Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Building

Peretz Friedmann awarded 2022 AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award

Friedmann was awarded the 2022 Reed Aeronautics Award by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

The Reed Aeronautics is the highest honor AIAA bestows for notable achievements in aeronautics.  The award is named after Dr. Sylvanus Reed, aeronautical engineer, designer, and founding member of the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences in 1932.

The citation reads, “For inventing on-blade control for vibration reduction in rotorcraft and developing aerothermoelastic scaling laws facilitating hypersonic wind tunnel testing and design.”

This premier award will be presented at AIAA’s Aerospace Spotlight Gala, on Wednesday 27 April 2022 in Washington DC.

Friedmann is currently the François-Xavier Bagnoud Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Michigan. He held this position since 1999, after spending 26 years as a faculty member at the UCLA Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, where he also served as chair of the department at UCLA (1988-91).

His research contributions focus on rotary-wing and fixed-wing aeroelasticity, on-blade control of rotorcraft vibration and noise, hypersonic aeroelasticity and aerothermoelasticity, rotorcraft aeromechanics, optimization with aeroelastic constraints, and jet engine aeroelasticity. 

He has guided 40 Ph.D. students who currently are leaders in industry, the academia and research organizations. He has published over 385 journal and conference papers. 

Friedmann served as Editor-in-Chief of the AIAA Journal (2009-14), Editor-in-Chief of Vertica – The International Journal of Rotorcraft and Powered Lift Aircraft (1980-90). His accomplishments have been recognized by several awards. The most significant are:

  • 2019 Vertical Flight Society (VFS, previously AHS) Honorary Fellow Award
  • 2017 Dr. Alexander Klemin Award, American Helicopter Society (AHS)
  • 2016 Meir Hanin International Aerospace Prize, awarded by the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
  • Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship, American Helicopter Society (AHS), May 2013.
  • 2009 AIAA Ashley Award for Aeroelasticity (inaugural recipient).
  • 2009 Dryden Lectureship in Research, (AIAA)
  • Spirit of St. Louis Medal, awarded by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2003
  •  AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Award, 1996.
  • AIAA Fellow, 1991

” I am deeply honored by this award. I am fortunate to have had many outstanding Ph.D.students who did some heavy lifting, which is also recognized by this award”, Friedmann stated.

”This honor couldn’t go to a more deserving person. Peretz’ accomplishments in the field of aerospace engineering over a half century have had a profound impact on the field and people in aeronautics. We are grateful to have Peretz as a part of the U-M Aerospace community where we’ve had the chance to learn from and work alongside him,” comments Anthony M. Waas, the Richard A Auhll Department Chair and Felix Pawlowski Collegiate Professor, Aerospace Engineering.

Read the full AIAA Award announcement.