The Chair introduces itself

The Chair for Helicopter Technology is a chair of the Technische Universität Dresden and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to teach students in the field of rotorcraft, as the physical issues and problems of rotorcraft differ significantly from those of fixed-wing aircraft. Another aim is to intensify the research cooperation between the TU Dresden and DLR in this field.

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Overview of important topics

Profile of the Chair

The chair was established by the Technische Universität Dresden and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which specifically targets teaching and research on rotorcraft in general and helicopters in particular. This adds an interdisciplinary and challenging subject area to the range of courses offered to students. The chair is located at the Institute for Aviation and Logistics (IfL) of the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport Sciences. This cooperation gives TU Dresden students excellent access to the large-scale research facilities set up for helicopter research at DLR in Braunschweig.

Research Facilities

To support application-oriented research, scientists at DLR utilizes various large-scale facilities for a wide range of topics. They extend from complex rotor test rigs, which are used to test new technologies in wind tunnel or provide validation data for complex simulation software, to flight simulators and test helicopters, which are used in particular to test new flight controllers or pilot assistance systems in flight.

Employees

The staff of the chair is still concentrated at the Helicopter Department of the Institute of Flight Systems of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Braunschweig. Since 2007, the staff has almost doubled from 24 to more than 50. Throughout Europe, the Helicopter Department is the largest unit dealing with research and improvement of rotary-wing aircraft and employs staff from various disciplines in order to meet the high demands of these complex aircraft and future development trends.

The Chair for Helicopter Technology

The Chair for Helicopter Technology at the Institute of Aviation and Logistics (IfL) of the Faculty of Transport Sciences "Friedrich List" of the TU Dresden complements the existing range of lectures and research on fixed-wing aircraft and deals with rotorcraft in general and helicopters in particular. The module "Helicopter Technology" is offered as a course in this subject area. This consists of two lectures: Part 1 "Fundamentals" and Part 2 "Dynamics and Flight Mechanics" and is based on the flight-physical and operational differences between helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. In addition, internships, bachelor and master/diploma theses are offered to students.

Research of the chair mainly takes place at the Institute of Flight Systems at DLR’ site in Braunschweig. DLR utilizes large-scale research facilities such as rotor test rigs, flight simulators and helicopters. Research goals are to increase safety and sustainability. Wind turbines represent an extension of the research portfolio. Here, research focuses on loads, both prediction and reduction through active intervention in the control system.

At present, more than 50 scientists and technicians work at the Institute of Flight Systems in the Helicopter Department. However, the aim is also to establish research topics on rotorcraft at the TU Dresden and thus to offer students direct access to challenging research topics in addition to the range of lectures.