Taking Flight: Why are Winglets Important?

Presenter(s)

Alexander Knight

Abstract or Description

The purpose of this project was to find out if a larger winglet could lead to more efficient flight. I hypothesized that a bigger winglet would reduce the most drag because it would create the weakest vortex at the edge of the wing.

I created four paper airplanes, with different winglet sizes. I made the winglets 2.5 centimeters, 3.5 centimeters, and 4.5 centimeters from the plane body. My fourth plane had no winglets. I launched the planes using a rubber band launcher. I pulled the rubber band back the same amount each time, so the force exerted on every flight would be identical. Each plane was launched 10 times.

The data I collected did not support my hypothesis. The second largest winglets spent the most time in the air and traveled the farthest. It flew an average of 1.03 seconds and an average of 283.9 inches. I hypothesized that the most efficient plane would be the one with the largest winglets, but it hit the ground in 0.785 seconds and flew 240.6 inches. The plane with the smallest winglets flew 0.767 seconds for 189.2 inches. The plane without winglets was airborne for 0.571 seconds and flew 115.7 inches.

These findings lead me to believe that the biggest size of winglet is not always the best option. The size of the winglet may need to be proportional to the overall length of the wing, to create the most efficient flight.