Past Vertiflite Commentaries

This page includes Vertiflite Commentary articles from 2011-2021 by then-VFS Executive Director Mike Hirschberg on critical issues facing industry, academia and government. (See Commentaries since 2022 on our Advocacy page.)

Nov-Dec 2021: The Need for FARA “The FARA program is currently building two competitive prototypes (CPs) that are arguably the most advanced and capable helicopters ever built... As industry continues to execute — as it has shown it is capable over the past decade of FVL developments — the Army will field a high-tech attack/reconnaissance rotorcraft in record time."
Sept-Oct 2021: Decision Time for FARA “The Army established its FARA acquisition plan to short-circuit and accelerate the traditional acquisition process. Now, the results of industry's bottom-up designs don't align with the top-down requirements. The Army must continue to be agile and use the information that has emerged from the FARA CP aircraft to update and refine its requirements for Increment 1."
Jul-Aug 2021: Workforce: Diversity Wins “Much has been said and debated about diversity, particularly in the US over the past year. While this is often wrapped up in discussions of discrimination and social justice — very important issues for society to tackle — this commentary is not about that. VFS is only a small cog in the epic wheels of the world’s civilizations and, while “we punch above our weight” and often have an outsized impact, we do that by applying our energies with a laser focus to specific issues where we see the potential to create a tipping point. Diversity in vertical flight is now exactly this issue."
May-June 2021: Workforce: Winning the War for Talent “We are now conducting a more detailed study to help the vertical flight community understand the problem and identify solutions. Importantly, we are also looking at how VFS can help support the needs of the future vertical workforce by promoting diversity through our new DiversiFLY initiative."
Mar-Apr 2021: Capitalizing on the Miraculous eVTOL Gold Rush “For the past two years, I have included a discussion about the “Five Key Challenges” of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in my public briefings. I initially referred to them (tongue in cheek) as “five simultaneous miracles” necessary to have urban air mobility (UAM) air taxi in service by the Uber Elevate goal of 2023."
Jan-Feb 2021: Uber's Legacy: Elevating the Electric VTOL Revolution “Four years of working with aircraft developers, tech companies, regulators, policy makers, standards developing organizations, investors and every other potential stakeholder has truly “fast forwarded” the realization of the Electric VTOL Revolution."
Nov-Dec 2020: Looking Back: A Vertical Retrospective on Electric VTOL “With the dawn of a new decade, we’ve been taking a look back at how things have changed since the beginning of the 21st Century. Like everything else, this series has now taken a new perspective given the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic."
Sept-Oct 2020: Looking Back: A Perspective on the Annual Forum “The Annual Forum provides the premier venue for learning, networking and working together to advance vertical flight. This year is no different in its mission. As the vertical flight community has shown through its first three-quarters of a century, there are many, many challenges and obstacles to overcome. But overcome them we shall."
July-Aug 2020: Looking Back: A Perspective on the Future Vertical Workforce “The growing need for engineers to develop all of these next-generation military and civil vertical flight aircraft simultaneously is turning into a “war for talent” and the Defense Department will again be on the losing side of this potential crisis if actions aren’t taken. As many as 10,000 additional engineers will be needed in the next decade to meet the expected military and civil development programs."
May-June 2020: Looking Back: A Vertical Retrospective of COVID-19 “With the dawn of a new decade, we had been taking a look back at how things have changed since the beginning of the 21st Century. This series — like everything else — is being interrupted to give a short history and perspective of the impact of the global pandemic. A short history of the global spread of COVID-19 accompanies this article in the sidebar on the right hand side of this page.”
March-April 2020: Looking Back from 2020: A Vertical Retrospective of Rotorcraft Safety “With the dawn of a new decade, we're taking a look back at how things have changed since the beginning of the 21st Century, focusing on civil helicopter safety in this issue.”
Jan-Feb 2020: Looking Back from 2020: A Vertical Retrospective of 21st Century US Military Developments “With the dawn of a new decade, let’s take a look back at how things have changed since the beginning of the 21st Century, focusing on US military helicopter developments in this issue.”
