Stewart Kissel wrote:

I have seen a couple of versions of those things kicking
around the web...if us colonials can get over the 'freedom
fries' syndrome and overcome the lack of sexiness with
them...they apparently will do the same thing as winglets.


I don't think so. On the web site they are shown applied only
on airplanes with low aspect ratio, where anything would anyway
provide a higher improvement than on a high aspect ratio
wing as on a glider. And glider have to otimize both climb and
cruise. The minix doesn't seem to be well suited to the wide
range of angles of attack implied by this. An improvement for
climb, where induced drag is the most important, will probably
payed by an increased drag in cruise. And I am not biased by
the 'freedom fries' syndrome!