supercritical wing, an. Aeronautical engineer richard whitcomb developed the a vertical wingtip device we now call winglets. His contributions to aeronautics changed the way we fly today with three design. According to whitcombs calculations, an additional vertical wing saves fuel because it increases the lifttodrag ratio. In 1932 the family moved to worcester, massachusetts when his father became employed at the norton company as a child whitcomb was fascinated by airplanes. Sutherland is the author of several books for young readers, including the menagerie trilogy, the pet trouble series, and three books in the bestselling seekers series as part of the erin hunter team. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the.
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