Aviation Partners, Inc. (API) has received ANAC validation of the FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) for its blended winglets on the Dassault Falcon 900 series aircraft. ANAC is Brazil’s civil aviation agency.

API’s winglets for the Falcon 900 series are “high mach” blended winglets – a new design which is optimised for higher cruise speeds than API’s previous blended winglet offerings.

The winglets provide a drag reduction, and corresponding range increase, of five percent at Mach .80 and more than seven percent when optimum long range speeds are selected, according to API.

In addition, retrofit Winglets for the Falcon 900 series (the same API-designed Winglets as those offered for retrofit on in-service Falcon 2000 and 50 series aircraft, and installed by Dassault on the factory 900LX and 2000LX/LXS/S models) reduce operating costs and carbon emissions, and provide a dramatic visual enhancement, API says.

Gary Dunn, API’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, commented: “The Falcon program has been by far our most successful business jet winglet program to date. Since the first Winglet STC for a Falcon model was received approximately 50% of the in-service Falcon 2000 series fleet, and 30 per cent of the 900 fleet, is now sporting blended winglets. There are currently over 450 Falcons flying with API blended winglets.”

Where next for winglets?

We recently interviewed API’s Joe Clark about the latest innovation in winglets and what’s coming next.

He told us that API is already working on a new style of winglet that could change the shape of aircraft wings for the next generation.