Kooy Prize for research fast helicopters

Kooy Prize for research fast helicopters

Laurent Declerck MSc received the Kooy Award from the Kivi Department of Defense and Security for his graduation work on so-called compound helicopters, last April. This new type looks like a hybrid between a helicopter and an airplane. Because of the fixed wing, the aircraft can reach a higher speed than the current helicopters, but this has consequences for the forces on the rotor. For his graduation work under the guidance of prof.dr.ir. Mark Voskuil (Dutch Defensie Academy), Declerck developed a simulation that calculates the forces on the aircraft. This provides insights into how best to perform certain manoeuvres at high speed. Declerck graduated in 2019 and is now working at Flying Fish on the simulations of hydrofoils in the context of water-based mobility. As the winner of the Kooy Prize, he received 2,000 Euro.