Help us recognize lifetime achievement in vertical aviation Submit your nominations to VAI’s 2026 Salute to Excellence Awards by this Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Learn more about the Lifetime Achievement Award in today’s installment of a continuing series of articles about the program. Do you know a leader whose career has helped shape the future of vertical aviation? Recognize them! VAI’s 2026 Salute to Excellence Awards program is now open. This is your chance to recognize colleagues, mentors, and trailblazers who have raised the bar in the helicopter, unmanned aircraft system (UAS), and advanced air mobility community. The program’s 11 award categories honor individuals and organizations worldwide for excellence in operations, safety, leadership, innovation, and service. To read about previous honorees in all categories, visit our gallery of winners from past years, which appears directly below the 11 award categories on our Salute to Excellence web page. Lifetime Achievement The Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have provided long and significant service to the helicopter or UAS community. Nominees do not need to be licensed pilots—this award salutes excellence in leadership and management across the industry. Help us recognize a lifetime of impact! The Salute to Excellence Award winners will be honored during VERTICON®, which takes place Mar. 9–12, 2026, (exhibits open Mar 10–12), in Atlanta, Georgia. Send in your nomination now! The deadline for nominations is Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Submit Your Nomination
