👨✈️ Safe Landing Airside Chat
🚁 Electric Helicopters: the future of vertical lift?
💬 In discussion with: David Smith, CEO & President of the Robinson Helicopter Company
🗓️ Thurs 30th April 2026
Description:
What might a sustainable future for rotorcraft look like? The past decade has seen heavy speculative investment in so-called “electric Vertical Take-Off & Landing” (eVTOL) aircraft that can transition into forward flight mode like conventional aircraft – but could fully-electric or hybrid-electric powered conventional helicopters offer a better solution for many applications?
Watch this Safe Landing Airside Chat, featuring David Smith, CEO and President of the Robinson Helicopter Company, the world’s leading manufacturer of civil helicopters. An engineer and industry veteran, he is the third person to lead the privately held company in its over 50-year history. He joined Robinson as Vice President of Operations after a long career at Bell Flight, where he held senior executive positions in engineering, program management, and product development.
In this conversation, David took us through a background to the company, introduced us to Robinson’s electric-powered “eR66” helicopter programme, and described his vision of the future for this area of the aviation sector.
The session explored:
🚘 David’s journey: from engineer to CEO
🚁 The range of products and operations covered by Robison Helicopters today
🔋 The opportunities and challenges of powering helicopters using new energy sources
⚡ Robinson’s vision of the future for “electric Take-Off & Landing” (eVTOL) flights
🛩️ What took place
– 30 minute discussion with host Finlay Asher (recorded)
– 30 minutes of audience Q&A and open discussion (off the record)
💡 Why watch?
– Hear from an outspoken leader in the rotorcraft industry
– Consider the trade-offs between different technology approaches
– Learn how to separate the tech hype from the hot air in this space
– Be part of an insightful conversation about how air travel can transform
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