The International Cessna 170 Association

I have been given a set of wing tips off a late model Cessna 172 with the Hornier type shape. So has any body noticed any performance difference when they have been fitted to a 170A.

Years ago, a California member experimented with droop wing tips. First tried them installed regular, then reversed them with the tips up then tried them with one up and the other down....said could not tell much difference.....that's his story and was sticking to it.

Thank you for that reply , I had a good laugh when imagining that with the tips up and down . Many years ago I used to fly a Cessna 172 with these massive droopy tips and found landing exciting . It used to stall very suddenly and the aircraft would just drop down but at a very low speed . These tips on this aircraft used to droop about 8 ins down . Plus cross wind landings were a lot of fun also . You really had to work the rudders even more than a tail dragger. I was curious that if the late madel wing tips were fitted to a 170 series would there be a fuel saving . Iegally it can be done .

Wing Tip performance can only be measured in the low speed regime. It is negligible in cruise settings. It will assist in lift from spilling off the wing in high angles of attack and slower speeds. It will increase aileron authority to a slower speed.

Wing Tip technology still being patented in 2014 +

Original patents same subject 1897.

Hornier papers dated 1950's

Winglet and Wingfence popular references.

Benefits to single engine aircraft limited claims, slow speed control ability, landing. Take offs.

Major benefit apparently in large aircraft cruising speed. Fuel savings. Save 2% ?? Difficult to measure improvements at less than 400 mph. Watch their math.

Once again everything is relative. If you compare a slight improvement to an already good design, the change is insignificant. However make seemingly the same simple change to a the very worst design and the improvement is more dramatic.

Changing out the tip of a more modern airplane which has already had some design considerations applied will not result in much change. However when one finds that the symmetrical rounded wing tip design of the 50s 170 and even early Piper Cherokee is the absolute worst design, any change, including sawing the tip of square is a noticable improvement. What's noticable? Depends on the person. In many cases it is nothing more than the belief it is better and therefor it is. If one does not believe they can accomplish something because they are being held back mechanically, they are likely never to be successful.

If I had the wing tips and I wanted to use every advantage I could to push an envelope, I'd install them and never look back. Chances are pretty good you will feel they made some positive difference. On the other hand it is subjective whether any price payed for the improvement could ever be recouped unless that slight edge keeps you out of the trees, or in the case of the airlines a 1% improvement over the airframes life saves millions in fuel.

MoonlightVFR wrote:Wing Tip technology still being patented in 2014 +

Original patents same subject 1897.

Hornier papers dated 1950's

Winglet and Wingfence popular references.

Benefits to single engine aircraft limited claims, slow speed control ability, landing. Take offs.

Major benefit apparently in large aircraft cruising speed. Fuel savings. Save 2% ?? Difficult to measure improvements at less than 400 mph. Watch their math.

Improvements to large aircraft fuel efficiency are totally debateable.

The reason why they are commonplace now is because when configuring for landing, a lower flap setting is required thereby using less power/fuel on approach. Airlines are encouraging an optimum flap setting on leased airplanes because they dont care about aircraft ownership. they care about how much fuel is burned. My company likes to encourage landing with flaps 15 on a 10K runway rather 30 or 40 for fuel savings. Its the truth! Personal aircraft owners are not as concerned about fuel burn on approach as much as replacing tires or aircraft wear and tear.

It reminds me of the kids putting wing kits on the backs of their Honda Civics to improve performance.

You HAD to put a wing kit on a Honda to make it go. Other wise a bicycle would pass it .

Wooden clothes-pins holding playing-cards in the spokes DEFINITELY helped my Schwinn Tornado win neighborhood races!