Everett, WA, Oct. 23, 2007 — A King Air B200 in Sweden is the first European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)-registered aircraft equipped with performance-enhancing Winglets from BLR Aerospace.
Bromma Air Maintenance (BAM) in Stockholm installed the Winglets on its King Air SN BL-127, and experienced a marked increase in stability on its first flight, according to Marcus Lönn, manager of Sales and Purchasing for BAM.
EASA this Spring approved certification of value- and performance-enhancing Winglet Systems for King Air 200s and 300s. BLR is planning joint application to the FAA/EASA for certification of a new Winglet System for King Air 90s. Certification is expected in Spring 2008.
“We’ve been pleased with the success of Winglets in North America, and we’re proud to bring the same great technology to the European operating community,” said Dave Marone, director of Sales and Marketing for BLR Aerospace.
Lönn said he expects strong demand for the modification in Europe due to its “short payback time and increasing fuel prices.”
Winglets deliver a range of performance benefits, including increased cruise speed (3-5 knots) or reduced fuel consumption (3-4 percent less burn), and increased vertical rate of climb (300-400 fpm). Additional benefits include reduced drag, improved handling qualities, and easy access right up to the aircraft’s service ceiling at flight level 350.
Owners of winglet-equipped Beechcraft King Airs also can expect an immediate, 100 percent return on their investment in the installed cost of the winglet modification, according to Carl Janssens, senior accredited appraiser with the Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest. “One-hundred percent of the cost of this modification can be added to the average retail (aircraft price) reported in the Aircraft Bluebook,” Janssens said. The new information is reflected in the Fall 2007 Aircraft Bluebook.
Winglets are available from a growing worldwide dealer network.
BLR designs, develops, manufactures and markets airframe aerodynamic enhancements for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. BLR’s 17-year history of aerodynamic innovation has produced over 60 FAA STC approvals for after-market aircraft modifications. The company’s primary product lines involve airflow manipulation technologies; vortex generators, winglets, tail boom strakes, and specially designed products all aimed at improving aircraft performance.