At Heli-Expo 2014 AHS Int’l Emphasizes Future of Rotorcraft Design

Mike Hirschberg, executive director of AHS International, used a media presentation at Heli-Expo 2014 to not only highlight the educational and advocacy roles of his organization, but also to share his perspective on the state of future rotorcraft development.

Founded in 1943 as the American Helicopter Society, AHS International today has 6,500 members around the globe, and offers a range of education programs to encourage ongoing development of rotorcraft technology. One of the organization’s most prominent efforts was its sponsorship of the AHS/Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition which, after 33 years, saw the AeroVelo team meet all award objectives during a flight last June, and winning a $250,000 prize. “It was a race to the finish,” Hirschberg recalled. “They did it with science.”