Species evolve and grow fins and radomes.
Radomes?
Yup, check out the new Wi-FI radome near the tail Southwest is trying out on selected planes.
Supplied by Row 44 - "Designed to deliver up to 30-80Mbit/sec from the satellite to the aircraft, and 0.75Mbit/sec in the opposite direction, the system comprises the antenna itself, its control unit, a high-power amplifier and the radome.
Total weight is 74lb - antenna 35lb, control unit 7lb, amplifier 20lb and radome 12lb – and swept volume 32in in diameter by 7in high."
Southwest planes have also been growing winglets. Blended ones.
"Unlike traditional winglets that attach at abrupt angles to the wing,
Blended Winglets gently curve out and up from the wingtip, reducing
aerodynamic drag and increasing performance. The 8-foot high winglets
add about 5 feet (1.5 meters) to the airplane's total wingspan and
allow the 737-700 to fly up to 115 nautical miles (213 kilometers)
farther and reduce fuel burn.
As a result, Southwest is expected to save an average of up to 92,000 gallons (348,258 liters) of jet fuel per airplane per year. Improved performance will permit payload increases out of high, hot and obstacle-limited airports, as well as shorten the time its takes to climb to cruising altitude."
In the future, we will end up with "morphing" winglets
"In its patent, Boeing says a moving winglet has the potential to improve fuel efficiency in both cruise and non cruise conditions, induce lower wing bending loads than fixed winglets, and when canted inward, allow planes to squeeze into tight airport gate positions."
Comments