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A winglet is a device used to improve the efficiency of aircraft by lowering the lift-induced drag caused by wingtip vortices. The winglet is a vertical or angled extension at the tips of each wing.

Winglets work by increasing the effective aspect ratio of a wing without adding greatly to the structural stress and hence necessary weight of its structure - an extension of wing span would also permit lowering of induced drag, though it would cause parasitic drag and would require boosting the strength of the wing and hence its weight - there would come a point at which no overall useful saving would be made. A winglet helps to solve this by effectively increasing the aspect ratio without adding to the span.

The exact upward angle (called cant) of the winglet, and its inward angle (or toe) is critical for correct performance, and is determined for each aircraft application. The vortex which rotates around from below the wing strikes the angled surface of the winglet, generating a small lift force that angles forwards relative to the direction of flight - thus the energy in the vortex contributes to thrust rather than drag as it normally would. This is analogous to a sailing boatA boat like a ship, is a buoyant vessel designed for the purpose of transporting people and possibly goods across water. A boat is usually smaller than a ship. Some boats are commonly carried by a ship or on land using trailers. A boat consists of one or sailing very close to the wind. This small contribution can be very worthwhile on long distance flights.

Many modern types of aircraft, especially airliners, have winglets, for example the Airbus A340The Airbus A340 is a long-range widebody commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Airbus Industrie. It is similar in design to the sister, the A330 but uses four engines rather than two. It has one of the longest ranges of any commercial airliner., and the Boeing 747-400The Boeing 747 also popularly known as the jumbo jet is the second largest passenger airliner after Airbus A380. Until the first commercial flight of the A380 in 2006, however, it remains the largest aircraft in commercial service. The four-engine 747, pr. Other designs such as the Boeing 777American Airlines Boeing 777. For more images of the 777 see list at bottom of page The Boeing 777 is a family of long range widebody twin engine airliners built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It carries between 305 and 550 passengers and has a range spa omit them, because the gain available is very small and would make the aircraft just too large for a standard airport gate. The designers of the 777 considered folding wingtips to accommodate winglets, but in the end, customers decided that the extra complexity of the wing did not justify it.