Göttingen is regarded as the cradle of modern aerodynamics. It was here in 1907 that the world’s first national aeronautical research facility was founded. Today, 500 experts work at the DLR site in Göttingen on the aircraft, spacecraft and high-speed trains of the future.
Important foundations of modern aviation were researched in Göttingen. It was here that Ludwig Prandtl developed 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.
Unique wind tunnels and world-class measurement technology
Today, more than 20 wind tunnels and large-scale research facilities are available for experimental investigations. These include facilities that are unique worldwide, such as a catapult for research into high-speed trains. Together with the french Aeronautics and Space Research Center ONERA, DLR Göttingen operates the largest mobile ground vibration test facility in Europe. DLR Göttingen is a global leader in the field of optical methods for flow measurement.
DLR in Göttingen
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Bunsenstrasse 10
37073 Göttingen
Lilienthal glider – aircraft passes the wind tunnel tests
A replica of the world’s first series aircraft passed its test in the wind tunnel, where scientists from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) have now demonstrated the aerodynamic quality of the design by the aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal. Lilienthal's construction had to prove itself during flow tests within the DNW wind tunnel in Marknesse (Netherlands). Additional tests in Göttingen will explore the role of the glider's manoeuvrability on Lilienthal's fatal crash.
