IFASD2026 - WELCOME ADDRESS

WELCOME TO GOETTINGEN!

On behalf of the International Technical Committee and the Local Organizing Committee of the International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics (IFASD), I welcome you to the 21^st IFASD which will take place for the first time in Goettingen (Germany).
The International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics is the most important event for engineers and researchers working in the fields of aeroelasticity and structural dynamics. IFASD 2026 will update you on the state of the art in research activities and industrial practices in the fields of Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics. It will provide an excellent opportunity for scientists and engineers from industry, research centres and universities to exchange knowledge and findings of current studies, and to discuss directions for future research.

This Forum will be the 21^st in a series of meetings, which take place biennially across Europe and the United States.. The first IFASD was held in Nuernberg (Germany) in 1981, and the most recent in The Hague (The Netherlands) in 2024 .

The 21^st International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics will take place in Goettingen, Germany, from 16^th to 18^th June 2026. An excursion/technical visit is also planned for 19^th June 2026. The forum will be organised by the German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics in Göttingen (Lower Saxony), Germany.

Goettingen (Germany), City of science and research, is recognised around the world for top international research and innovation. It is characterised by the high number and close proximity of research institutions across the Göttingen Campus – both inside and outside the University – linked together by inspiring and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Important foundations of modern aviation were researched in Goettingen, so the city is regarded as the cradle of modern aerodynamics. It was here in 1907 that the world‘s first national aeronautical research facility was founded. Also Ludwig Prandtl developed here the boundary layer theory, Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain tested the precursor of the first jet engine and researchers invented the swept wing, a prerequisite for high-speed cruising flight.

Today, more than 20 wind tunnels and large-scale research facilities are available for experimental investigations. These include facilities that are unique worldwide. In addition, the DLR Göttingen together with the french Aeronautics and Space Research Center ONERA, operates the largest mobile ground vibration test facility in Europe

Due to this Goettingen is the perfect location for the 21^st.IFASD.

So: Welcome to the 21^st International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics, welcome to Germany, welcome to Goettingen!