Winglets, Sharklets, Split Scimitar and Raked Wingtips: wingtips as an identification feature

The jet is still far out on approach, the livery barely recognizable – but the wing ends are already outlined against the sky. For experienced spotters that is often enough to narrow the choice to two or three types. The shape of the wingtips is one of the fastest identification features there is, because it is visible from almost every angle and the manufacturers have come up with very different solutions. This guide shows you the seven basic shapes, assigns them to the types and explains where the wingtip can lead you astray.

Identifying wingtips: the short answer

First look at which direction the tip leaves the wing. If it stays flat and ends in a point toward the rear, it is a raked wingtip. If a small surface extends both up and down, it is a wingtip fence. If a large surface goes up, the transition decides: with a hard kink a classic winglet, in a soft curve a blended winglet or sharklet. If the winglet also has a part going down, you’re looking at a split scimitar or the AT winglet of the 737 MAX. That almost always narrows down the family – the exact variant is then settled by engines, fuselage length and registration.

Why aircraft have special wingtips in the first place

Below the wing there is overpressure, above it underpressure. At the wingtip the air tries to equalize this difference and flows from below to above around the wing end. That creates a powerful vortex that trails behind the aircraft – on humid days you sometimes see it as a condensation trail right at the wingtip. This vortex costs energy, the so-called induced drag rises, and with it fuel consumption.

A longer wing would help but often no longer fits at the gates and in the airport categories. That is why manufacturers have looked for other ways since the 1970s. Fundamental was the research of NASA aerodynamicist Richard Whitcomb, who after the 1973 oil crisis showed that a nearly vertical surface at the wingtip achieves more than a flat extension. Flight tests with a KC-135 followed in 1979 and 1980. The first production aircraft with winglets was the business jet Learjet 28 in the late 1970s; among airliners, the 747-400, the MD-11 and the A330/A340 made winglets popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

For you at the fence that means: every generation and every manufacturer has found its own answer to the same question. That is exactly why the wingtip is so good as an identification feature.

The seven basic shapes at a glance

Shape	What it looks like	Typical types
Straight tip	Wing ends without an add-on, usually with a small cap	737 Classic without retrofit, 777-200/-200ER/-300, 747-100 to -300, DC-10, A300
Wingtip fence	small surface extending up and down	A310, A320ceo without sharklets, A380
Classic winglet	bent upward, with a distinct edge at the transition	747-400, A330ceo, A340, MD-11 (with an extra part pointing down), CRJ
Blended winglet / sharklet	flowing curve from the wing upward	737NG, 757, 767-300ER (retrofitted), A320 family, A330neo, A220
Split scimitar	blended winglet plus element pointing down, ends slanted in a hook shape	retrofitted 737NG, variant on the 757
AT winglet	two slim, pointed parts up and down	Boeing 737 MAX
Raked wingtip	stays in the plane, swept back more, pointed finish	767-400ER, 777-200LR, 777-300ER, 787, 747-8, Embraer E2

The curved wingtip of the A350 and the folding tips of the 777X play special roles – we look at both individually below.

Wingtip fences: Airbus’s little fences

A wingtip fence is the most inconspicuous feature on this list and still a very reliable one. The short, usually triangular surface extends a bit above and a bit below the wingtip at the same time. From the front, the wing end looks like a small vertical plate.

The A310-300 was the first airliner with it in 1985; later Airbus adopted the principle for many A300-600s, the first-generation A320 and the A380. On the A320 family in particular, the fence is a valuable clue: if you see it, you’re certainly looking at a ceo – and one without a sharklet retrofit. On the A380 it is barely noticeable because of the huge wings. In photos, look at the tip from the front or from slightly below, and you’ll make out the lower part of the fence.

