Sandpoint, Idaho-based Tamarack Aerospace has announced it is working on STCs for additional platforms for its ATLAS Active Winglets, which significantly improve the performance of airplanes flying in the flight levels. Tamarack has begun the process for the Cessna Citation 560XL series of airplanes: the Excel, XLS and XLS+.
One major benefit of the ATLAS Active Winglets is the ability to climb much quicker to the flight levels. “Each thousand feet of altitude above FL410 will net a 4.2 percent specific range increase, so Active Winglets have the potential to yield a 16 percent or greater range increase on this aircraft, which will be a game-changer,” said Nick Guida, Founder and CEO of Tamarack Aerospace and the engineer who conceptualized the technology.
“Our ATLAS-equipped CJ3 is already flying 2,100 nm missions at FL450, so Active Winglets on the 560XL series will frequently enable transcontinental flights,” said Justin Ryan, president of Tamarack Aerospace. Additional benefits of the system include stability, fuel economy, increased maximum zero fuel weight, improved hot/high performance, aesthetics, value retention and fatigue life, Ryan said.
Where the technology can become a major game changer is in the commercial and military transport markets, which Tamarack is now tapping into. In addition to performance improvements that could save airlines millions of dollars in operations costs, the Active Winglets are expected to be 30 to 40 percent lighter than the existing winglets, Guida said. An active winglet system designed for this space is on display at Tamrack’s booth, N936, at NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention and Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Addition of the Active Winglets require no structural reinforcement as the technology alleviates the stress associated with an increase in load, such as during turbulence. Hence the technology allows for a performance-enhancing increase in wingspan without any major weight penalties.
EASA, ANAC and FAA Supplemental Type Certification for the active winglets has already been achieved for the Cessna Citation CJ, CJ1, CJ1+ and M2, which are priced at $239,000, and certification for the CJ2, CJ2+, CJ3 and CJ3+ is expected early next year. The Active Winglets are sold through Cessna’s service centers and through JetAVIVA, a company specializing in jet sales, acceptance, delivery and training services.
Read more about Tamrack’s ATLAS Active Winglets here.
