November 14, 2012
Vertical Flight Society
(703) 684-6777
Professor Peretz Friedmann Awarded
2013 AHS Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship
Alexandria, VA--AHS Executive Director Mike Hirschberg announced today that Professor Peretz Friedmann, University of Michigan, has been selected for the 2013 Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship. Friedmann was cited for his “lasting contributions to helicopter aeroelasticity, optimum rotor design, on-blade control of vibration and unsteady aerodynamics that have had a major impact on helicopter design.” The lecture will be delivered at the 69th AHS Annual Forum and Technology Display in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday, May 21, 2013.
The Lectureship is awarded to “an individual who has a highly distinguished career in vertical flight aircraft research and development and is skilled at communicating technical knowledge and experience.” In winning the 33rd annual award, Prof. Friedmann joins the ranks of previous distinguished Nikolsky recipients, including Prof. David Peters, Dr. Ken Rosen, Troy Gaffey, Dr. Richard M. Carlson, Professor Howard C. (Pat) Curtiss, Jr., Dr. Daniel P. Schrage, Prof. Alfred Gessow, Bart Kelley, Bruno Lovera, Prof. Barnes McCormick, Jr., Dr. Wayne Johnson and Prof. Gareth Padfield.
Friedmann is the François-Xavier Bagnoud Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. In a career that has spanned 40 years, Friedmann has made outstanding and lasting original contributions to aeroelasticity and structural dynamics of helicopters, numerical methods for periodic systems, optimum design of helicopter rotors, active control of vibration and noise, and unsteady aerodynamics. These contributions have had a major impact on the understanding of the aeromechanical behavior of helicopters and have advanced the state of modern helicopter design. Prof. Friedmann’s research activity has resulted in over 320 publications, with rotorcraft-related research published in 68 archival (peer-reviewed) journal articles and 159 conference proceedings papers. In addition to his rotary wing related research, Friedmann has also made fundamental contributions to hypersonic aeroelasticity and aerothermoelasticity as well as turbomachinery aeroelasticity.
Friedmann received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in aeronautical engineering from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and a D.Sc. in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After serving for three years as an engineering officer in the Israeli Air Force, and four years as a senior engineer and head of the loads group in Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), he came to the USA in 1969 for doctoral studies at MIT. Friedmann taught at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) for 26 years and was Chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department (1988-91). He was appointed the François-Xavier Bagnoud Professor at the University of Michigan in 1999.
Friedmann’s research contributions have provided solutions to some of the most challenging problems in helicopter aeroelasticity, optimal blade design, on-blade control and unsteady aerodynamics. These endeavors have made a major contribution to the design of improved rotorcraft for both civilian and military applications. He is a Fellow of AHS and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and has served as Editor-in-Chief of the AIAA Journal since 2009. His accomplishments have been recognized by numerous awards, including the 2003 Spirit of St. Louis Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the 2009 AIAA Dryden Lectureship in Research, the 2009 AIAA Ashley Award for Aeroelasticity (the inaugural recipient) and the 1996 AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Award.
Prof. Friedmann will be honored at AHS International’s 69th Annual Forum with the presentation of the Nikolsky certificate and medallion. The lecture -- titled “On Blade Control of Rotor Vibration, Noise and Performance – Just Around the Corner?” -- will be given at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at the Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. A written version of his lecture will be featured in a future edition of the Journal of the American Helicopter Society, the world's only scientific journal dedicated to vertical flight technology.
The American Helicopter Society (AHS) International is the world's premier vertical flight technical society. Since its inception in 1943, AHS has been a major force in the advancement of vertical flight. It provides global leadership for scientific, technical, educational and legislative initiatives that advance the state-of-the-art of vertical flight.
This press release is also available as a pdf.
AHS International – The Vertical Flight Technical Society
217 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
phone: 1-703-684-6777; toll free: 1-855-AHS-INTL; fax: 1-703-739-9279
Send email; web site: www.vtol.org