A joint venture between Boeing and Aviation Partners Inc. is involved in developing performance improvements for in-service aircraft. Winglets have been proven by previous programs to improve aerodynamic efficiency of many different wing configurations. The Boeing 737-800 wing originally was designed and certified without winglets. Flight testing of the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), a derivative of the Next-Generation 737-700, showed that the expected gains in aerodynamic efficiency from winglets to be real, as were increases in flight loads.
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