Aviation Partners Boeing awards FACC a contract for the development and manufacture of the innovative winglets
Flight tests with winglet prototype proved to be successful
FACC AG has received an order from Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) to produce the new Split Scimitar Winglet. The newly developed winglet design is based on the existing Blended Winglet, likewise manufactured by FACC, and is being offered by APB as a retrofit for Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft. With innovations like an aerodynamically shaped Scimitar winglet tip cap as well as an additionally Scimitar tipped Ventral Strake, fuel can be saved, the range as well as the payload increased.
The contract opens up another chapter in the long-standing successful cooperation with APB. APB has its headquarters in Seattle, USA and is a joint venture between Aviation Partners, Inc. and the aircraft manufacturer Boeing and responsible for the development and marketing of blended winglets for Boeing aircraft. In the framework of the project, FACC performs the development, construction, stress analysis, modification and manufacturing of the Split Scimitar Winglet as well as the development and procurement of production tools. The contract involves a three-figure million Euro trading volume and foresees shipments for over 3,000 aircraft over the next five years.
„Aviation Partners is well known for its powerful innovation in the development of fuel economic winglets. Thanks to the optimised aerodynamics the new split winglet design enables the airlines to have lower costs and a higher efficiency in aircraft operation,“ Walter Stephan, FACC CEO, emphasised. “We are very proud to be working again for APB in this hugely promising winglet programme as development and manufacturing partner. With this, we also look forward to making an important contribution towards a ‘greener’ flying with a significantly reduced environmental footprint.“
Prototype manufactured in record time
Know-how by FACC can also be found in the prototype of the Split Scimitar Winglet. FACC had developed and produced the prototypes of the innovative winglets at the beginning of 2012 on behalf of Aviation Partners, Inc. Once again, FACC was able to convince its customer of its quick reaction time and manufacturing skills at the highest level. The time from contract award to product delivery was just three months. In this time, FACC produced the CFK components, acquired the necessary tools and fixing elements and assembled to a ready-to-install system. In order to meet the rather tight deadline for the flight tests, the development process was done in parallel with first article parts production.
“Of course, the tight schedule was a great challenge for our team. We were able to master this task successfully due to perfect coordination with Aviation Partners. Thanks to the exemplary work by all the involved departments we could deliver the prototype on time,“ said Martin Bögl, FACC Programme Director Aerostructures.“We are delighted that – with this significant work package - the long-term success story in the cooperation with APB and FACC is being extended by another chapter.“
Flight tests showing remarkable results
The prototype of the Split Scimitar Winglet successfully completed an in-depht flight test programme, the evaluation of which shows a significant reduction in aerodynamic drag compared to conventional Blended Winglet technology. APB and FACC expect Scimitar Winglets Systems installed on a provisioned 737-800 to save the typical airline more than 45,000 gallons of jet fuel per aircraft per year resulting in a corresponding reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of 476 tons per aircraft per year. The fuel savings can enable a 737-800 to increase its payload up to 2,500 pounds or increase its range up to 75 nautical miles.
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Captions:
Image 1: FACC develops and manufactures Split Scimitar Winglets for Boeing 737-800 – United Airlines is the launch customer to retrofit its Next-Generation 737 fleet with the innovative winglets.
Image 2: Fuel-saving Split Scimitar Winglet, developed and manufactured by FACC for the US customer Aviation Partners Boeing
Image 3: Modern winglet production line of FACC in Ried: Split Scimitar Winglets will be manufactured here in the next five years for over 3,000 Boeing 737NG.