It’s OK to STAY

Sometimes the best decision a pilot can make is deciding to stay…and that’s OK!

Introducing It’s OK to STAY

Vertical Aviation International (VAI) is excited to announce the It’s OK to STAY campaign, which empowers pilots, operators, and safety leaders to approach every mission with deliberate judgment, clear communication, and the confidence to pause when conditions demand it. A key element in the campaign is this website with its extensive resource library.

Access the It's OK to STAY Resource Library

It’s OK to STAY Announced in VAI’s Spotlight on Safety

It’s OK to STAY is featured in VAI’s March 2026 Spotlight on Safety (SOS). Check out the SOS links below.

in the SOS video message, VAI President and CEO François Lassale explains why this campaign matters and how leadership across the industry is supporting pilots who make responsible decisions before takeoff.

Download the SOS It's OK to STAY Poster

Display the message in your hangar, briefing room, or operations center and reinforce the principles of safe decision-making.

Read the SOS It's OK to STAY Article

Explore the full story behind the initiative and the operational challenges it addresses across vertical aviation.

Read the It's OK to STAY Article in the March 2026 issue of POWER UP magazine

Learn about the initiative and the operational challenges it addresses across vertical aviation.

VAI/Mike Hershauer

USHST Background and Helicopter Safety Enhancement 23-01

In 2023, the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) issued helicopter safety enhancement (H-SE) 23-01, Professional Preflight Planning & Go/No-Go Aeronautical Decision Making. The VAI Safety Industry Advisory Council (IAC) volunteered to lead the initiative.

The enhancement calls on the industry to strengthen pilot judgment, improve decision-making under pressure, and reduce accidents driven by weather, urgency, and external expectations. View the original USHST H-SE 23-10 Work Plan.

Rather than present the effort as just a call for more conservative go/no-go decisions, the IAC worked to gather existing resources, develop practical tools, and share real-world examples in a more approachable way, recognizing that pilots are often skeptical of messaging framed solely around “being conservative” from the outset.

The result is the It’s OK to STAY campaign—a positive, action-oriented approach that emphasizes sound judgment, clear communication, and successful mission outcomes before takeoff.

Official Launch at VERTICON

It’s OK to STAY formally launches at VERTICON 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The VAI Safety Industry Advisory Council (IAC) and the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) leadership will introduce real-world stories, field-tested decision tools, and techniques for managing operational pressure without alienating customers or sacrificing mission outcomes when making a no-go decision.

Unlike the successful USHST 56 Seconds to Live and VAI Land & LIVE safety initiatives, which primarily target pilots already in flight, It’s OK to STAY promotes go/no-go decision-making before takeoff—long before finding alternative solutions in bad conditions becomes necessary.

This initiative challenges an outdated and regrettably narrow mindset in aviation: that success is measured only by takeoff. Instead, It’s OK to STAY says every flight that concludes safely—with or without takeoff—is a success because passengers and crew were protected through:

  • Data-driven risk management
  • Professional decision-making
  • Effective communication
  • Creative problem-solving
  • Operational excellence.

Following the launch at VERTICON 2026, the It’s OK to STAY web page will continue to offer tools, techniques, and resources for helping you make professionally informed, confident, and well-supported go/no-go decisions.

Why It’s OK to STAY Matters

Pilots operate under constant pressure from multiple fronts:

  • Operational timelines
  • Customer expectations
  • Mission urgency
  • Economic realities
  • Internal drive to perform.

In vertical aviation, the three most common fatal accident causal chains are linked to:

  • Unintended flight into IMC (UIMC)
  • Striking an object while operating at low altitude (LALT)
  • Loss of control in flight (LOC-I).

Rarely are these accidents attributable to poor flying skills. Instead, they often point to poor aeronautical decision-making (ADM) influenced by actual or perceived outside pressures.

Recognizing these pressures exist is the first step toward effectively managing them.

A Living Campaign

It’s OK to STAY is not a one-time message.

It is a living movement that grows through your participation, your stories, and your leadership.

Ways to Get Involved

Access the It's OK to STAY Resource Library

What It’s OK to STAY Means in Practice

Decide Before Takeoff

Informed aeronautical decision-making (ADM) begins with deliberate evaluation:

  • Are conditions within safe margins?
  • Am I feeling rushed?
  • Would I make this same decision without pressure?
  • If this decision appeared in an accident report, how would it read?

Communicate Frankly and Professionally

Professional pilots must also be professional communicators.

Customers may not understand performance margins or weather charts. They do, however, respect and understand clarity, calmness, and leadership.  Always manage expectations as early as possible in the planning process. Explain:

  • What conditions allow
  • What they do not allow
  • What risks exist
  • What safe options remain.

Suggest Alternatives

Staying does not cancel the mission. It reshapes it safely. Offer solutions:

  • Delay until conditions improve
  • Adjust routing or timing
  • Suggest alternate transportation
  • Provide lodging or connectivity support
  • Reassess with updated weather reports.

Professionalism is not about saying no. It’s about offering a safer path to yes.

Make the Final Commitment

You are the final authority before takeoff.

  • When conditions are not right
  • When pressure begins to narrow judgment
  • When your professional instincts signal caution.

Remember

It’s OK to STAY.