I saw this today and it is very impressive and....scary! Take a look: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NEjOf9Ycj4]SCARY Plane Landing Caught On Camera At Madeira Airport - YouTube[/ame]
Nice bit of airmanship really. I'd be interested in a pilots view but probably pretty straightforward........ Off topic....Out of interest. I've never seen those winglets before. I thought they were for the 737 MAX series.
Definitely windy by looking at the water. Maybe got a little slow around 100.' The sink rate was go-around material. As it enters ground effect however, he gets it back and puts it right in the touchdown zone. I like to be a bit fast in gusty conditions to pad any decreasing performance (rapid airspeed loss), but if you're dealing with a short runway, your hands are kind of tied.
They emulate a wing of unlimited wingspan, decreasing drag by up to 20%. One of the two innovations the famous aerodynamicist Richard Whitcomb is most famous for, the other being area ruling (wasp waist fuselage). Conical camber was his, too.
My old aero guy with whom I worked said that the split winglets effectively increase the span without increasing the span. Same as what you said, Taz.
Madeira has always been a challenge. I used to go there in the early eighties, The runway was on the top of a cliff,pointing out to sea. The 727s were just about OK,out of London,carrying a full load. However,to return,it was neccesary to depart with only half load,proceed further south to Lanzarotte,and then refuel and fill up the empty seats.
Looks worse than it is, in my view. Could have been not much more than a strong gust, and an over-correction. In the end, well captured and a decent landing resulted. Having said that, an underwear change was probably in order.
Haha - you and me both! Actually, thought the pilot did a great job, settled it just as he / she put it down.
The elevated runway probably creates some weird vortices when the wind is coming from certain directions. Seemed very local to the end of the 'bridge'. APB has been offering the new split winglet for a while now. The basic winglet, flying since 2001, provided from 4-7% drag reduction. Haven't heard how much better the split is, but it could be as much about offering something that looks different as it does with actual performance.
I thought wingtip devices reduced drag. Y'all are talking about emulating wider wings and it's confusing me.
Wingtip vortices generate drag as airflow spills off the end of the wing. The winglets keep those vortices from forming. If the wingspan continued until the leading and trailing edges met in a very sharp angle, there would be little drag, but that causes structural problems and ground maneuver and storage issues. Bending up the wingtip into a winglet gives the same effect.
Attempts to lengthen the winglets (increase their span) gets them into flutter, so instead of getting into heavier stiffer structure, they were split with one up and one down, still increasing the effective span. Taz is dead on...OOPS didn't mean to say that. Maybe better to say RIGHT ON!
