Public domain
EC79-11484
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The KC-135 with the winglets in flight over the San Gabriel mountains, south of Edwards AFB. While wind tunnel tests suggested that winglets - developed by NASA Langley's Richard Whitcomb - would significantly reduce drag, flight research proved their usefulness. Winglets were installed on an Air Force KC-135 and research flights were made in 1979 and 1980. These showed drag in flight was reduced by as much as 7 percent.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineEC79-11484. NASA/AFRC, 1979-08-20. Public domain. ID: EC79-11484.