‘Winglets’ could save Air Force millions on fuel

[unhappycamper]

Study says KC-10, KC-135 are best candidates for installation of wing-tip extensions


‘Winglets’ could save Air Force millions on fuel
By Scott Schonauer, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, October 1, 2007


KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — They’re called “winglets,” near-vertical wing-tip extensions seen on many commercial airplanes.

Airlines use them on passenger planes because they reduce drag and save fuel. Now, a study suggests they might help the Air Force.

The National Research Council found that adding winglets to most cargo aircraft could save the Air Force millions of dollars in fuel costs.

The study, released earlier this month, found that KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender could reap the biggest savings because they are derivatives of commercial aircraft already using the winglets.

The report added that the service should consider installing them on C-5 Galaxy and modifying winglets used on the C-17 Globemaster III, but more extensive research is needed.

The Air Force is looking at various ways of reducing fuel consumption and requested the council research the issue in response to the rising price of oil. The service, the Defense Department’s largest fuel consumer, uses 58 percent of all fuel consumed by the military.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49182

[LiberalFighter]

1. How will that guy as a winglet be able to stay on while flying?

:eyes: