Winglets cut fuel burn by trimming wing-tip vortices, so engineers craft several shapes to harvest more savings. This section surveys seven proven tip devices, each tuned to a cruise speed, span limit or budget, and shows how small upward bends reshape range, payload and emissions. The 7 different types of plane winglets are listed below.
Expert behind this article
Jim Goodrich
Jim Goodrich is a pilot, aviation expert and founder of Tsunami Air.
1. Whitcomb Winglets
Whitcomb winglets are near-vertical wingtip extensions defined by a Whitcomb winglet airfoil, 45° dihedral, and 0° toe-out. In the 1970s Richard Whitcomb's research at NASA Langley first applied the term ‘winglet' in its modern sense and showed that the device cuts induced drag by roughly 20% while raising the lift-drag ratio by about 9%. Wind-tunnel and computer studies, followed by flight tests on a KC-135 fitted with 2.9 ft (0.88 m) winglets, validated the predictions. The optimized Whitcomb design reduced interference drag through a smooth obtuse-angle transition from the horizontal wing to the vertical tip, and it demonstrated a 7% range increase for the tanker. Whitcomb compared the winglet to a simple horizontal tip extension of equal root-bending moment and proved the vertical device superior, leading to the first commercially viable configuration.
Boeing later adopted a form that resembled the Whitcomb winglet but omitted the smaller lower element Whitcomb had also tested, confirming that the core benefits - lower drag, lower fuel burn, and higher climb performance - are captured by a single upward-canted surface.
I remember examining the aircraft's functioning with winglets and without winglets and the distinction was evident. The aircraft showed steadiness during ascents and in difficult circumstances.
Jim GoodrichPilot, Airplane Broker and Founder of Tsunami Air
2. Blended Winglets
Blended winglets are the most common type of winglets in service today. They are curved gently outwards at the tips and blend seamlessly into the wings through a smooth, aerodynamic transition. This design avoids the sharp angles of earlier winglet styles, cutting drag and allowing optimum aerodynamic loading across the large-radius joint. Pioneered by Aviation Partners for Gulfstream II in the 1990s, the concept was later adopted by Boeing and is now standard on the 737 Next Generation and 737 MAX families, while 757 and 767 models are often retro-fitted with the devices. Operators gain 2% or more additional range on long-range missions and measurable fuel savings. Airbus applies the same idea under the name ‘Sharklet’, launched in 2009 on the A320-family aircraft to reduce fuel burn by up to 4% and to enhance payload-range. The A350 XWB uses a slightly modified sharklet with a distinctive upward curve, while the A350 features raked wingtips.
I first noticed blended winglets while on a flight. The transformation was not simply an add-on but an intrinsic portion of the aircraft's streamlined personality, a complete counterpoint to the pointed, angled wing tips I was accustomed to watching on older aircraft. The whole construction appeared to be a unique, flowing addition of the airfoil.
Jim GoodrichPilot, Airplane Broker and Founder of Tsunami Air
3. Scimitar Winglets
Scimitar winglets are a further refinement of the blended winglet concept. The retrofit combines ventral strakes, scimitar tips, and trailing-edge wedges on the upper winglet and adds a new lower blade. These aerodynamic elements together reduce the tip vortices coming off the winglet and provide a measurable drag reduction. On long-range missions the combined elements deliver a range increase of 2% or more, giving operators of the Boeing 737NG family a cost-effective performance upgrade.
4. Split Scimitar Winglets
Split scimitar winglets add a secondary lower ventral strake to the classic blended winglet, creating a double-swept shape that further reduces induced drag. The upper element keeps the symmetric PARSEC11 airfoil of the original winglet, while the new ventral strake uses the same profile, giving the assembly its distinct scimitar-like outline.
Aviation Partners Boeing, a joint venture created in 1999 and now a third-party vendor for Boeing, turned this concept into certified hardware. FAA approval covers the 737-700, 737-800, 737-900, 737-900ER, and 737-BBJ, and the kit is offered for both line-fit and retrofit. United Airlines, the launch customer, and Ryanair, one of the world's largest 737NG operators, have already adopted the modification. Pobeda Airlines, the largest split-scimitar operator in Russia, rounds out a customer list that has helped Aviation Partners transform aviation for more than 30 years. On long-range missions the device delivers a range increase of 2 percent or more, saving fuel on every sector.
I noticed that a distinct, scimitar-type point had been added, so it appeared as though the primary winglet had been stretched downward. I learned that the main function of the split scimitar configuration is to decrease vortex swirls, because vortex drag increases fuel consumption.
Jim GoodrichPilot, Airplane Broker and Founder of Tsunami Air
5. Wingtip Fences
Wingtip fences are dual winglets that extend both upward and downward from the wingtip, forming a physical barrier between the upper and lower airflow. Triangular fences meet the wing at a right angle and protrude both above and below the wing, reducing induced drag and weakening wingtip vortices. Airbus introduced the device in 1985 on the A310-300, the first airliner with wingtip fences. The A300-600, A320 family older models, A320ceo, and A380 followed with the same device. Extending roughly 5 meters (16.4 feet) from the end of the wing, the variant adds little weight yet improves fuel efficiency by stopping the two airflows from mixing and cutting wake vortex strength.
6. Spiroid Winglets
The spiroid winglet is an entirely closed-loop surface at each wingtip, resembling a large loop of rigid ribbon that curves completely over and reconnects to the wing. This bio-inspired design, created by Aviation Partners in the early 1990s, blends the features of a winglet, wingtip fence, and raked wingtip into a continuous loop that eliminates the traditional wingtip and its concentrated vortices. Flight tests on a Gulfstream II in 1993 showed cruise fuel consumption fell more than 10 percent, while refined proof-of-concept tests on a Falcon 50 in 2010 pushed the drag reduction to 12 percent and lifted range by about 6.5 percent. At 4° angle of attack the device delivers a -5% drop in drag coefficient together with a +1.5% gain in lift coefficient. At stall (18 AOA) maximum lift rises 16.9 percent. The loop structure spreads the vortex core wider, cutting induced drag by up to 12 percent compared with conventional winglets, and improves directional stability, roll authority, and climb performance.
The original geometry has a cant angle near 30.4°, while alternative 15° and 45° cant angles and increased-radius versions have been drawn for optimisation. Added empty weight is roughly 550 lb (249.5 kg), yet the closed surface still yields a 4.6% gain in lift-to-drag ratio and up to 12% lower fuel burn on business jets. Although Boeing and NASA tests confirm a 5.5% drag saving versus 3.5-4.5% for standard winglets, the device remains an ongoing program. Aviation Partners has yet to certify or offer it commercially for any production aircraft and continues to study future applications across business and commercial fleets.
The simple, closed-loop configuration of spiroid winglets looked sculpturesque and was a complete opposite to the angled winglets I had previously encountered. I saw a well-defined, spiral-like helix whose smooth incorporation into the airfoil formed a constant bend. The noise reduction was noticeable both inside the aircraft and for the atmosphere we journeyed through.
Jim GoodrichPilot, Airplane Broker and Founder of Tsunami Air
7. Hoerner Wingtips
Hoerner wingtips, known as drooped wingtips, were named after Sighard F. Hoerner, a pioneer researcher who developed wingtips that produce smaller vortices. They are distinctive in the family of wingtip devices because they are the only type that featured a drooped design. In this configuration, the tip curves downward, producing a bent-up rear profile, yet the lower surface is cut away so the geometry involves one of two airfoils without a bottom surface.
The basic idea is to let the spanwise flow turn gradually while the bent-up shape spreads the vortex over a longer path, so the core stays weaker. Smaller vortices create less induced drag. Less drag for a given lift means more speed for a given thrust, which in turn allows a better rate of climb.
Because the benefits are a desirable thing, light aircraft and gliders have made use of Hoerner tips. Operators report noticeably lower fuel burn and owners add 16 extended Hoerner wingtips during post-recall mods. The earliest known implementation of a Hoerner-style downward-angled wingtip device on a jet aircraft occurred during World War II.
