Based on the wind tunnel tests I have done using golf balls, the reduction in drag occurs only at higher reynold's numbers. There is a lot current research going on to include such flow control techniques in the latest aircraft but the problem is there is not enough data on how they will perform in actual flight. dimples on a wing will surely reduce drag but it would have increased icing effect which could lead to a catastrophic crash.

For one, dimples don't cause a turbulent flow they induce a turbulent boundary layer that reduces boundary layer seperation for high reynold's number ( higher velocities) . The flow is still smooth . I have some velocity and turbulence intensity graphs to back this up if you want.

[img]file:///C:/Users/shiva/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/img]