Nov-Dec 2019: Teaming for Transformative Vertical Flight “VFS urges all organizations and individuals to work together to bring about the Electric VTOL Revolution"
Sept-Oct 2019: EASA Publishes SC-VTOL “EASA Takes the First Shot at eVTOL Regulations. Did They Miss the Mark?”
July-Aug 2019: VFS Expands Support to eVTOL “The Vertical Flight Society was the first major organization in the world — other than the pioneering companies themselves — to recognize and embrace the potential of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Now, we are doubling down on our support to eVTOL.”
May-Jun 2019: Pioneers — Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow “For more than 75 years the Vertical Flight Society has been leading efforts to advance vertical flight. We strive every day to be as much of a force for progress and innovation today as we have been for more than three-quarters of a century. Forum 75 will highlight the tremendous progress in vertical flight, both recent advances and our impressive legacy.”
Mar-Apr 2019: A Forum 75 Years in the Making “For 75 years, the Annual Forum has been the high point of the calendar for the world’s vertical flight technical community. From its humble beginnings during World War II, it has remained the largest and most important gathering of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) engineers, scientists, academics, managers and leaders in the world.”
Jan-Feb 2019: Stand on the Shoulders of Giants “The explosion of interest in electric and hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) technology over the past few years has been overwhelming. Electric VTOL inventors would do well to take advantage of 75 years of vertical flight knowledge.”
Nov-Dec 2018: What FVL Needs to Succeed “Industry has committed $1B so far in Future Vertical Lift and is preparing to invest another $500M. The Army must remain unwavering in its commitments as well.”
Sept-Oct 2018: Electric VTOL is Taking Off. Beware the Hyper-Hype Cycle. “One of the reasons why members of the nascent helicopter community decided in early 1943 to establish the American Helicopter Society was because they didn’t feel that they were being taken seriously by the aviation establishment.”
Jul-Aug 2018: All In for FVL “The Army wants to field FVL CS1 before CS3 — without slowing down CS3. We can do this!”
May-June 2018: AHS is the Vertical Flight Society “After years of discussion and months of debate, the Board of Directors of AHS International voted to change the identity of AHS to the 'Vertical Flight Society,' the moniker that the Society had been using in various forms for at least a half century.”
Mar-Apr 2018: Bringing the Vertical Flight Community Together “For three-quarters of a century, AHS has remained at the forefront of advancing vertical flight technology, providing a forum for technical discussions and leading efforts to break down barriers; an incubator for the next-generation technical workforce; a focal point for advancing public acceptance, regulations and standards, and military and civilian operations; and — last but not the least — a catalyst for change during changing times.”
Jan-Feb 2018: 75 Years of Advancing Vertical Flight “Seventy-five years ago, on Feb. 25, 1943, 26-year old Edward Katzenberger stood up in a high school gymnasium in Stratford, Connecticut, and called a meeting to order. At that meeting, the participants resolved to establish the American Helicopter Society.”
Nov-Dec 2017: Vertical Flight Saves Lives “Unprecedented earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters filled the news over the past several months. Equally prevalent were stories of vertical flight aircraft saving lives, protecting property and providing support after infrastructure was destroyed.”
Sept-Oct 2017: IFR Saves Lives “There is broad consensus throughout the rotorcraft industry and operational community that equipage and training for IFR operations in single-engine helicopters has the potential to make a significant impact on safety.”
Jul-Aug 2017: Not Just Helicopters “The conventional helicopter will continue to be the dominant configuration in missions where hovering is critical — and particularly for external lift — for the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, many types of VTOL aircraft today are vying to prove their worth.”
May-Jun 2017: VFF @ 50 “The Vertical Flight Foundation celebrates a half century and initiates the VFF 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign.”
Mar-Apr 2017: Electric VTOL Wheel of Fortune “The progress of electric VTOL aircraft to date is truly impressive, while the promise of completely ‘reinventing the Wheel’ has nearly limitless potential.”
Jan-Feb 2017: Defense Priorities for the New Administration “It is imperative that the incoming Administration of President-Elect Donald J. Trump act immediately to enable and accelerate modernization of the existing military rotorcraft, invest in improvements to keep them relevant for the ensuing decades, and accelerate Future Vertical Lift.”
