Tamarack Aerospace, which last fall introduced its “active winglet” technology, has received an order for three shipsets of the winglets from Premier Jet Aviation in Florida. Premier plans to incorporate the winglets in its “CJ Plus” retrofit of Cessna Citation CJ (Model 525) series jets. The Tamarack winglets are expected to be certified for the CJ in 2014.
Active winglets use small auxiliary ailerons called Tamarack Active Control Surfaces (TACS) that actuate automatically to “unload” the wing and relieve the added aerodynamic pressure that the winglets cause. The control surfaces allow adding the winglets (which increase efficiency and aerodynamic performance) without the need for beefing up the wing’s internal structure due to the increase in wing loading associated with the winglets.
The Premier order for three sets of winglets also includes an option for seven more kits, according to Tamarack. Premier’s CJ Plus program also includes retrofitting Garmin G1000 avionics, refurbishing paint and interior and adding other improvements at a price point aimed to be competitive with a used Mustang or CJ1.
