Resource Hub

The Canadian special-mission avionics manufacturer welcomes Sachin Suramwar as sales and business development representative to better support AEM’s customers and help increase adoption of its mission-critical solutions in the region.

Enstrom Helicopter Corp. has chosen Helicopter Services Inc. (HSI), a longtime aircraft sales, completion, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider based in Spring, Texas, as its newest dealer. As an authorized Enstrom sales and service center, HSI will support the OEM’s customers from aircraft acquisition through every stage of ownership.

VAI is still accepting nominations for our annual awards program honoring excellence in the vertical flight industry. You don’t need to be a VAI member to nominate your peers, mentors, and others for exceptional service to the vertical aviation community. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 31, 2026.

(Breaking Defense) – Defense firm Anduril and aviation manufacturer Archer on Jul. 20 unveiled a new Group 5 drone dubbed Thunder, designed to be a “loyal wingman” flying beside helicopters such as the Apache and future Cheyenne fleet. In development for about three years, the aircraft is a fully autonomous, armed reconnaissance tiltrotor engineered from lessons learned from Anduril’s fixed-wing Fury aircraft.

If you missed the 2026 VAI Southeast Asia Aviation Safety Conference, held in Bali, Indonesia, this past May, you can still learn key takeaways from the event by viewing many of the presentations given at the conference. Click on the headline above to read more!

Visit VAI at Booth #363 during the annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) event this week in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and discover all the association is doing to support the vertical flight industry!

The 2027 VAI scholarship program will be opening next month, so stay tuned to VAI Weekly for updates on how to apply! In the meantime, read how past winner Braydon Wise turned opportunity into achievement—and how you can do the same.

The association last week joined more than 50 aviation stakeholders in urging US congressional leaders to provide an additional $20 billion to complete the Brand New Air Traffic Control System modernization effort. In a Jul. 15 letter organized by the Modern Skies Coalition, the signatories warned that partial funding would prolong reliance on obsolete systems, increase long-term costs, and strain the National Airspace System. The coalition also called for continued bipartisan support for FAA Facilities and Equipment funding, congressional oversight, and development of a common automation platform for air traffic controllers.

Airbus Helicopters and Voyageur Aviation have signed an agreement for the first purchase order of the Airbus U030 Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system in Canada. Signed at the Farnborough International Airshow Jul. 21, the contract marks Voyageur as the official Canadian launch customer for the platform, introducing a highly advanced, mission-proven capability to the Canadian market.

Legislation seeks to improve pilot awareness, hazard marking, and reporting of temporary low-altitude obstructions. Alexandria, Virginia, Jul. 17, 2026 – Vertical Aviation International (VAI) applauds Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), for introducing the McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act, which strengthens aviation safety by requiring the FAA to review and update policies related to low-altitude […]