What’s even more unusual is that a non-aerospace company, Pocock Racing Shells, played a major role in developing these wing tips. So what’s a boat manufacturer doing developing wing tips?

It all started back in the mid-1990s when Bob Lamson, a consultant for Aviation Partners – Boeing (APB), contacted Pocock president Bill Tytus. APB was in the process of developing wing tip additions, called winglets, which would improve aerodynamic efficiency. Lamson, a retired Boeing test pilot and a composite field visionary, was familiar with Pocock’s cutting edge work with composite materials for their racing shells and thought they would be perfect for the winglet prototype work.

“The winglets needed to be lightweight, strong and cost effective – just like our racing shells,” said Tytus. “Boat manufacturers can be much more flexible and innovative than airplane manufacturers. We’re at the cutting edge of what these materials can do.”

Interestingly enough, 80 years earlier, Pocock worked with another pioneering aviation company. In the early 1900s, George Pocock helped William Boeing make pontoons for his fledgling airplane company’s first float planes.

In 1995, Pocock began working on the first winglets for APB. Over the next five years, Pocock worked on several different full-scale, flying prototype winglets. The first prototype was for the Gulf Stream II, a private commercial jet.

“The Gulf Stream II winglets were made with the same resin and materials as our boats, but unlike the boats, they were built without a mold from the inside out,” said Tom Evans, Pocock shop manager.

The testing on the Gulf Stream II prototype was extremely successful, with a seven percent improvement in fuel efficiency. The next prototype winglet Pocock worked on was for the Boeing 737. This prototype was even more successful, with a 10 percent increase in fuel efficiency.

“The winglets give these old 737s new life,” said Tytus. “It takes an airplane that was designed more than 40 years ago and makes it perform as well as the very latest airplane design – it’s quite remarkable.”

The 737s were not the only high performance vehicle that benefited from Pocock’s work on the prototypes. This new technology was also incorporated into the racing shells that Pocock builds.

“Working on these winglets gave us tremendous insights into highly loaded structures and provided us with valuable data on how to build a stiffer, longer-lasting racing shell,” said Evans. “The same principles of stiffness are applied whether you’re flying through the air or flying through the water.”