Winglets add value

The active winglets reduce fuel burn by about 20 percent, Tamarack noted in a press release, citing hundreds of hours of flight test data obtained in a Cessna Citation CJ equipped with the winglets. The winglet modification is already approved in Europe and is being evaluated for FAA supplemental type certification for various models of Citation jets. 

The Active Technology Load Alleviation System (ATLAS) invented by Tamarack Aerospace Group founder Nick Guida is composed of a wing extension, the winglet itself, and for each winglet an active and automated aerodynamic surface similar to a miniature aileron. Those surfaces, mounted inboard of the winglets, move up and down to offset increases in wing loading during maneuvers, and thus eliminate the need to reinforce the entire wing to achieve the efficiency benefits of winglets. Tamarack Chief Operating Officer Brian Cox, in an email responding to questions from AOPA, said the active winglet retrofit costs roughly $220,000. That price is expected to climb to $245,000 once the FAA awards supplemental type certificates, Cox added.

Cox, in the press release, celebrated the Vref valuation of the winglet retrofit adding 100 percent of the system’s cost to the aircraft’s value.

“This is great news for owner operators who can genuinely view Active Winglets [as] an investment for which they will see immediate returns on every flight, with the significant reduction in fuel burn,” Cox said in the news release. “Longer term, with the increased range provided by the winglets, a reduction in airframe and engine cycles will reduce maintenance costs too, and should they decide to sell the aircraft still receive 100 percent of their investment back.”

Tamarack has secured EASA approval for active winglet installations on CJ, CJ1, CJ1+, and M2 models, with FAA approval expected near the end of 2016.