Why Do Airplane Wings Have, Well, Tails?

In addition to looking cool, 'winglets’ save airlines millions in fuel costs

By Evan Dougherty

Published July 1, 2022

Read Time: 4 mins

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You’ve probably noticed them when you’re sitting in an airplane over the wing and look out the window.

They look like miniature versions of aircraft tails, but they’re attached to the end of the wings, standing straight up. They’re called “winglets,” and they are quickly becoming standard equipment on many different types of planes as a way of saving fuel.

As an airplane flies, high pressure air beneath its wings meets with low pressure air from above the wings. The difference in pressure causes a vortex to occur at the outer edge of the wing.

Called “vortices,” this spinning motion of air creates drag and makes the aircraft burn more fuel to compensate. Winglets reduce the size of vortices by redirecting air flow at a plane’s wingtips, which also generates additional lift. As a result, winglets reduce drag and improve the aircraft’s range.

The idea of winglets first came about in the late 19th century, but the concept finally got off the ground for the first time in the 1970s as airlines searched for new ways to cut costs because of rising oil prices. NASA first flight-tested winglets in 1979 on a modified Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, achieving a better-than-expected