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VAI’s offices will be closed for Presidents Day, a US federal holiday, on Monday, Feb. 16. VAI Daily will not be published that day.

The VERTICON 2026 Liftoff and VAI Annual Membership Meeting and Breakfast will be held Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2026, in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. All VAI members and VERTICON attendees are invited to attend.

The FAA is accepting comments through Thursday, Feb. 26, related to the closure of the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport in Indiana. We encourage VAI members to submit comments opposing the closure.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) effort during January resulted in the satellite collaring of five gray wolves in Northern California for monitoring of wolf health and other biological data.

(US Department of War) – Members of the US Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing are also working to integrate compact drones to provide real-time images, collect information, and deploy ahead of soldiers.

(IGIS) – Professors at the University of California’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Department are providing resources to help operators understand recent changes to drone rules and regulations in the United States.

(Vertical magazine) – A pilot and aviation journalist shares her new appreciation for how challenging and meticulous the work is in an accident investigation, even in cases that seem straightforward, after attending the Southern California Safety Institute’s Helicopter Accident Investigation course.

The OEMs have entered the second phase of the European Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies (ENGRT) project, which involves a three-year effort to develop technologies to help protect European Union states.

The Indianapolis Downtown Heliport (8A4) in Indiana is facing demolition related to plans for a new stadium. Enstrom owner Chuck Surack and a group of business owners are helping submit comments to the FAA through a new grassroots organization, the Sunlight Coalition. We urge VAI members to submit comments to the FAA opposing the closure by Feb. 26.

(Vertical magazine) – Robinson and Lake Fusion Technologies are developing light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems to help pilots of low-flying helicopters detect and avoid obstacles.