Reflection and Anticipation
Our work in this past year sets up our future success. By Mark A. Schlaefli
A
S MY ONE-YEAR TERM AS CHAIR of the Board of Directors of Vertical Aviation International (VAI) draws to a close, it’s natural to pause and reflect on the journey we’ve taken together, as
a community and as an association. This past year has been transformational, marked by significant milestones, renewed connections, and resilient progress. Our industry has long been shaped by innovation, adapt-
ability, and collaboration, and over the past 12 months, these qualities have been at the forefront of everything we’ve done. From our award-winning rebranding efforts to critical policy discussions shaping the future of vertical flight integration, VAI stands at the nexus of progress and industry evolution. A standout moment this year was our very first VERTICON,
in Dallas, Texas—a city with strong ties to our industry, making it the perfect location for this event. VERTICON 2025 brought together under a single roof industry leaders, pilots, aviation mechanics and engineers, manufacturers and suppliers, and enthusiasts, revealing an industry running at pre-pandemic levels of activity. With nearly 15,000 attendees and hundreds of exhibitors from across the globe, VERTICON reaffirmed its status as the world’s largest, most dynamic vertical aviation conference and trade show. Our year wasn’t without change, which so often is the
catalyst for growth. With James Viola departing in March to become president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), VAI was given an opportu- nity to identify the next leader who will guide the staff in their work to advocate, promote, and protect vertical aviation. And in the tight-knit community of general aviation, having a rotor- head such as James leading GAMA is an overall positive for our industry. After we learned of James’s impending departure, the Board
6
MARK A. SCHLAEFLI, the owner and operator of Dakota Rotors, a Part 135/133 operator in the Upper Midwest and Mountain West, began his one- year term as chair of the VAI Board of Directors on Jul. 1, 2024. Mark holds an ATP rotorcraft certificate as well as instrument, CFI, and CFII ratings.
POWER UP JUN 2025
FROM THE BOARD
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