Classic winglets: the hard kink

The classic winglet bends upward with a clearly visible edge and is usually tilted slightly outward. It belongs to the widebodies of the late 1980s and 1990s:

• Boeing 747-400: The upturned winglets are the fastest distinguishing feature from the older jumbos and from the 747-8. The exception is the Japanese short-haul version 747-400D, which was delivered without winglets. More on this in the guide Identifying Boeing 747 variants.
• Airbus A330ceo and A340: Both carry the same kinked winglets. The distinction runs here via the number of engines, see A330 or A340. On the A340-600 the winglet looks almost small relative to the extremely long fuselage.
• McDonnell Douglas MD-11: There is an additional small element below the winglet pointing diagonally downward. That is the simplest feature for telling the MD-11 from its predecessor, the DC-10, whose wings end straight.
• Bombardier CRJ: The CRJ-100/200 was the first regional aircraft with winglets. How to tell it from other regional jets is shown in Identifying regional jets.

Blended winglets and sharklets: the soft curve

With blended winglets the wing transitions upward in an even radius without an edge. The shape was developed by the company Aviation Partners, which founded the joint venture Aviation Partners Boeing with Boeing in 1999.

Boeing 737NG, 757 and 767

On the 737 Next Generation, the blended winglet entered scheduled service with Hapag-Lloyd in May 2001. It was available from the factory for the 737-700, 737-800 and 737-900ER; there were also retrofit kits for the 737 Classic (-300 and -500), the 757-200 and the 767-300ER. The winglets are about 2.4 meters tall and finish at the top with a rounded cap.

For you that means: on a 737 Classic or a 757, the winglet says nothing about the variant, only that someone retrofitted. You recognize the generation by other features, which the guide Telling Boeing 737 Original, Classic, NG and MAX apart summarizes.

Sharklets of the A320 family

Airbus presented its own solution in November 2009 at the Dubai Airshow and called it sharklet. The add-ons are about 2.5 meters tall, also curve upward in a soft arc, but taper more sharply than the 737 winglet. The first A320 with sharklets went to Indonesia AirAsia on December 21, 2012. For longer routes Airbus quotes a fuel saving of up to about four percent.

The most important rule of thumb: sharklet doesn’t automatically mean neo. Many ceo aircraft delivered from 2013 on carry them too. On the A320neo and A321neo they are standard. How to reliably tell the two generations apart anyway is explained in A320neo or ceo.

A330neo and A220

The A330neo also got new, larger sharklets, which lets you tell it from the A330ceo with its kinked winglets. The A220-300 also carries upward-curved winglets – here, though, the wingtip is not a distinguishing feature within the family, since the A220-100 and -300 have the same shape.

Split scimitar: the saber under the 737NG

The split scimitar is a further development of the blended winglet and is available only as a retrofit. Two changes make it unmistakable: below the wingtip there is an additional element pointing diagonally downward, and the ends of both parts are no longer rounded but slanted back in a hook shape. This curved-saber shape gave the system its name.

The US aviation authority FAA approved the split scimitar for the 737-800 in February 2014, followed by the 737-900ER in August 2014 and the 737-700 in April 2015. In Europe, aircraft of the TUI fleet were among the first to be converted, in 2014. There is also a scimitar variant for the 757 with slanted winglet ends, retrofitted at United and Icelandair, among others.

Important for spotting: a split scimitar tells you for sure that a 737NG is in front of you – so not a MAX. Because the MAX carries its own winglet from the factory.

AT winglet: the feather pair of the 737 MAX

At first glance, the Advanced Technology winglet of the 737 MAX 8 and its sisters looks similar to the split scimitar because it also has an upper and a lower part. On closer inspection, though, it is a design of its own: both elements are slim, taper to a point and stand apart like two spread feathers. Technically it is considered a hybrid of winglet, wingtip fence and raked wingtip.

Feature	Split scimitar (737NG)	AT winglet (737 MAX)
Origin	retrofit	factory-fitted
Upper part	wide blended winglet	slim, tapered element
Ends	slanted back in a hook shape	pointed, without a hook
Lower part	short, saber-shaped element	narrow, pointed “feather”
Engine	CFM56-7B, smooth nacelle trailing edge	LEAP-1B, serrated nacelle trailing edge

If you’re unsure about the wingtip, the engine decides. You can spot the serrated edges of the LEAP nacelles in almost any photo, more on this in the guide Identifying engines. If an airline like Ryanair flies both generations side by side, this double check is especially useful.

