VAI
BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR
Nicole Battjes
Rainbow Helicopters Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Commercial Aviation
VICE CHAIR
Mark A. Schlaefli Dakota Rotors LLC
Custer, South Dakota, USA Commercial Aviation
TREASURER Rick Kenin
Boston MedFlight
Bedford, Massachusetts, USA Commercial Aviation
ASSISTANT TREASURER
Brian Jorgenson Timberline Helicopters Sandpoint, Idaho, USA Commercial Aviation
PRESIDENT AND
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER James A. Viola
Vertical Aviation International Alexandria, Virginia, USA
DIRECTOR, CORPORATE AFFAIRS & CORPORATE SECRETARY
Sarah Arnold
Vertical Aviation International Alexandria, Virginia, USA
DIRECTORS Paul Gottwig
Los Angeles County Fire Department Los Angeles, California, USA Government Service
David McColl Winco, Inc.
Aurora, Oregon, USA General Aviation
Randal R. Rowles Helicopter Institute Inc.
Fort Worth, Texas, USA Commercial Aviation
Stacy Sheard
Executive Jet Management/Fanatics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Commercial Aviation
Robert Miller Stallings Titan Aviation Fuels
New Bern, North Carolina, USA General Aviation
SPECIAL ADVISOR–
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY Jonathan Daniels
Praxis Aerospace Concepts International Searchlight, Nevada, USA
SPECIAL ADVISOR–INTERNATIONAL
Francois Lassale SGI
Denpasar Selatan, Bali, Indonesia LEGAL ADVISOR
H. Bryan Brewer III Crowell & Moring LLP
Washington, DC, USA JUNE 2024 ROTOR 3 DEPARTMENTS/COLUMNS
6 From the Board Empowering Vertical Aviation By Nicole Battjes
7 President’s Message Are Helicopters Still Important? By James A. Viola
8 Advocating for You X
X
State Legislative Mid-Year Highlights
2024 FAA Reauthorization Impact Summary
By Cade Clark and Katia Veraza
13 ROTORWash X
VAI Briefs
XVAI on Social X
X
5 Dos & Don’ts: Passing the Rotorcraft Practical Test
VAI Member Benefit of the Month: Flight Data Monitoring Program XRotorcraft Events
X
In the Spotlight: Torque, Huey Crew Member and Therapy Dog, EMU Inc.
24 FlyOver Bill Taylor and an Enstrom 480B By Mark Bennett
54 Flight Path Elizabeth Vavashe
56 Accident Recovery Running on (Almost) Empty By David Jack Kenny
60 Fly Safe A Precautionary Tale By Chris Hill
62 Work Safe Tools Secure? Double-Check to Be Sure
By Zac Noble 63 Index of Advertisers
64 Member Focus Eagle III
By Mark Bennett
SCHLAEFLI VAI 2024–25 CHAIR
MARK Supporting You’ ‘VAI Is about JUNE 2024 THE MAGAZINE OF VERTICAL AVIATION INTERNATIONAL
ON THE COVER: Mark Schlaefli poses in front of “Lafawnduh,” a Bell 206L-4 operated by Yellowstone Helicopters and Dakota Rotors, two of seven helicopter companies Mark co-owns in the Upper Midwest and Mountain West of the United States. Doug Loneman of Loneman Photography photographed Mark, who will become chair of Vertical Aviation International on Jul. 1, 2024, near the Spanish Peaks overlooking the Madison River in southwest Montana. Read more about Mark, his formative years in the industry as a flight instructor and chief pilot, and his plans for the coming year in his profile on p. 26.
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