The Vertical Aviation International (VAI) Training and Operations Industry Advisory Council (IAC) is where experience, passion, and action collide.

Made up of pilots, maintainers, flight crew, air traffic and heliport design specialists, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) professionals, educators, industry contractors, and more from around the globe, this Council is driven by one simple mission: to improve vertical lift training and operations through shared knowledge, open discussion, and practical solutions.

We don’t just talk about change – we make it happen

The IAC was a key contributor to the ‘56 Seconds to Live’ initiative, working with the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) to shine a spotlight on the deadly risk of inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) and spatial disorientation. But we didn’t stop at awareness – we built free, high-impact training resources for the entire industry that are available for download on the VAI website. This includes:

VFR Best Practices – an essential guide to real-world visual flight rules (VFR)

Estimating Distance – a practical tool to judge distance and visibility in compliance with the VFR

Decision Making and IIMC – a vital reference for planning, avoiding, and recovering from IIMC scenarios.

These materials are free, relevant globally, and ready to be integrated into your own training programs.

Looking ahead, the IAC is already deep into discussions on our next wave of industry-changing initiatives:

• Mission-based training
• Emergency response plan templates and education
• Standardizing turbine transition syllabus and best practices
• Addressing the flight instructor and examiner shortage
• Reforming basic instrument training in the helicopter private pilot license (PPL) and commercial private license (CPL) syllabus
• Airspace integration, separation and management across all modes of aerial vehicle (helicopters, uncrewed aerial vehicles, crewed and uncrewed ops, aircraft, balloons, ultralights, etc) below 10,000ft.

We meet monthly online via Zoom and once a year at Verticon. We’re collaborative, energetic, and always looking for new voices. Especially yours!

If you care about improving safety, raising training standards, and being part of something that actually makes a difference, this IAC is your seat at the table.

Join us. Make your mark. Help us shape the future of vertical aviation.

Scan the QR code or visit verticalavi.org to get involved.