Air China B747-400(B-2447),whose left winglet was cut while colliding with a Delta jet in JFK last week continued flying back base in Beijing from JFK with few load. Then it run the scheduled flight between Beijing and Frankfurt.

I am wondering wheather B747-400 without one winglet can fly. Is it safe for flying under FAA regulation?

Here pics

http://bbs.feeeco.com/upload/20070112/200701120142354233.jpg

http://bbs.feeeco.com/upload/20070112/200701120144586833.jpg

Lu

[Edited 2007-01-15 06:35:26]

yes the a/c can operate without a winglet. there are restrictions however.

There is an approved temp. repair for most airplane that have winglets, to fly with one, or both removed. You do have to retrim the airplane to do it. I seem to remember a KLM B-747-400 was flying around for about 6 months with only one winglet, about 10-12 years ago.

Perfectly safe. Here's a cut and paste from the MEL/CDL.


CDL Number: 57-28-1
Item: Winglets [P]*
Model: All
No. Installed: 2
Requirements:
One may be missing provided the performance limited weights are reduced by the following:
Takeoff Enroute Climb Landing
9435 kg 4536 kg 9435 kg
Apply fuel penalty of 2.5% to the entire mission fuel.

NOTE: If a winglet is removed, the affected winglet fairings except the leading edge wingtip fairing Part Number 118U0010 and the trailing edge wingtip fairing Part Number 118U0030 must be removed. The forward facing opening in the trailing edge wingtip fairing must be covered (e.g. sped tape).


If you read the MEL, only one winglet can be removed.

hah that's interesting, I'd imagine it'd be breaking some sort of rules by flying with one winglet.

Quoting FlyingPie946LJ (Reply 4): hah that's interesting, I'd imagine it'd be breaking some sort of rules by flying with one winglet.

You'd be amazed with amount of items you can fly around with having one or zero required for dispatch.

Air Canada have run 747-400s without a winglet too

View Large View Medium

Photo © Ryan Hemmings

Also the A340-300 has been known to operate with a winglet missing!


View Large View Medium

Photo © Ryan Hemmings


Glenn

Quoting PhilSquares (Reply 3): If you read the MEL, only one winglet can be removed.

Interresting - JAL and ANA domestic B744's don't have any winglets fitted at all.

PurpleBox.

744Ds don't come with winglets at all so I would imagine they don't appear on the MEL for that airframe.  

NS

Thats a huge penalty. Over 9000 kilos in weight and then 2.5% extra burn on top of that!

Anyone know the MTOW for the CX 744's? to my reference it is 850,000Lbs but that is a little low for the PEK-JFK flights to be operated under a profitable basis. So do they have 870,000Lbs or 875,000Lbs MTOW option?

Cheers Leo

Quoting PurpleBox (Reply 7): Interresting - JAL and ANA domestic B744's don't have any winglets fitted at all.

Quoting PurpleBox (Reply 7): Quoting PhilSquares (Reply 3): If you read the MEL, only one winglet can be removed. Interresting - JAL and ANA domestic B744's don't have any winglets fitted at all.

Quoting Gigneil (Reply 8): 744Ds don't come with winglets at all

JL and NH 744D's also don't have the wingtip extensions of other 744s, making their wingspan approximately 16 feet less (the same as 741/742/743). The extra weight of the extensions and winglets serve no purpose when flight durations are mostly 1 to 2 hours with much of the fllight spent climbing and desending and not much at cruise altitude. The extensions and winglets can be added should the aircraft be transferred to longhaul service.

Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 11): JL and NH 744D's also don't have the wingtip extensions of other 744s, making their wingspan approximately 16 feet less (the same as 741/742/743). The extra weight of the extensions and winglets serve no purpose when flight durations are mostly 1 to 2 hours with much of the fllight spent climbing and desending and not much at cruise altitude. The extensions and winglets can be added should the aircraft be transferred to longhaul service.

Great point.

Gus.

Quoting Qantas744ER (Reply 10): Anyone know the MTOW for the CX 744's? to my reference it is 850,000Lbs but that is a little low for the PEK-JFK flights to be operated under a profitable basis. So do they have 870,000Lbs or 875,000Lbs MTOW option?

Sorry I mean the CA MTOW not CX

Am I the only person to notice the predominance of left winglets missing in these and similar photos? A search of 744s turned up only one or two photos of right winglets missing, whereas the rest of the aircraft missing a single winglet were missing their port side winglet.

Can anyone speculate why this is so? Are left-wing collisions more common than right-wing? Is it due to more push-backs or taxiing activities exposing the port winglet to potential collision?

Yes, I realize this post is about left winglets...but let us not discriminate against our starboard brothers!   

Quoting MCIFlyer (Reply 14): Am I the only person to notice the predominance of left winglets missing in these and similar photos?

Quoting MCIFlyer (Reply 14): Can anyone speculate why this is so?

Left winglets fetch more at the pawn shop than right winglets...?