Newsgroups: sci.aeronautics.airliners
Path: news
From: dowlatir@cu1.crl.aecl.ca.crl.aecl.ca (Ramin Dowlati)
Subject: Re: objects on wing tips
X-Submission-Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1992 22:33:46 GMT
References: <airliners.1992.11@ohare.Chicago.COM>
 <airliners.1992.25@ohare.Chicago.COM> <airliners.1992.59@ohare.Chicago.COM>
Message-ID: <airliners.1992.104@ohare.Chicago.COM>
Approved: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM
Organization: AECL Research
X-Submission-Message-Id: <1992Dec7.223346.25913@cu23.crl.aecl.ca>
Sender: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM
Date: 08 Dec 92 15:50:58 PST

I have a few questions for any of you passenger airplane gurus.
Several years ago, the aeropspace industry introduced vertical
flap-like things on the ends of their airplane wings. I've
only noticed these on 'larger' planes such Airbus, 747-400 and
MD-11.
Q1. What is the technical name for these flap-like things?
Q2. Are they mobile or fixed?
Q3. Do they only serve to stabilize the flight?
Q4. Why haven't they appeared on smaller aircraft?
Q5. The ones I saw on the Airbus were shaped like a 'V'
    and symmetric with the wing tip, ie. one leg of the 'V'
    was above the wing and the other pointed below the wing.
    Whereas the ones on the 747-400 looked like extensions
    of the actually wing, but bent 90 degrees upwards.
    Why the difference?

I would greatly appreciate any answers.

-Cheers