Winglets and a missed opportunity for the USAF

[tdracer]

Originally Posted by NutLoose

Kc135 was re-engined starting 25 years ago and saved a 25 fuel burn, but the winglets would have still continued reducing the burn and costs then would have been less to fit.
https://www.boeing.com/news/frontier.../qt_ab1.htmlSo

That would still leave 15 years at a 45 mil gal per year saving. Fuel is still an ultimate finite resource, tin can be recycled.

https://www.boeing.com/news/frontier...ly/qt_ab1.html

Do you remember 1979? I bought my first house in 1979 - the mortgage was 11% . It went up from there, peaking around 15% five years later. The fuel savings wouldn't have even paid the interest on the cost of the winglets retrofit until interest rates started dropping years later...