Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

Aviation Partners Boeing last month announced that, after launching on the Boeing 737 NG, <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ain-air-transport-perspective/2013-08-12/aviation-partners-boeing-signs-customers-winglet-mod">split scimitar winglets</a> can now be fitted on the Boeing BBJ family. The new split scimitar winglets offer a significant reduction of drag compared to the non-winglet-equipped Boeings and a noticeable drag reduction for those equipped with Aviation Partners Boeing blended winglets.


According to the Aviation Partners Boeing joint venture, the program redefines the aerodynamics of the Aviation Partners blended winglets. The retrofit involves adding a new scimitar-tipped ventral strake and reinforcing the internal winglet structure. Moreover, the aluminum winglet tip-caps will be replaced with new aerodynamically shaped scimitar tip caps.


Aviation Partners flight-tested the split scimitar design in 2012 on a BBJ. Company engineers saw that drag was reduced by 2.5 to 3 percent over the basic blended winglet configuration. Therefore, operators can save fuel on a given distance or benefit from an extra 200 nm of range with a full fuel load, according to the company.


“Based on our ongoing study of laminar flow, we believe further improvements in drag reduction will be available in the near future,” said Joe Clark, Aviation Partners founder and CEO.


Offered as a retrofit for the BBJ, BBJ2 and BBJ3, the conversion takes eight days and costs $500,000 to $550,000. Receipt of FAA supplemental type certification for all models is planned for 2014.

Split  Scimitar Winglets land on Boeing BBJ wings

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Dubai Airshow 2013

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN