American Airlines announces first flight on Boeing 767-300ER with Blended Winglets.
AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2008 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTDAmerican Airlines has flown a Boeing 767-300ER which has been newly modified with Aviation Partners Boeing Blended Winglets on 20 July 2008 for the first time.
The aircraft flew a ferry flight from Kansas City, Missouri to San Bernardino, California. In San Bernardino two months of certification and winglet performance testing for the aircraft will be undertaken.
American Airlines performed the modification of the aircraft at its Kansas City Maintenance Base.
Blended Winglets are manufactured by GKN Aerospace, which is based on the Isle of Wight in the UK, for Aviation Partners Boeing.
Aviation Partners Boeing have estimated that the use of the winglets on the 767-300ER could save up to 6.5% on fuel consumption through reducing the drag created by traditional wingtip vortices.
There are currently 2,480 Boeing aircraft that have been fitted with Blended Winglets. The technology has been certified for several Boeing aircraft and is in the process of being certified for both passenger and freighter variants of the Boeing 767-300ER.
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| Publication: | Airline Industry Information |
|---|---|
| Date: | Jul 22, 2008 |
| Words: | 186 |
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