Nov-Dec 2016: The Case for ITEP — Power for the Future “America clearly needs the ITEP engine. It’s not a question of either ITEP or FVL — both are essential pillars of future US military might in the 21st Century.”
Sep-Oct 2016: The End of Globalization? “What is needed to ensure a healthy, growing vertical flight industry are clear, stable and efficient trade agreements, strong relationships between countries and companies, and well-understood boundaries. Any new or revised international agreements need to support the flow of goods, ideas and funds.”
July-Aug 2016: From the Past to the Future. “AHS is not only about the experts of our community providing their insights and passing on their knowledge, it's also about exciting and inspiring the next generation of leaders in vertical flight — they who will be imparting their wisdom to future generations.”
May-Jun 2016: The Tesla of Vertical Flight? “Electric propulsion is uniquely suited for fixed-wing vertical flight due to the opposing power requirements for vertical take-off and landing versus cruise flight, while offering the opportunity to enhance cruise efficiency by three- or fourfold.”
Mar-Apr 2016: Leveraging Emerging Technologies for Future Capabilites. “The incredible breadth and depth of technical content make the Annual Forum the high point of the technical calendar for those working in vertical flight.”
Jan-Feb 2016: Global Change. “Government leaders need to recognize the incredible benefits and capabilities of military and civil rotorcraft with policies that support the growth of the vertical flight industry.” [Industry outlook and leadership]
Nov-Dec 2015: Leadership from the Top. “John Garrison made incredible, lasting impacts at Bell, AHS and across the global rotorcraft community.” [Industry leadership and AHS]
Sep-Oct 2015: Flying the Crowded Skies. “With UAS usage today appearing to be frightfully like the 'Wild West,' a dramatic change is needed in public awareness and attitudes toward flying unmanned aircraft near areas of operations for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.” [UAS and regulations]
Jul-Aug 2015: The Magic of the Forum. “AHS International is now hard at work planning the next Annual Forum, which we will be held in Florida for the first time ever. This is the first new region in the rotation since Montréal was added in 1999.” [AHS Annual Forum]
May-Jun 2015: Transforming Through Synergy. “The Society provides a robust infrastructure that plays an essential role in vertical flight by bringing together the most creative minds and visionaries of industry, academia and government with the world’s leading aerospace manufacturers and suppliers.” [Industry outlook and AHS Forum]
Mar-Apr 2015: Safety: Broader Technology Adoption Needed. “There is a panoply of existing and proven technologies that can improve safety by reducing accidents. Some of these technologies are being required in new FAA regulations, while others are stymied by old, outdated policies.” [Safety, regulations and technology]
Jan-Feb 2015: The Exciting Future of Vertical Flight. “Due to AHS International’s lobbying efforts, the US Congress has added $14M in additional funding in Fiscal Year 2015 to strengthen the JMR science and technology efforts. The JMR demonstrations will lead to a decision for the planned Future Vertical Lift (FVL) acquisition program – which itself was born as the result of AHS lobbying efforts in 2008.” [Industry outlook]
Nov-Dec 2014: Transforming Vertical Flight Technology. "The global helicopter industry is undergoing a significant transformation, as are customer demands and the capabilities offered by cutting-edge technologies."[Industry outlook and the AHS Forum]
Sep-Oct 2014: Innovation Outpaces Regulation. "Government regulators must work collaboratively with industry to help the regulatory environment keep pace with innovation – allowing vertical flight to reach its full potential, while ensuring safe skies around the world." [Regulation and technology]
Jul-Aug 2014: Investing in Tomorrow’s Civil Rotorcraft. "If AHS International is successful in convincing Congress to restore NASA’s vertical flight budget, then research into new technologies to meet the forecasted long-term demand for civil rotorcraft will be ongoing worldwide." [Industry outlook and NASA research cuts]
May-Jun 2014: Celebrating 70 Years of International Cooperation in Vertical Flight Technology. "Just as the international helicopter industry has expanded through 70 years of cross-border cooperation, so too has AHS expanded across the globe.... AHS is intently focused on its role and responsibility as the world’s Vertical Flight Technical Society." [AHS history and legacy]
