Vertical Flight Society selects Angelo Collins as new executive director
The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) has selected Angelo Collins as its executive director, the seventh leader in its 80-year history, with outgoing executive director Mike Hirschberg, who has led the organisation for 12 years, staying on in a supporting role as director of strategy.
“Mike has done a fantastic job over the past 12 years,” said Tomasz Krysinski, VFS chair of the board and chair of the selection committee, and VP of research and innovation at Airbus Helicopters.
VFS was founded in 1943 as the American Helicopter Society and has 6,500 members in industry, academia and government agencies worldwide, as well as 185 corporate members and 30 educational members. It was rebranded as the Vertical Flight Society five years ago.
“It has been the honour of my professional career to lead VFS since 2011,” said Hirschberg. “I have poured everything I could into expanding it into the Vertical Flight Society. Now it’s time to pass the baton to lead the Society into its next decade.”

Collins, a member of VFS since 2008 has 15 years of experience in aerospace engineering, project management and technical consulting, primarily related to vertical flight. He has a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and an MS in Engineering Administration from Virginia Tech.
Most recently, he has been serving as an aerospace engineer with Booz Allen Hamilton, managing the science and engineering technical assistance (SETA) support contract to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office (TTO), where he supervised a team of 18 engineers and analysts.
Collins also served as the Science and Technology (S&T) Portfolio Manager and S&T Affordability Lead in the F‑35 Joint Program Office, primarily responsible for oversight of S&T projects associated with development, production and sustainment for various systems, including the F135-PW-600 engine and Rolls-Royce LiftSystem for the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) jet fighter.
As a SETA at DARPA, he supported numerous vertical flight-related programs, including Tern, Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS), Gremlins, DiscRotor, Mission Adaptive Rotor, Otter, Blackjack, Goblin, Angler, Silent Marauder and High-Speed VTOL.
Collins said: “I appreciate the confidence that the Board of Directors has placed in me, and I look forward to serving the membership and expanding the global impact of VFS.”