Nominations are open for VAI’s 2026 Salute to Excellence Awards Send in your nominations by Friday, Oct. 17. Learn more about the Law Enforcement and Maintenance Awards in this installment of a continuing series of articles about the program. Do you know a pilot, safety leader, instructor, mechanic, or innovator who is making a difference in vertical aviation? Now is your chance to recognize them. VAI’s 2026 Salute to Excellence Awards program recognizes outstanding achievement across all forms of vertical aviation, including helicopters, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. Anyone can nominate, and anyone can be nominated—VAI membership is not required! The program’s 11 award categories honor individuals and organizations worldwide for excellence in operations, safety, leadership, innovation, and service. Two of the categories, the Law Enforcement and Maintenance Awards, are highlighted below. Our next installment about the Salute to Excellence Awards will feature another pair of the program’s categories. 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. Spotlight on Law Enforcement and Maintenance Awards • Law Enforcement Award: This award recognizes an individual or organization that has contributed to the promotion and advancement of helicopters or UAS aircraft in support of law enforcement activities. Nominees are not limited to pilots or law enforcement personnel. • Maintenance Award: Sponsored by Rolls-Royce, this award recognizes an individual for longstanding excellence in helicopter or UAS aircraft maintenance, maintenance instruction or supervision, or a single significant contribution to helicopter or UAS maintenance. This award was previously known as the Excellence in Helicopter Maintenance Award. 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