Mar-Apr 2014: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times. "As 2013 fades behind us and year-end reports remind us of the difficulties that were encountered, it is important to take stock of how vibrant and exciting the future of vertical flight technology is." [Industry outlook]
Jan-Feb 2014: ITEP: The Next Leap in Capability and Affordability. "ITEP will provide game-changing performance and efficiency, ensuring that today’s legacy fleet will remain capable until it is replaced by Future Vertical Lift (FVL) in the middle of the century. Furthermore, ITEP may be well positioned to be the propulsion system basis for FVL-Medium and/or FVL-Light." [Propulsion]
Nov-Dec 2013: Remembering Our History As We Look to the Future. "As AHS International celebrates its 70th year of working to advance the state of the art of vertical flight technology, we can look back at an inspiring heritage of accomplishments by industry, academia and government – a proud legacy that we need to preserve and recognize, and build upon for the future of vertical flight." [AHS history and legacy]
Sep-Oct 2013: Educating the Future. "We have a proud legacy of educating and inspiring the next generation of vertical flight engineers and leaders, and we will continue to expand our role in educating the future with your support. Be part of it." [AHS student programs]
Jul-Aug 2013: AHS International is the Forum for Vertical Flight. "Since the American Helicopter Society was founded 70 years ago, the Annual Forum has provided an unequalled opportunity for government, industry and academia to work together to tackle the toughest challenges in vertical flight." [AHS Annual Forum]
May-Jun 2013: U.S. Government Actions: A False Economy in a High-Tech World. "The cost [to the government] of conference attendance is fairly low – a few thousand dollars, including travel expenses, and much more cost effective than individual trips to multiple industry and university sites – but the cost of ignorance during a new acquisition program is much higher – measured in billions." [US Goverment employee restrictions]
Mar-Apr 2013: Advancing Vertical Flight Technology in Demanding Environments. "To learn the latest about vertical flight technology and the current markets and budgets for its application, go to our website, www.vtol.org/forum, to register for Forum 69 today. To be prepared for the 'Demanding Environments' of today and tomorrow, you can’t afford to miss it!" [AHS Annual Forum]
Jan-Feb 2013: Invest in the Future. "Given the challenges our industry faces, your contribution to the Vertical Flight Foundation is needed now more than ever." [VFF Scholarships]
Nov-Dec 2012: The Value of Face-to-Face. "... the Wakefield Research Fourth Annual Business Travel Survey (2012) noted that 'Travelers estimated that 1 hour of face-to-face contact equaled 5 video conferences, 10 telephone calls, or 20 emails.' Often the unplanned discussions at meetings are much more valuable – for industry, academia and government – than the formal planned presentations." [US Government employee restrictions]
Sept-Oct 2012: Still Need a New Scout. "The time for procurement of a new armed aerial scout is now. With the sundown of all current U.S. military production less than a decade away, there will be significant excess capacity in the industrial base, and a risk that its capabilities will degrade." [US Army Scout]
Jul-Aug 2012: A Civil Discourse on Noise and Safety. "Attempts to legislate solutions to noise and safety concerns are ill conceived and uninformed approaches to satisfy a small, vocal community, and will likely result in more harm than good to the very communities that are complaining." [Noise and Safety]
May-Jun 2012: Unintended Consequences. "The amendments [restricting U.S. government employee travel] as passed have significant unintended consequences that will be detrimental to AHS and the U.S. government." [US Government employees]
Mar-Apr 2012: U.S. Rotorcraft Research Under Attack. "The impact of these latest reductions in funds to NASA and NRTC, if not reversed, will continue to reverberate in the years and decades to come." [US Government research funding]
Jan-Feb 2012: The Crisis in U.S. Army Aviation. "The V-22 Osprey is the only new combat rotorcraft that DoD has fielded in more than 25 years." [FVL]
Winter 2011: Wanted Leadership. "The Europeans are showing leadership in their pursuit of next generation rotorcraft technologies. If America is to remain competitive, it must do the same." [NASA and DoD R&D programs]
Fall 2011: September 11th - 10 Years On. "The September 11th attacks instigated a decade of unparalleled contributions by rotorcraft to national strategy objectives, but more investments in technology are still needed." [FVL]