Lee Roskop’s introduction to aviation was watching crop dusters fly back and forth over the farm fields where he grew up in rural northeastern Colorado. Early in high school, Lee became aware of the personal devastation that an aviation accident can have on a family after one of his classmates at their small high school lost her dad in a wire strike accident when he was crop dusting. His other early life exposure to aviation was the orange helicopters that would occasionally bring activity in his town of a few hundred people to a complete stop as the locals watched it arrive and depart. These were Colorado’s “Flight for Life” helicopters and mesmerized onlookers by landing in one of the common town areas and then taking off shortly thereafter to transport a community member in need of emergency care.
Lee’s interest in aviation grew during high school. One of his high school basketball coaches was a General Aviation pilot and graciously provided Lee with his first flight in an airplane. Lee decided to pursue an aviation career through the military by attending the U.S. Air Force Academy. He received his commission as an officer upon his graduation and within a year started Air Force pilot training. His training journey in jets and in helicopters led to his Air Force helicopter career flying UH-1s.
Through the Air Force, Lee gained experience overseeing safety at different levels of the organization. These roles led to opportunities to attend the Air Force’s flight safety officer course and accident investigation courses, present at international military safety events, and participate in the accident investigation and the accident report writing process.
Lee and his family decided to conclude their time in the Air Force after a rewarding 11 years of service. He accepted a position in Bell’s flight safety office, working closely with Bell’s accident investigators, customer support representatives, and legal department. The position allowed him to gather and analyze safety event data, discover trends, and communicate the information to help improve safety. This was also Lee’s first introduction to the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), a worldwide collaboration initiated to reduce helicopter accidents. Since 2009, Lee has worked for the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) supporting the continued operational safety of the U.S. in-service helicopter fleet. His activities have included quantitative risk analysis to support decisions on airworthiness issues, supporting occupant protection studies, promoting safety improvements, and sharing the latest trends in U.S. helicopter accidents. Since 2010, he has worked with industry through the IHST and USHST in the effort to save lives by preventing fatal accidents. Lee has served as the government co-chair of the USHST’s safety assurance team since 2018.
UPDATE: Lee Roskop has been selected as Vertical Aviation International’s 2026 Salute to Excellence Harold Summers Legacy Award recipient for selfless service to the worldwide vertical aviation community. As an FAA aviation safety coordinator, he leads rotorcraft safety analytics, turning FAA and NTSB data into practical operator guidance, and advancing collaboration through efforts such as the FAA Rotorcraft Accident Dashboard and work with the US Helicopter Safety Team.