UPDRAFTS
UPDRAFTS
VAI BRIEFS 12 Jul. 1 Sees New Board, Officers 16 VAI Southeast Asia Aviation Safety Conference Planned
17 VAI to Host Annual Air Tour Safety Conference
18 VAI Honored with TRENDY Award for Best Video
19 VAI Wins Award for Outstanding Rebrand
VAI MEMBER BENEFIT OF THE MONTH 20 VAI Member Online Community
5 DOS AND DON’TS 21 How to Ace Your FAA Medical Exam
IN THE SPOTLIGHT 22 Melissa McCaffrey, Head of Government Affairs, Archer
VERTICAL AVIATION CALENDAR 25 Upcoming Events
Brian Jorgenson, Vice Chairman.
Jorgenson is the COO and co-owner of Timberline Helicopters in Sandpoint, Idaho. Since founding the company in 2004 with a single Kaman K-Max, he and his wife, Ammy, have grown Timberline into a prominent utility operator with a diverse fleet that includes MD 500s and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks. With more than 19,000 flight hours, Jorgenson brings deep operational and business expertise to the board. David McColl, Treasurer. McColl
VAI BRIEFS
Jul. 1 Sees New Board, Officers
VAI IS USHERING IN A NEW ERA OF LEADERSHIP and governance designed to reflect the full breadth of the global vertical aviation industry. Recently, the association announced sweeping updates to its board of directors—through both newly elected officers and the implementation of a new governance framework. These changes mark the first board elections under VAI’s
restructured bylaws, which expand board membership to ensure balanced representation of vertical aviation operators of all sizes and mission types, including government and public- service organizations. Complementing this board structure is the announcement
of the 2025–26 Executive Committee, which will provide stra- tegic leadership for the association during the coming year. The Executive Committee and newly elected directors will assume their roles on Jul. 1, 2025. Please see the page opposite for the full list of the VAI Board of Directors for 2025–26.
Executive Committee Rick Kenin, Chairman. Kenin currently serves as COO of Boston MedFlight, a nonprofit emergency and critical- care medical transport organization based in Bedford, Massachusetts. You can read more about his career and plans for VAI in “Rick Kenin: Taking VAI to New Heights,” on p. 28.
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is with LiveWire Aviation in Homosassa, Florida, which specializes in external- load operations. His aviation journey began at Bristow Academy in Florida, where he began flight training in 2009. McColl brings a safety-first perspec- tive shaped by years of real-world utility aviation operations. Mark Schlaefli, Assistant
Treasurer. Schlaefli, who will com- plete his term as 2024–25 VAI chair on Jun. 30, is the owner and operator of Dakota Rotors, a Part 135/133 operator in the Upper Midwest and Mountain West United States. Mark is assuming the role of assistant treasurer of the board to fill in for former board member Paul Gottwig, who has taken a position with a nongovernment service operator and thus could no longer represent that sector on the board. “These board officers represent
the best of vertical aviation—leader- ship, vision, and a deep commitment to safety and innovation,” says Mike Hertzendorf, VAI COO. “They will be instrumental in executing VAI’s strate- gic priorities and ensuring our indus- try’s continued growth and resilience.” In keeping with its commitment to
ensuring that the board echoes the composition of VAI’s operator members, the association’s operator members (Continued on p. 14)
POWER UP JUN 2025
UPDRAFTS
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