Welcome to the United Kingdom Chapter of the Vertical Flight Society – Vertical Flight Society

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The Vertical Flight Society International (VFS) is the world’s longest 
serving society dedicated to advancing vertical flight. The society 
itself is made up of engineers, scientists, academics, and flight test 
aircrew, among others. Established in 1943 as the American Helicopter 
Society (AHS), it has been an important advocate for vertical flight, 
the premier forum for disseminating information on the industry, and a 
significant influence on the advance of technical developments, not only 
in the rotary wing industry but also with vertical lift platforms, both 
manned and unmanned.
The parent society publishes the bi-monthly magazine, Vertiflite, and 
The Journal of the VFS.It organises regional and international 
conferences, as well as hosting webinars on theory and practices of 
rotorcraft and VTOL and eVTOL technology. Each year the society awards 
over twenty engineering scholarships and sponsors technical and design 
competitions in Universities and colleges, as well as celebrating those 
in the industry who have made major contributions in scientific and 
technological advances.
The United Kingdom Chapter was established in February 2020 in London, 
with the aim of bringing together professionals from across the 
aerospace, defense, and academic communities in the country.
Individual chapters have been set up around the world, sponsoring events 
at a local level and allowing members to make connections in their own 
regions.

Objectives of the VFS UK Chapter
1) To uphold the values and ethos of VFS in the UK.
●2) To promote activities related to vertical lift and showcase the work of the UK vertical lift  community. This includes organisation of seminars, conferences, events, meetings and workshops aiming to enhance the contributions of UK to the vertical lift  industry.
●3) To engage with industry, government and the public, in all matters related to vertical lift and how these improve our life.
●4) To engage with Schools and Universities and promote VTOL as a career path. This includes organisation of open days, field-trips to manufacturers and operators of helicopters, careers events and seminars, lectures, tutorials and competitions covering all aspects of VTOL from design and manufacturing to operation.






Paul Taylor – President 

David Gibbings MBE – Honorary President 

Professor George Barakos – Secretary 

Antonio Filippone – Treasurer 

Professor Mark D White – VP Membership  

Ian V.Frain – VP Public Relations & Media 

Adrian Neve – VP Awards & Scholarships 

Darrell Swanson – VP Technical Meetings 

David Niven CB CBE - Technical Chair 

Rafale Morales – University Liaison 

Thomas Fitzgibbon - Student Chapter Chair

Launch of the UK Chapter

L-R
Prof. George Barakos, Paul Taylor, Dr Mark White