Resource Hub

VAI welcomes the passage of the bipartisan Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act of 2026 by the US House of Representatives. The move marks a significant step toward implementing safety recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board following the Jan. 29, 2025, midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA).

Learn more about the 38 operators, manufacturers, and suppliers that became members of VAI last month.

Miss VERTICON 2026 in Atlanta? Watch VAI President and CEO François Lassale’s March message to see the electric atmosphere at the show and how it provided momentum for the association’s first international safety event, the 2026 VAI Southeast Asia Aviation Safety Conference, which takes place in Bali, Indonesia, May 27–29.

(Associated Press) – An air tour helicopter went down Mar. 26 on a remote beach in Kauai, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuries to two.

Air medical pilots face intense, fast-paced solo missions in which risk analysis and safety programs are key to safe, lifesaving operations. The FAA’s Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) helps safety inspectors understand the decision-making process of pilots to help prevent future accidents and incidents. Any operator, not just air ambulance services, may establish an ASAP with the FAA.

This revision to European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) airworthiness directive (AD) ATA 62 – Main Rotor – Swashplate Bearing – Inspections takes effect Apr. 2. It will revise AD 2026-0020, which EASA released on Jan. 27.

KULR Technology Group is partnering with Robinson Helicopter to design and integrate a lightweight, high-performance electric battery system for the eR66 electric helicopter demonstrator.

(Vertical magazine) – A test flight of the Garmin GFC 600H autopilot on the Robinson R66 shows how its safety features could redefine the baseline for what light helicopters should be, explains Elan Head.

(Robb Report) – Airbus Corporate Helicopters and Mercedes-Benz unveiled a new ACH145 with a luxury interior last month in Brazil, advancing their partnership to blend high-end automotive styles with helicopter designs.

The Embraer subsidiary flew its full-scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype aircraft for Brazilian government officials earlier this week in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo.