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This FAA airworthiness directive (AD), which takes effect Mar. 25, requires operational inspections of each engine drain valve for certain helicopters, inspections of each affected rear-cargo compartment hose, installation and repetitive inspections of thermal papers, and corrective actions, if necessary. It also requires inspection of the rear-cargo compartment hoses in conjunction with the initial operational inspections. The FAA is accepting comments on the AD through Apr. 24.

At the VERTICON Safety Symposium on Mar. 9, Elias Kontanis, PhD, chief of the US National Transportation Safety Board’s Transportation Disaster Assistance Division, explained why every vertical aviation operator, no matter its size, needs its own assistance program for accident victims and their families.

The OEM formally launched an unmanned aircraft division Mar. 10 at VERTICON 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. The company said the separate Robinson Unmanned business unit will be dedicated to “the development and support of a full suite of remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft” that includes modified models of its R44 and R66 helicopters and its Ascent line of coaxial rotor unmanned aircraft systems.

(AIN) – François Lassale headed into his first VERTICON as the president and CEO of VAI this week as the event is gaining momentum. The show—in its second edition as VERTICON and building off the years the event was held as HAI HELI-EXPO—has 15,000-plus attendees, more than 650 exhibitors, 280,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, and some 60 aircraft on static display.

VAI and a coalition of aviation organizations have weighed in on multiple requests for comments relating to US plans to auction off and expand commercial wireless use of the Upper C-band spectrum, warning that the change could interfere with aircraft radio altimeters and impose significant upgrade costs on operators.

VAI encourages pilots, mission planners, and operators—particularly those conducting low-level, off-airport, or special-mission operations—to consider using SlackMap as a supplemental awareness tool.

The FAA and US Department of Transportation have selected Joby Aviation as a partner in multiple winning applications under the Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program.

View the highlights from the VERTICON 2026 Fly-In, which took place Mar. 6–7 prior to the show in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Japanese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft maker will collaborate with Aeroauto Global in Florida and expand its partnership with SAI Flight in South Carolina to Florida.