Vertical Flight Society Annual Forum & Technology Display
The premier global vertical flight technical conference. Three days of technical presentations, panels, and exhibits organised by the Vertical Flight Society — the engineering-and-technology home of the global helicopter and AAM industry.
What to expect
Quick facts
Dates
May 5–7, 2026
Location
Palm Beach County Convention Center
West Palm Beach, United States
Estimated attendance
~1,500
Exhibitors
~90
Registration
from USD 1,295 member full pass
Languages
EN
Regulatory focus
FAA
Also known as
VFS Forum, Vertical Flight Society Forum, VFS Annual Forum, VFS&TD
Who attends
Vertical aviation engineers and technical leadership, OEM technical staff, AAM/eVTOL startup engineering teams, NASA and US Army research, academic researchers, military aerospace, and FAA certification engineers.
Why flight schools attend
Helicopter training schools and combined fixed-wing/rotary operations occasionally attend VFS Forum for technical context on emerging vertical aviation technology — particularly schools running AAM/eVTOL training pipeline development or evaluating future fleet directions. The Forum is decidedly more technical than commercial, so flight schools focused on pure operations typically prioritize Verticon (rotorcraft commercial) and European Rotors (Europe rotorcraft) over VFS Forum.
Frequently Asked Questions
VFS Forum is the technical and engineering conference of the vertical flight industry — peer-reviewed technical content from OEMs, NASA, US Army, AAM startups, and academic researchers. Verticon (formerly HAI Heli-Expo) is the commercial and operator conference. The two are complementary; many leaders attend both.
Mainly for schools running AAM/eVTOL training pipeline development or evaluating future fleet directions in vertical aviation. Schools focused on pure operations typically prioritize Verticon (rotorcraft commercial) and European Rotors (Europe rotorcraft) over VFS Forum's technical content.
VFS Forum runs annually in May with the host city rotating between North American destinations. Forum 82 ran May 5–7, 2026 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida; Forum 83 runs May 11–13, 2027 in Phoenix, Arizona. Confirmed locations and dates are announced via vtol.org/forum.
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Listing last verified July 3, 2026 · Always confirm dates and registration via the official site.