What do winglets do?

Winglets reduce wingtip vortices, the twin tornados formed by the difference between the pressure on the upper surface of an airplane's wing and that on the lower surface. High pressure on the lower surface creates a natural airflow that makes its way to the wingtip and curls upward around it.



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From a practical point, no, a modern airliner will not lose a wing due to turbulence. Modern airlines are very tough and designed to withstand extreme turbulence. In theory, it might be possible. But to my knowledge, it has not happened to any jet airliner.

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Winging it: The curves at the end of modern airplane wings are all about efficiency. As air flows around a plane's wings, it generates high pressure on the bottom surface and low pressure on the top one, which creates lift.

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