Why Winglets
February 2012: M&H announces NEW
WINGLETS for the Ventus2 and Discus. The winglets are
designed by Prof. Mark Maughmer of Penn State University and the Ventus2
winglets are expected to be available
late spring 2012. Discus winglets expected availability will
be announced here later.
For more information, certification and pricing call Heinz or Monty.
02.06.12
From a note by John Seaborn A8
Heinz, thank you for the opportunity to fly
the new Ventus 2 winglets developed by Prof. Mark Maughmer and
built by Schempp-Hirth at the recent World Championship in
Uvalde. When I learned that Prof. Mark Maughmer was considering
revisiting the Ventus 2 winglet design and that M&H Soaring was
behind the project it was good news. My first impression was
favorable as compared to the old design the new winglets are a
little taller with a much higher aspect ratio resulting in less
wetted area, a trend we see in winglets design generally. They
deserve serious style points as they look fast just sitting on
the ramp.
Uvalde was a very exciting event with long
days and high speeds. I put over 87 hours and 9000 kilometers on
the winglets during the contest. My initial impression was very
favorable with a noticeable improvement in handling which is an
accomplishment given the already beautiful handling of the
Ventus 2 family of gliders. I felt the glider was more stable in
climb and grooved a bit better in thermals with the new design.
Relative performance analysis is really not possible without
comparison glides in smooth air but in many hours of gaggle
racing I felt the winglets in combination with around 200 hours
of race turning allowed the Ventus 2bx to be competitive with
most of the gliders in the 15-meter field at Uvalde.
While the winglets took a little fitting
initially I was pleased with the beautiful Schempp-Hirth
construction and the Streifeneder molds. The fact that they will
be certified at some point is another plus for the design.
posted 08.30.12
Winglets, in all forms and shapes, have become a standard feature in sailplane design. Since 1994, M&H Soaring has worked with Professor Mark Maughmer of Penn State University to design and manufacture winglets that have shown to improve the handling and performance of high performance sailplanes. In short, winglets allow a sailplane to climb effectively in thermals at low speeds, and enable the sailplane to glide efficiently between thermals at high speeds. More recently, Professor Maughmer has collaborated directly with Schempp-Hirth designers and the result of their teamwork is now incorporated by Schempp-Hirth in the production of various Ventus models and the Duo Discus.
M&H Soaring offers winglet retro-fitting and winglet kits for selected sailplane models.
For more information on winglets, we refer to the following articles:
- About Winglets – by Mark D. Maughmer, published June 2002 “Soaring Magazine” ( view PDF )
- The design of winglets for low-speed aircraft by Mark D. Maughmer ( view PDF )
- The design of Winglets for high performance sailplanes. By Mark D. Maughmer ( view PDF )
- The design and testing of a winglet airfoil for low-speed aircraft by Mark D. Maughmer ( view PDF )
