If you have any questions regarding the submission of your paper, the review criteria or technical issues, please send an email to erf2026@caos.nl.

Author timeline

• Abstract submission open: December 5^th, 2025
• Abstract submission deadline: February 17^th, 2026
• Abstract acceptance: April 10^th, 2026
• Full paper submission deadline: July 13^th, 2026
• Presentation at ERF2026: September 1-3^rd, 2026
• Respect the submission deadlines reported on the website. Extensions may be granted at the discretion of the organization committee.

Contact events@nlr.nl in case of any difficulties of meeting the author timeline.

Technical session subjects

• Acoustics
• Aerodynamics
• Aircraft Design
• Aircraft Systems, Avionics, Sensors
• Airworthiness
• Cost Reduction
• Crew Station & Human Factors
• Dynamics
• Engines & Propulsion (incl. electric)
• Flight Mechanics
• History of Rotorcraft
• Manufacturing
• Operational Aspects
• Safety
• Simulation & Training
• Structures & Materials
• Test & Evaluation
• Unmanned Rotorcraft
• Urban Air Mobility
• Rotorcraft Flight Control (new)
• Military Rotorcraft Operations & Programs (new)

Abstract submission

• The abstract submission page will be available here.
• Abstracts must be in English language, with a length between 1000 and 2500 words.
• The abstract should present the background and the status of the reported research including figures, illustrations and a summary of expected conclusions.
• The status, including milestones, of any pending research/work required for the completion of the paper should be included in the abstract.
• Work presented elsewhere, without significant updates, will be considered inappropriate.
• The abstract template provides further instructions on content and formatting of the abstract.
• Submit your abstract online in PDF format.
• Submitting an abstract is a professional commitment. If accepted, the author agrees to submit a final paper and attend ERF2026 in-person to present it.
• Details regarding title and authors can be modified up until final paper submission.

Abstracts will be evaluated based on:

• Technical content
• Originality and creativity
• Relevance and importance to the field
• Timeliness for the state of the art
• Structure, clarity and completeness

If you need assistance, please contact erf2026@caos.nl.

Final paper submission

• Content should not resemble a company, service, or production sales pitch; ERF2026 is a scientific conference promoting research.
• The final paper shall be UNCLASSIFIED (for public release) and shall be cleared by the appropriate company and/or government agency if necessary. CEAS and its national member societies shall be allowed to publish the paper.
• The paper template provides further instructions on content and formatting of your final paper.
• Submit your paper online in PDF format.
• Failure to comply with deadlines and submission guidelines will result in your paper being excluded from the conference proceedings.

Presentation at technical sessions

• The accepted papers shall be presented at ERF2026 in a 30-minute session, including 5 minutes for Q&A.
• The presenting author must attend in person; remote or virtual presentations will not be permitted.
• “No Podium, No Paper”: failure to present will result in removal from publication in conference proceedings.
• “No Paper, No Podium”: presentation-only submissions for the Technical Sessions are not possible.
• Authors should present no more than two papers.
• There are no templates for the presentations; use whatever formatting best suits your technical presentation.
• The presentations shall be uploaded prior to the conference.
• A short speaker bio will be requested for introduction by the chairperson of your session during the conference.

Best Paper awards

• The Ian Cheeseman Award will be awarded to the best paper of the conference. The selected paper is presented at the next Forum of the Vertical Flight Society VFS, travel and registration expenses paid (one author).
• The Padfield Award goes to the best young author paper presented at the conference. Authors from a European organization not older than 30 years of age at the start of the Forum are eligible.
• The Chairman’s Award is awarded to the author of the best paper with a focus on International Cooperation. The winner will be invited to present the winning paper at the Asian/Australian Rotorcraft Forum (ARF).
• The Best Paper awards are scored by the ERF International Committee based on both the paper and the presentation.
• Late paper submissions are ineligible for Best Paper Awards.

Copyright statement

The authors confirm that they, and/or their company or organization, hold copyright on all of the original material included in this paper. The authors also confirm that they have obtained permission, from the copyright holder of any third party material included in this paper, to publish it as part of their paper. The authors confirm that they give permission, or have obtained permission from the copyright holder of this paper, for the publication and distribution of this paper as part of the ERF proceedings or as individual offprints from the proceedings and for inclusion in a freely accessible web-based repository.

Authors retain the right to republish or reuse content in future work.

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