VFS HRC Luncheon August 14

Dr. Noah Schiller, Project Manager at NASA will be presenting “NASA’s Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project” on Thursday, August 14 at the Fort Eustis Club – Lakeside Room in Ft. Eustis.

RSVP

Further details below:

Topic: NASA Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology Overview

Background: NASA’s Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) project is working with partners in government, industry, and academia to develop critical technologies that enable revolutionary new air travel options, especially those associated with Advanced Air Mobility including low-altitude passenger transport, cargo delivery, and public service capabilities.

Speaker: Dr. Noah Schiller, NASA RVLT Project Manager

Date: Thursday, 14 August 2025

Time:
11:30 Check-in & Networking
11:45 Buffet Lunch
12:35-1:15 Presentation
1:30 End

Location: The Fort Eustis Club Lakeside Room – 828 Kells Dr, Fort Eustis, VA 23604
***Due to restrictive process for post visitors, US Nationals only

Cost: Free to current VFS HRC members (or those joining VFS onsite)

Complete the visitor request process 10 days prior to the deadline here.

Deadline for reservations: 1700 Tuesday, 12 August 2025

POCs: HRC Tech Prog Chair vp@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Guests Are Welcome, pay as you go!!

VFS HRC Luncheon June 12

Mr. Braden Barkemeyer, Aerospace Engineer at Bihrle Applied Research Inc. will be presenting “Kamov Ka-32 Flight Test and Flight Model Development for a Level D Full Flight Simulation” on Thursday, June 12 at County Grill in Yorktown.

RSVP

Further details below:

Topic: Ka32 – Flight Test and Flight Model Development for a Level D FFS

Background: In late 2022, a team at Bihrle led a flight test effort to develop a simulator data package for the Ka32 coaxial rotor helicopter. The team developed and validated flight model software for integration into a Full Flight Simulator. The end-user of the FFS received Level D qualification from their country’s CAA in late 2023 and now uses the simulator for firefighting crew training.

Speaker: Braden Barkemeyer, Aerospace Engineer, Bihrle Applied Research

Date: Thursday, 12 June 2025

Time:
11:45 Check-in & Networking
12:00 Seated & order lunch
12:45-1:15 Presentation
1:30 End

Location: County Grill, 1215 George Washington Memorial Hwy, Yorktown, VA

Cost: Free to current VFS HRC members (or those joining VFS onsite)

Deadline for reservations: 1100 Wed, 11 June 2025

POCs: HRC Tech Prog Chair vp@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Guests Are Welcome, pay as you go!!

Board Members

Board Members:

President – Ming Lau,
pres@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Vice President – Mat Thomas, vp@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Treasurer – Susan Gorton, treasurer@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Secretary – Dr. Robert Haynes, secretary@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Education Chair – Dr. James Stephenson, education@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Industry Representative – Trevor Archinal, industry@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Membership Chair – Dan Wolfe, membership@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Member-at-Large – Tommy Bernal

Member-at-Large – John Berry

Member-at-Large – David Meyer

Member-at-Large – Brad Snowden

Member-at-Large – Aaron Trinh

2025 Scholarship Announcement

The Hampton Roads Chapter of the Vertical Flight Society each year typically awards three scholarships to High School Seniors in the Chapter area. These awards honor the memories and deeds of Robert Powell, Edward ‘Ed’ Austin, and Christopher Gavora. This year, the HRC chapter has chosen to award five highly qualified students who are pursuing 4-year STEM degrees. The awardees for this year’s VFS-HRC scholarships are:

Emily Paul, the daughter of Julia and Mark Paul, from Blacksburg, Virginia.

Isabelle Chao, the daughter of Jeff and Julie Chao, from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Ian Lindo, the son of Michelle Lindo, from Chesapeake, Virginia.

Cailyn Gregory, the daughter of Kristen and Matthew Gregory, from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Ryan Dereix, the son of John and Angela Dereix, from Williamsburg, Virginia.

Each of these students have shown amazing diligence to their academic pursuits, exceptional performance in sports or civic outreach, and received excellent letters of recommendations. We are proud to award these scholarships to such deserving individuals.

The Robert Powell Scholarship

The Robert Powell Scholarship was established to honor the long-time treasurer of the Hampton Roads Chapter whose stewardship of the chapter’s financial assets originally enabled the chapter’s STEM outreach program, including its scholarship fund.

The Edward ‘Ed’ Austin Scholarship

This Edward ‘Ed’ Austin Scholarship was established to honor Ed’s many years as a chapter board member in various positions from treasurer to education director. In his retirement, Ed continued to support the chapter through staffing multiple events, encouraged the public outreach of our chapter by maintaining our website, and was a huge and continued proponent of our STEM outreach program including the scholarship program.

The Christopher Gavora Scholarship

The Christopher Gavora Scholarship was established to honor the son of COL William Gavora, former Commander of the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate. Chris was killed in a tragic high school baseball practice accident shortly after his family relocated from Hampton Roads to Texas.

