2026 Hoist Operators Conference
Date: Saturday, March 7 - Sunday, March 8
Venue: Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park
We invite you to join us in Atlanta, Georgia at our 2026 OPSCON Conference, where more than 100 hoist operators and pilots from around the world will gather to discuss hoist training, look at case studies, receive technical briefings and learn best practices in airborne rescue operations.
This year’s event will take place at the Omni Atlanta Hotel. The dates are Saturday, March 7th through Sunday, March 8th. This is the weekend before Verticon 2026 (March 9-12th).
If you would like to attend, please fill out the registration form below. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!
190 Marietta St NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
+1.404.659.0000
Venue
Other Details
Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch
2026 Hoist Operators Agenda
Venue: Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park Int'l Ballroom EF-M2-North Tower
Atlanta, Georgia
March 7
8:00 AM
Registration / Check-In
Onboard Hoist & Winch Systems
9:00 AM
Welcome / Conference Start / State of Affairs
Onboard Systems Hoist and Winch
Nick Demogines
9:30 AM
Pegasus Update
Onboard Systems Hoist and Winch
Bejan Maghsoodi
10:00 AM
Workload and Operational Performance in Helicopter Rescue Operations – A Comparison of Two Different Rescue Methods in a Randomized Cross-Over Design.
Norsk Luftambulanse AS
William Ottestad
Håvard Mattingsdal
10:30 AM
Networking Break
10:45 AM
11:30 AM
How Many Funerals Does It Take
Bell Textron
Terry Miyauchi
12:15 PM
Lunch
1:30 PM
Connecting Helicopters to Anchors
Mountain Rescue Collective
Dave Weber
2:15 PM
Field Service Updates
Onboard Systems Hoist and Winch
Miguel Rosales
3:00 PM
Networking Break
3:15 PM
ESPN-R Hoist Working Group Update
Airbus Helicopter
Alex Weissenboeck
4:00 PM
Building a UH-60 Program
Charlotte County Sheriff
Shane Engelauf
4:45 PM
Day 1 Wrap Up
Onboard Systems Hoist and Winch
Nick Demogines
March 8
8:00 AM
Breakfast / Networking
Onboard Hoist and Winch Systems
9:00 AM
Welcome / Conference Start
Onboard Hoist and Winch Systems
Nick Demogines
9:30 AM
The Chaos of Rotor Wash: Predictable Forces, Preventable Outcomes
ICAR Air Rescue Commission
Charley Shimanski
10:15 AM
Networking Break
10:45 AM
A typical day in HHO
DRF Stiftung Luftrettung
Stiftung Luftrettung
Timo Demeter
11:30 AM
The Great Hoist Debate
SR3 Rescue Concepts
Dave Callen
12:15 PM
Lunch
1:30 PM
Extreme by Nature. Safe by Design
The Real ResQ
Jason Quinn
2:15 PM
Advanced Hoist Operations in High Altitude Search and Rescue
Air Zermatt
Rebekka Frieden
3:00 PM
Networking Break
3:15 PM
Recruitment:
Industry Experience vs Non-technical skills
Babcock Mission Critical Services
Australasia Pty Ltd
Nicholas Giblin
4:00 PM
PCDS Equipment Care Maintenance
Life Saving Systems
Matt High
4:45 PM
Wrap Up
Rescue of the Year
Onboard Systems Hoist and Winch
Nick Demogines
Richard Bryson
Want to find out what to expect at our conference? Click here to read about last year’s conference:
