The Stunning Story of Boeing Winglets – Webtekno

in the 1970s Boeingadopted an approach that balanced functionality and aesthetics in aircraft design.

Putting aesthetics ahead of functionality is the story of which we will now tell. a wrong decision caused its implementation.

In the 70s, Boeing rejected an idea that would save fuel, reduce drag and increase range because it looked “ugly”!

NASA’and Richard Whitcomb These small vertical surfaces, called winglets, which were developed by an engineer named and are currently in use, were added to the tips of aircraft wings and provided serious aerodynamic advantages.

However, Boeing’s first comment on this piece, which may be described as revolutionary, winglets His opinion was that these named pieces looked “ugly”.

The company added this strange protrusion to the elegant and simple designs of its planes. It will cause aesthetic damage He was not keen on the idea, thinking about it.

This rejection decision is only It wasn’t limited to visuals.. Boeing’s engineers were also skeptical about the winglets’ contribution to performance.

They argued that increasing the wingspan would be a more effective solution than using winglets.

Moreover, winglets Maintenance will be more difficultThey also thought it would bring extra weight and complexity.

In short, Boeing used this design not as an added value at that time, but as a excess He saw it as.

However, over time, things changed and Boeing realized its mistaken thinking.

The oil crisis of the 1970s, fuel prices skyrocketed and this situation pushed airline companies to look for more economical solutions.

NASA on winglets at Langley Research Center comprehensive tests By doing this, it was proven that this design really works.

Tests show that winglets reduce drag has significantly reducedThis showed that it reduced fuel consumption and increased the range of the aircraft.

In the late 1980s, Boeing decided to give the winglet idea a chance and first created the legendary On the 747-400 model brought this design to life.

Thus, aerodynamic performance was increased and an elegant touch was added to the aircraft’s characteristic silhouette.

Its success in saving fuel led to the rapid popularity of winglets. It enabled it to be applied to Boeing’s other models as well.

Today, although Boeing initially rejected the idea, winglet’lerin is considered a pioneer.

In other words, this innovation, which the company initially rejected as “ugly”, was a change in the company’s aircraft design. has become a signature It is also possible to say.

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