VFS Luncheon April 10

Mr. Ming Lau, President of the Hampton Roads Chapter will be presenting “The long path from ideas to products in DoD VTOL R&D” on Thursday, April 10 at County Grill in Yorktown.

RSVP 

Further details below:

Topic: DoD Rotorcraft – from Research to Products

Background: The long path from ideas to products in DoD VTOL R&D, a historical perspective.

Guest​ Speaker: Mr. Ming Lau, President Hampton Roads Chapter, VFS

Date: Thursday, 10 April 2025​

Time:

12:00 Check-in & Networking ​

12:10 Seated & order lunch​

12:45-1:15 Presentation

1:30 End

Cost: Free to current VFS HRC members (or those joining VFS onsite)

​
Deadline for​ reservations: 1100 Wed, 9 April 2025​

​
POCs: HRC Tech Prog Chair vp@vfshrc.onmicrosoft.com

Guests Are Welcome, pay as you go!!

VFS Luncheon – February 12, 2025 at North Wind Systems

Topic:  North Wind capabilities and past & current activities in support of advanced air vehicle systems design, development, fabrication, integration and testing.

Background:  North Wind and predecessor organizations has supported advanced air vehicle RDT&E program for decades; the Newport News facilities has been a key partner on numerous R&D programs the HRC aviation research community are reliant on.

Guest​ Speakers: Messrs. Michael Crawshaw​ & Ben Nelson

Date: Wednesday, 12 Feb 2025​

Time: 1145 -1330

Location: North Wind Systems, 703 City Center Blvd, Newport News, Va. 23606

​Menu: Lunch to be a gourmet sandwich assortment catered by “Taste”

​Cost: Free to current VFS HRC members (chapter is providing lunch)   

​
Participation/Restriction:  Due to facility restrictions, this HRC luncheon meeting is RESTRICTED to HRC members who are US Nationals.  Participants must register using the following link –here.  Registration closes on 11 Feb @1200 noon EST
​
POC: Ben Nelson, benjamin.nelson@north-wind.com

PDF Link: Luncheon Flyer 20250212 North Wind

Upcoming Chapter Events

2025 HRC Luncheons, Conference, and Socials

  • February 13: North Wind NN City Center facilities host luncheon visit (US Nationals ONLY)
  • April 10: Speaker, Mr. Ming Lau, President Hampton Roads Chapter
  • June 12: Speaker, Mr. Braden Barkemeyer, Aerospace Engineer at Bihrle Applied Research Inc., Kamov Ka-32 Flight Test and Flight Model Dev
  • August 14: Speaker, Dr. Noah Schiller, NASA Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Overview
  • October 9: Seafood Feast
  • October 21-22: Vertical Lift Structures & Survivability Technical Conference
  • December 11: HRC Christmas Dinner/Social

2026 HRC Luncheons, Conference, and Socials

  • February 12: Rotorcraft systems design, analysis, manufacturing and testing hosted by Eagle Technologies, LLC. (https://www.eagleaviationtech1.com)
  • April 9: Speaker, Army Rotorcraft RDT&E Technology
  • June 11: Speaker, NASA/Army Vertical Lift Technology Brief
  • August 13: Speaker, Industry Vertical Lift RDT&E Highlight
  • October 15: Seafood Feast
  • Oct/Nov/Dec (desire to return to October timeframe); HELMOT Conference, Newport News, VA
  • December: Christmas Dinner/Social

Vertical Lift Structures and Survivability Technical Meeting

This quadrennial conference will present technologies and programs relating to vertical flight structures, survivability and crash safety enabling increased capability for vertical flight systems. Experts from government, industry and academia will present results from current research, development, test and evaluation projects. Additional details will follow in the next 2 months and will also be posted to the VFS VTOL.ORG website.

HELMOT XX

HELMOT XX 2024

HELMOT XX: Helicopter Military Operations Technology Meeting

Online Registration Now Open

Preliminary Agenda and Exhibit Information also Available

The VFS Southeast Region and the Hampton Roads Chapter will sponsor the biennial conference on Helicopter Military Operations Technology, now in its 40th year, on December 4-5, 2024.

The conference will consist of 1.5 days of unclassified, unrestricted presentations held at the Newport News Marriott at City Center, Newport News, VA. HELMOT XX will combine interest in crewed and uncrewed vertical lift / rotorcraft research and development enabling increased warfighter capability. 

A preliminary agenda is now available for download. Session topics include:

  • Autonomy Updates
  • Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)
  • Human-Machine Interface

Registration: Register online or download a PDF copy.

 

VFS Member
before 11/1/2024

VFS Member
after 11/1/2024

Non-Member
before 11/1/2024

Non-Member
after 11/1/2024
Regular Attendee

$380

$480

$495

$595

Student:

Non-members must join first

$125

$150

N/A

N/A

Education Outreach 2024

On 9 September, James Stephenson taught about weather and how it affects sound propagation at a local elementary school. Discussion was focused on how we measure weather during experiments, and how it can change the noise we hear around us, like how far away we can hear local base’s ordinance disposal or helicopters.