Vertical MRO Conferences, the world’s only helicopter maintenance education and career development events, are back in 2026 with a broader lineup of speakers, a more diverse range of sessions, and a new leadership development track.
Recognizing the critical importance of skilled, supported maintainers to the success of any helicopter operation, the MHM team behind the Vertical Plus suite of magazines, podcasts, and websites launched the conferences in 2025.
Taking place at the KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna, B.C., from Oct. 5 to 7, and at the Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas, from Nov. 16 to 18, Vertical MRO 2026 offers unique programming at each location. Each conference features more than 40 educational sessions, roundtables, hands-on workshops, and expert panels covering best practices, industry trends, leadership development, skill building, new technology, and rotorcraft maintenance issues.
The Vertical MRO Conferences will also include Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)- and Transport Canada-approved sessions for inspection authorization (IA) renewal, along with a range of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) airframe and powerplant technical briefings.
New in 2026
The conferences are headlined in 2026 by keynote speaker James Lawrence, the Iron Cowboy. The only person to complete 100 Ironman competitions in 100 consecutive days, Lawrence’s high-energy presentation speaks directly to today’s maintainers, who are facing increasing pressure with fewer resources.
Through his presentation, he equips attendees with the tools to redefine their own limits. He offers strategies for winning internal battles, pushing through self-doubt, resetting under pressure, and changing internal narratives to achieve new levels of performance.
In response to feedback from the inaugural conferences in 2025, this year’s events are also expanding with a broader range of offerings, including hands-on workshops and a new Leadership Development Certificate.
“We developed this year’s events directly from the incredible feedback we received from attendees last year,” said MHM co-owner Linda Reyno. “The addition of hands-on workshops, increased session topics, and especially more leadership development presentations were all the direct result of that feedback.”
Hands-on workshops
In Kelowna, the south hangar of the KF Centre for Excellence will feature multiple hands-on sessions, ranging from Introduction to Bell Mediums and Composite Rotor Blade Inspection and Repair to Elastomeric Component Maintenance and Engine Inspection Best Practices.
In Irving, current hands-on sessions include Securing Critical Fasteners with Safe-T-Cable, Cargo Hoist and Hook Maintenance, and Track and Balance Best Practices, with more sessions to be announced.
“We are working to offer a variety of hands-on sessions that are not intended to be comprehensive training courses, but rather introductions to specific skills, procedures, and best practices,” said Jon Gray, co-director of education and programming for the Vertical MRO Conferences. “Attendees will be able to see processes demonstrated and then participate, at various levels, in performing those same procedures.”
Leadership Development Certificate
In response to overwhelming feedback highlighting the value attendees received from the leadership presentations offered in 2025, the Vertical MRO Conferences are expanding their leadership development programming and introducing a new Leadership Development Certificate.
“Based on last year’s feedback, along with the response to our Vertical MRO Podcast episodes featuring maintenance leaders sharing their leadership best practices, we decided to start incorporating leadership mindset and training into the conference,” Gray said. “The goal is to help equip technicians for the day they get the call to step into a leadership role.”
It is not uncommon in the helicopter maintenance industry for highly skilled technicians to be promoted into leadership positions, yet it is equally common for those new leaders to begin with little formal leadership training, Gray said. The missing piece for many of these maintainers is developing the skills needed for effective team leadership, workforce retention, and a healthy shop culture.
“The idea is not that once you earn this certificate you can magically lead,” he emphasized. “The idea is that it will help you develop the awareness and skills you’ll need to become an effective leader when the time comes. You’ll know how to motivate, support, and lead people, and understand what it takes to attract and retain good employees.”
He added: “I think a common misconception about leadership is that when you become a leader, you’re expected to have all the answers and do all the things. Where these leadership development courses will be valuable is in showing that your job as a leader is to enable others. Your job is to remove barriers to people’s success and help them become more effective and efficient in what they’re doing.”
Attendees who complete four sessions designated as part of the Leadership Development Certificate program will earn the certificate.
Sessions eligible for the Leadership Development Certificate include:
- Culture: The Missing Maintenance Resource
- Just Culture: The Key to Safety Culture
- The ROI of Leadership: Engineering a Culture of Excellence
- Trauma and Resilience After an Accident
- Worthy of the Calling: Leading with the Same Fire that Started it All
- And more…
Networking as a career and safety tool
Beyond its educational and career development sessions, the 2026 Vertical MRO Conferences offer attendees a unique opportunity to come together, share information, and build their professional networks.
“Networking is a core component of professional development,” explained Gray, who spent his flying career as a law enforcement pilot. “Our aviation unit had about 12 people. That’s a small group. Compare that to going to events and developing a network of people that can provide insight and solutions to things you never considered due to your internal scope being so limited. This conference is designed to give technicians that broader network of contacts where they can share lessons learned, practical solutions, standard operating procedures, and connections they would not have access to in isolation.”
The same logic applies to career development. The conference is designed to encourage informal connections through smaller sessions, included breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and evening receptions, while also providing spaces for attendees to gather between sessions and before and after each day.
Speaker caliber
Each session at the Vertical MRO Conferences is led by subject matter experts and industry leaders who draw on their own experience and expertise.
Speakers include:
- Maria Aguirre, senior director of MRO at Airbus
- Michael Benton, president of VyClimb Consulting
- Wilson Boynton, CEO of Advance Composites Training
- Beth Christianos, director of maintenance at Leading Edge Aerospace
- Dr. Kodey Bogart, CEO of KB Aviation Solutions, LLC
- Reinaldo Caceres, president and CEO of Nabu Pro
- Steve Dutt, director of aerospace at Kova Engineering Inc.
- Hal Hobenshield, president of FlyRite Accessory Overhauls
- Mike Kunkel, SMS program manager at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
- Howie Murray, aircraft maintenance engineer
- Dale Neubauer, owner of HeliLadder
- Faith Ortega, airframe and powerplant mechanic
- Jamie Wood, founder and CEO of Atomic Industries Inc.
- And many more…
