“Correct me if I'm wrong but i don't think that this idea has been tried before, replacing wingtips to create a different flight profile, . . .”
Alternative wing tips have been available for some gliders for years. My Lak 17A can be flown as 15m wingspan without winglets, 15m with winglets, or 18m with winglets. I just decide how much span I want and how much time and effort rigging it, before each flight. Competition pilots choose according to the class of competition they are entering. Each increment gives improved L/D. The 15m winglets also improve low speed handling compared with plain wing tips.
The manufacturer has just announced further alternatives on its latest model, the 17B, so 13.5m/15m/18m/21m are choices for wingspan.
(So as not to advertise directly here, I suggest you search for Lak.lt if you want to see details.)
There are other manufacturers with such choices, of at least two configuatations.
Chris N
PS – correction – I think I had misread the details about the 13.5m version – it can be changed to one of the longer wingspan versions, but not to all.
Last edited by chrisN; 5th Nov 2013 at 11:46.