The Vertical Flight Society's Annual Forum & Technology Display is the premier opportunity to present and discuss advances in vertical flight technology, developments, and applications. Engineering experts and professionals will share and present their innovative research from the Society’s 21 technical disciplines and History Committee.
• The Forum 81 Call for Papers is now available.
• Abstract Template: Word format or LaTeX format.
• Abstracts are due Oct. 11, 2024: please submit your abstract to the Mira Forum 81 submission site.
• Check out this year's Forum 80 Alfred Gessow Best Paper “Scenario-Based Helicopter Flight Simulation of Accident-Prone Vortex Ring State (VRS) Encounters” and all the top papers from Forum 80.
Do you need a visitor visa? Verify your travel requirements and/or apply for a visa via the U.S. Department of State's official website. Those needing an invitation letter should contact VFS as soon as possible to ensure ample time for the American visa application process. Please include your paper title, your full name (as it appears on your passport), date of birth, passport number, and nationality in your request.
The Forum 81 Technical Chair is Dr. Maryam Khoshlahjeh, Archer Aviation, and the Forum 80 Deputy Technical Chair is Prof. Karen Feigh, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Acoustics: Papers that address recent advances in the study of rotorcraft acoustics and their related fields. Research into crewed or uncrewed vehicles that focuses on external and internal noise generation, propagation, control (active and passive), and community acceptance for rotorcraft, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles and advanced air mobility (AAM) are appropriate.
Advanced Vertical Flight: Papers that focus on novel, innovative configurations, and transformational technologies for vertical flight vehicles. Research on applications of advanced technologies to enable transformational capabilities beyond that of current state-of-the-art VTOL aircraft are highly desired. Novel designs to meet unique mission requirements, for example, human-powered, tube-launched, extraterrestrial or other unconventional applications, are also encouraged.
Aerodynamics: Papers are invited that address recent accomplishments in all areas of rotorcraft and vertical and/or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft aerodynamics, especially as related to the future of vertical flight. Topics such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques, flow visualization methods, design methods, unique modeling, and unsteady, high angle of attack or vortical flows, to name just a few.
Aircraft Design: Papers on the design of screwed or uncrewed air platforms, systems, and components. Topics such as the interaction of technology, configuration, and requirements in the design of next generation civil and military rotorcraft are also sought.
Autonomy & Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS): Papers are invited on the concepts, design, development, operation and robotics aspects of VTOL and rotary-wing uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).
Avionics & Systems: Papers that address software, mission, flight, or avionics systems for crewed or uncrewed, or optionally crewed vertical flight aircraft.
Crash Safety: All aspects of crashworthiness and aviation occupant safety relating to rotorcraft, uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), and other V/STOL aircraft in applications such as military, civil, offshore transport, AAM, mountainous terrain, emergency medical services and law enforcement. Of key interest are system integration analyses that demonstrate enhanced occupant safety. Emphasis will be given to the recent development of new crash safety concepts and technologies.
Crew Stations & Human Factors: Papers on all aspects of air vehicle crew stations and/or human factors engineering.
Dynamics: Papers from all areas related to rotorcraft dynamics and aeroelasticity. Priority will be given to completed programs where significant conclusions are substantiated and the results contribute to advancing the state-of-the-art.
Electric VTOL: Papers are invited on all areas related to the sciences, engineering, and technologies unique to electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) and urban air mobility (UAM) infrastructure of the future state of the art.
Handling Qualities: Papers that address all aspects of VTOL aircraft handling qualities, from basic research through engineering design and development to implementation, verification, qualification and certification in piloted simulation and flight tests. Handling Qualities comprise all of the aircraft characteristics that govern the ease and precision with which a pilot or uncrewed system is able to perform tasks required by various aircraft missions and under special operational or environmental conditions.
History: The History Committee invites scholarly papers and first-hand accounts that facilitate the preservation and understanding of the world’s vertical flight history. Of particular interest are papers documenting important but not well-known developments in vertical flight technologies or vehicles, rediscovery of forgotten pioneers, or events involved in understanding specific phenomena.
Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM): Papers within the area of rotorcraft or VTOL health and usage management systems (HUMS) and condition-based maintenance (CBM), as they support total lifecycle value (sustainment, operational availability, etc.) of crewed and uncrewed rotorcraft platforms.
Manufacturing Technology & Processing: The US Department of Defense is now investing in the largest rotary-wing acquisition program ever, Future Vertical Lift (FVL), which consists of multiple mission sets covering requirements across the military services. In addition, the world of eVTOL concepts also continues to grow. New and novel manufacturing approaches are vital to achieving the most cost-effective implementation of technologies to meet industry’s needs. Papers are invited on topics that are likely to be employed in the manufacture of FVL and eVTOL aircraft concepts.
Modeling and Simulation: Papers on the application of modeling and simulation to the future of vertical flight, VTOL aircrew flight training and rehearsal, flight operations, design, and safety and certification requirements.
Operations & Infrastructure: Papers on the technical topics below in civil, commercial & military areas and any papers which encompass disciplines affecting current and future operations & operability of rotorcraft.
Product Support Systems Technology: Calling for technical papers that highlight the development or application of technology, processes and innovations that support vertical lift operators and maintainers, including eVTOL systems.
Propulsion: Papers that present new and innovative information on propulsion for rotorcraft and other vertical flight aircraft, including unique propulsion challenges of UAS, FVL and V/STOL aircraft configurations with variable/multi‑speed propulsion concepts.
Safety: Papers are invited addressing technologies and processes for the prevention of vertical flight accidents in the design, testing and operational stages.
Structures & Materials: Papers are sought that address the development, design, analysis, testing, service experiences or novel application of structures and materials to crewed and uncrewed rotorcraft, powered-lift, eVTOL/AAM and fixed‐wing V/STOL aircraft.
Systems Engineering Tools & Processes: Papers that will promote the advancement of system design, development, integration, and management across specialty areas associated with the engineering of helicopter systems. Including topics that span several other helicopter technical subject areas and address problems unique to trade-offs and optimization across those areas.
Test & Evaluation: Papers addressing all aspects of legacy and future VTOL aircraft test and evaluation are invited. This includes testing of advanced technologies (components and subsystems) and vehicles (crewed and uncrewed), both full- and model-scale, and in laboratory, wind tunnel, ground and flight-test scenarios. Insightful papers providing scientific and quantifiable data, illustrating applied methodologies and evaluation of advanced technologies and vehicles are highly desirable.