Aviation Partners

API was founded in 1991 by Joe Clark and Dennis Washington, bringing together a team consisting primarily of retired Boeing and Lockheed engineers and flight test department directors.

[1] Washington, a US entrepreneur who made his money from copper mining, was frustrated that his private jet could not fly coast-to-coast in the US without refueling.

Instead of buying a new aircraft, he approached his friend Joe Clark who had experience in the aviation industry having co-founded Horizon Air.

In December 2011, Airbus filed suit in Texas seeking to invalidate Aviation Partners' 1994 winglet patent.

[8] FAA granted supplemental type certification (STC) for the Split Scimitar Winglet (SSW) retrofit on the 737-800 and BBJ2 on February 6, 2014, for 737-900ER on August 27, 2014, for 3 additional 737-800 wing configuration on October 2, 2014, and for all models of the 737-700 including the Boeing Business Jet on April 21, 2015.

APB also expects to certify an improvement in low speed performance that will generate significant take-off benefits from high/hot or obstacle limited runways.

[10] The first European Split Scimitar Winglets were installed on the TUI fleet aircraft in Stansted in 2014 by Chevron Technical Services Ltd.