Aviation Partners has received FAA STC certification for its Hawker 800SP ‘blended winglet’ programme. The company claims that a Hawker fitted with the technology can fly 30 minutes longer, 180 nm further, 18 kts faster and with a 200 ft higher initial cruise altitude compared to a standard Hawker. The technology is also said to improve performance at high and hot airports, and during second segment climb.

Blended winglets transform the standard 2,510 nm Hawker 800 into a Hawker 800SP capable, the company claims, of 2,690 nm. Aviation Partners’ sales director Gary Dunn said: “For a take off weight limited high-altitude airport and hot day, 800SP operators will be able to depart with up to 1,800lbs more weight. A Hawker 800 equipped with blended winglets will climb higher and cruise faster, at any given cruise weight, then the original aircraft.”

Aviation Partners is a leading provider of blended winglets, and has worked with Gulfstream and Boeing to upgrade their aircraft using the system.

The company hopes that the benefits of the technology will have an even more dramatic effect on Hawker 800, the 600 of which are in service today. Claiming that, “this is the moment Hawker 800 operators have been waiting for,” Aviation Partners ceo Joe Clark believes the benefits offered by the technology were so compelling that all the Hawkers 800s in service will eventually upgrade: “Anytime you can improve the productivity of an existing aircraft, it’s a wise investment.”

The cost of upgrading to an 800SP with blended winglets is $395,000, including installation.