Patent ID: 7134631

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a lift producing finite wing comprising a finite semi-span ending in a tip, with an upper surface, a lower surface, a leading edge, and a trailing edge; the wing moving through a fluid, the fluid having an undisturbed, free stream velocity relative to the wing; one or more boundary layer control suction slots positioned near the tip of the finite wing parallel and in close proximity to the trailing edge in at least one of the upper surface, the lower surface or the trailing edge itself; one or more boundary layer control suction slots positioned near the tip the wing in the chordwise direction and in close proximity to at least one of the upper surface, the lower surface and the tip itself; at least one vacuum source lowering the pressure inside the suction slots to below that found on the surrounding lifting surfaces and pneumatically connected to at least one of the boundary layer control suction slots; and operation of at least one vacuum source to capture by suction most of the upper and lower surface boundary layer vorticity within the proximity of the wing tip, prior to shedding the remaining boundary layer at the trailing edge, thereby substantially reducing spanwise pressure gradients over the tip portion of the lift producing finite wing and substantially eliminating shedding of boundary layer vorticity from the wing.