King Air, Citation Get Winglet Mods

BLR Aerospace of Everett, Wash., received an STC for winglets on the King Air 300. According to BLR, winglets increase cruise speed by five to eight knots, reduce fuel consumption by 3.5 percent and increase rate of climb by 300 fpm. Meanwhile, Sierra Industries of Uvalde, Texas, is developing winglets for the Citation 500 and 560 series. The company says winglets will reduce drag, minimize turbulence and counteract wingtip vortices. STC is scheduled for the third quarter of next year. Sierra Industries is also working to bring the MaxViz EVS-1000 enhanced-vision system to the Citation 500 series.