Raked wingtips: the pointed finish without a winglet

Raked wingtips are the hallmark of the modern Boeing widebody jets. The wingtip doesn’t bend upward but stays in the plane of the wing and is swept back much more than the rest of the wing. The wing thereby ends long and pointed. Types with raked wingtips:

• Boeing 767-400ER – the only 767 version with them from the factory; the other 767s end straight or carry retrofitted winglets.
• Boeing 777-200LR and 777-300ER – in contrast to the 777-200, -200ER and -300, whose wings end straight. This is one of the most important features for telling a 777-300ER from an early 777-300.
• All Boeing 787s – in flight the wing also visibly flexes upward, which makes the pointed ends look even more elegant.
• Boeing 747-8 – instead of the 747-400’s winglets.
• Embraer E2 – the E190-E2 and E195-E2 have new, longer wings with raked wingtips, while the first E-Jet generation carries small winglets. The details are in Telling Embraer E-Jets apart.

That gives a simple rule of thumb: a twin-engine widebody jet with no winglet and a wing ending in a point is almost always a 777 or 787. Which of the two, Telling the Boeing 777 and 787 apart shows.

Two special cases: A350 and 777X

The curved tip of the A350

The A350-900 and the A350-1000 have a wingtip like no other: the wing curves at the end in a long, soft arc upward and backward at the same time, almost like a bird’s wing. There is no kink and no separate add-on. Besides the dark cockpit window mask, it is one of the best features against the 787, whose wing ends flat and pointed. You’ll find the full comparison under A350 or Boeing 787.

The folding wingtips of the 777X

The Boeing 777-9 is the first airliner with folding wingtips. In the air the wingspan measures about 71.8 meters. After landing, the outer roughly 3.5 meters of each tip fold upward, and the wingspan shrinks to about 64.8 meters. That keeps the jet under the limit of airport category Code E, and it fits the same positions as the previous 777. For the technology the FAA had to issue its own special conditions. The 777X is currently still in testing, and Boeing expects the first delivery to Lufthansa in 2027. For spotting that means: if a 777 taxis to the gate with vertical wing ends, you’ve caught a 777X – a real highlight.

How to read the wingtip at the fence

With some practice the check becomes routine. The sequence helps you get a result quickly even in poor light or at long distance.

For step 5, the guides on the nose and cockpit windows and on landing gear as an identification feature are worthwhile. If you work with the registration, ICAO type designators like A20N and B38M explains how to read the code.

Where the wingtip fools you

The wingtip is quick but not infallible. You should know three situations:

A classic among the mix-ups: a 737-800 with split scimitar is often mistaken for a 737 MAX from a distance. Just as often, a young A320ceo with sharklets is logged as a neo. In both cases a look at the engines settles the matter in seconds.

Where you can best compare the shapes

You learn the most at big hubs where many types take off and land side by side. At Frankfurt Airport you often see 747-8, 787, A350, A330 and 737 in a row in one afternoon – from the Zeppelinheim viewing platform you have the approaches in view at an angle from the front, exactly the perspective in which wingtips show up well. At the Munich Airport visitors’ hill (Besucherhügel) the mix of A320 family aircraft with and without sharklets is ideal for practice. In Hamburg, plenty of narrowbody jets pass the Affenfelsen, and with a bit of luck you’ll see aircraft there from the nearby Airbus plant.

Conclusion

The wingtip is one of the fastest identification features because it is visible from almost any angle and every manufacturer has found its own solution against the wingtip vortex. Small fences stand for older Airbus types and the A380, kinked winglets for the 747-400, A330ceo and A340, soft curves for the 737NG, A320 family and A330neo. Two-part tips separate the split scimitar on the 737NG from the AT winglet of the 737 MAX, and flat, pointed raked wingtips give away the modern Boeing widebody jets and the Embraer E2. Because so much was retrofitted, the wingtip remains a strong hint – not proof. If you want to go a step back for the basics, Identifying aircraft types for beginners helps you.