Why Winglets

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 )