Winglets with passive aeroelastic tailoring

An aircraft comprising:

• a wing, the wing including a tip;
• a winglet pivotably connected to the wing proximate the tip;
• and
• a connecting member operatively connected to the wing and the winglet, the connecting member including a flexible material and a super elastic material member operatively connected to the flexible material, the super elastic material member being configured to exhibit a stiffness profile, the stiffness profile being non-linear and including a region of quasi-zero stiffness, whereby the connecting member allows passive movement of the winglet responsive to real-time operational forces acting upon the aircraft,
• the aircraft being a kite.

A system comprising:

• an aircraft including:
• a wing, the wing including a first tip and a second tip;
• one or more first winglets pivotably connected to the wing proximate the first tip, the one or more first winglets being independently movable from each other;
• one or more second winglets pivotably connected to the wing proximate the second tip, the one or more second winglets being independently movable from each other, the one or more first winglets and the one or more second winglets being independently movable from each other;
• and
• a plurality of connecting members, each connecting member being operatively connected to the wing and to a respective one of:
• the one or more first winglets or the one or more second winglets, each connecting member including a flexible material and a super elastic material member operatively connected to the flexible material, the super elastic material member being a wire, the super elastic material member operatively being configured to exhibit a stiffness profile, the stiffness profile being non-linear and including a region of quasi-zero stiffness, whereby the connecting member allows passive movement of the one or more first winglets and the one or more second winglets responsive to real-time operational forces acting upon the aircraft, the super elastic material member being arranged in a non-linear pattern on the flexible material, the pattern including a plurality of bends, turns, curves, zig-zags, and/or undulations, the pattern being configured to cause the connecting member to bend, curve, or curl in one or more directions when loaded.