The Vertical Flight Society thanks Logistiwerx for sponsorship of the Forum proceedings!
Aircraft Design I
Technical Session C: Wed. May 6, 2026
Cheeseman Award Paper: Development of a New Generation Rotor for Tiltrotors from Preliminary Design to Flight Test Readiness
Andrea D'Andrea,
Michele Delli Paoli
Impact of Airfoil Tab Geometry on Aerodynamic Performance and Structural Dynamics
Gunther Wilke,
Franziska Becker
Machine Learning-based Surrogate for Variable Airfoil Rotor Blade Design
Apurva Anand,
Jinwhuy Lee,
M Muneeb Safdar,
Koushik Marepally,
James Baeder
NASA Dragonfly Mission – Rotor Blade Design and Optimization
Sven Schmitz,
Kate Gruber,
Jason Cornelius,
Gracelyne Allred,
Felipe Ruiz,
Patrick Bowles,
Ramin Modarres,
Peter Lorber
Operational Range Extension of a Multi-Passenger Lift+Cruise eVTOL Air Taxi
Ashutosh Chandravanshi,
Anubhav Halder,
Farhan Gandhi
Optimization of a Hybrid-Electric Multi-Tilt-Rotor Aircraft with Conventional and Vertical Takeoff and Landing Capabilities
Rajan Bhandari,
Imon Chakraborty
Optimization of High Solidity Rotor Performance in a Martian Environment (Presentation Only)
Gianmarco Sahragard-Monfared,
Joshua Bowman,
Witold Koning,
Belen Bowman,
Wayne Johnson
Optimization Using Analytic Sensitivities Derived from an Advanced Coupling Framework: Applications to Rotor Blade Twist
Josh Hansen,
Nicolas Reveles
Aircraft Design II
Technical Session D: Thurs. May 7, 2026
2025 Student Design Competition Graduate Winner: University of Maryland Wyvern Design Pioneering Hydrogen-Electric VTOL
Kumardip Basak,
William Ogle
2025 Student Design Competition Undergraduate Winner: University of Maryland Draco Design Pioneering Hydrogen-Electric VTOL
Sam Renz,
Colby Cotoia
Cant Considerations for the Predesign of Multirotor Aircraft
Jean-Paul Reddinger,
Pierre-Marie Basset
Fast Rotorcraft Sizing Principles and Requirements Impact: Focus on Tiltrotor Architecture
Giulia Rovedatti,
Valerio Rossetti,
Alan Loi,
Matteo Pecoraro,
Pietro Sabato,
Cristian Lilliu
Integrated Plant and Controller Design: An Hinf Based Solution for VTOL Air Vehicle Sizing Problem
Ethem Orhan,
Ozan Tekinalp
Multi-objective Optimization of Rotorcraft Blade Structure with Manufacturing Considerations and Preliminary Validation
Jiwoo Song,
Brett Dalrymple,
Michael Sheppard,
Daning Huang,
Jianhua Zhang,
Edward Smith
Preliminary Design and Characteristics of a Tiltrotor Aircraft Nacelle utilizing a Tilt-rotor-only Mechanism
Junhee Park,
Kunhyuk Kong,
SangJoon Shin
The Advanced Tiltrotor Aircraft by Leonardo: Design Drivers and Features
Riccardo Bianco Mengotti,
Luca Medici,
Cristian Lilliu,
Luca Sampugnaro,
Matteo Pecoraro,
Carlo Cassinelli,
Luca Viganò