SAFETY SITREP Safety-Related Information and Resources from the Vertical Aviation Safety Team
VAI SAFETY IAC TO FOCUS ON ADM AT VERTICON 2026 START WITH CRITICAL PREFLIGHT CONVERSATIONS
At VERTICON 2026, the VAI Safety Industry Advisory Council (IAC) leans hard into one of aviation’s most consequential skill sets: aeronautical decision-making (ADM). It starts where many safety outcomes are quietly won or lost: during preflight conversations.
Professional pilots must communicate clearly, decisively and with confidence. We spend years perfecting our communication with ATC. Yet, far too little time is spent helping pilots learn how to communicate professionally with customers, especially when conditions change, margins tighten and expectations collide with reality.
Those conversations matter. How pilots communicate before a flight, as conditions change and when plans must change often determines whether a preflight decision is made under pressure. A pilot may be technically proficient, operationally sound and legally correct, but the mission can still fail if communication breaks down.
Critical conversations begin long before the blades turn. Managing expectations early preserves options later. When customers understand that success depends on variables such as weather, aircraft capability, crew readiness and performance margins, they are far more likely to accept adjustments when those variables shift. When expectations aren’t set, every update feels like a surprise. Surprises breed frustration. Frustration creates pressure. erodes margins.
Then, pressure quietly
Sound ADM is rarely about weather alone. It integrates pilot readiness, aircraft configuration, environmental factors, timing and external influences. Yet many pilots are never taught how to explain those decisions clearly in plain language, or how to offer customers realistic, win-win alternatives when the initial plan is no longer feasible.
That situation can trigger self-induced stress from the pressure pilots place on themselves to avoid disappointing customers or bosses.
That stress narrows perspective, degrades judgment and pushes pilots closer to, or beyond, published or personal limitations.
Professionalism isn’t about winning arguments or appeasing customers. It’s about maintaining authority, communicating clearly and working the problem. Delays, alternate plans, ground transportation
or rescheduling can still
represent mission success. Sometimes the most professional decision isn’t to press on, but to pause, reassess and stay put for the moment.
That mindset is central to VAI’s “It’s OK to
Stay” safety campaign launching at
VERTICON. Developed by the VAI Safety IAC in support of the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team, the campaign challenges dated beliefs that success is defined solely by takeoff. Instead, it reframes success as sound ADM, effective communication and the protection of trust.
At VERTICON 2026, these ideas move from concept to application. Through workshops, panels, live discussions and hands-on engagement, the Safety IAC is creating multiple opportunities for pilots, operators, and safety professionals to strengthen ADM, manage pressure and advance professionalism across the industry.
VERTICON 2026 — FEATURED SAFETY EVENTS
VAI Safety Zone: March 10 – March 12, 2026 (during show-floor hours)
Connect directly with safety professionals, tools, tech and services focused on elevating safety culture and managing operational risk. The Safety Zone offers hands-on learning, live demonstrations, and practical takeaways you can use immediately.
Safety Management Systems (SMS) Workshop: March 9, 2026 | 8:00 – 9:30 AM
A focused, practical workshop for operators facing SMS compliance deadlines. SMS
18 Jan/Feb 2026
“It’s OK to Stay” Campaign Launch (CONNECT): March 11, 2026 | 1:15 – 1:45 PM
The official launch of the “It’s OK to Stay” safety campaign, featuring real-world stories and practical tools for managing operational pressure, communicating with customers and redefining mission success.
Safety Town Hall, “What Would You Do?”: March 12, 2026 | 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
An interactive forum using real-world and fictional scenarios to sharpen ADM skills and explore flawed assumptions about risk. The session reinforces that sound decision- making is a professional mindset, one that prioritizes clarity, discipline and judgment over momentum.
To learn more, register for VERTICON 2026 and plan your experience on the VERTICON website (
https://verticon.org/).
experts share tactical advice on critical elements, common pitfalls and how to turn compliance into operational value.
Safety Symposium, NTSB and Operators – Partners in Safety, Partners in Response: What to Expect, How to Engage and How to Support Families: March 9, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Moderated by NTSB Member Michael Graham, this symposium provides a behind- the-scenes look at accident investigations, operator engagement and family-assistance response when the unthinkable occurs.
By Christ Hill, senior director–safety, Vertical Aviation International
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