HYSKY Announces New Appointments to Board of Directors

HYSKY Society for hydrogen aviation strengthens leadership as it accelerates the decarbonization of aviation through hydrogen innovation

Houston, TX — Dec. 15, 2025 — HYSKY Society, the non-profit dedicated to advancing hydrogen-powered aviation, has appointed three new members from industry and academia to its Board of Directors. 

Mike Hirschberg, Executive Director Emeritus of the Vertical Flight Society and founder of H2 Advisors; Dr. Anubhav Datta, the Alfred Gessow Professor at the University of Maryland’s Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center in the Department of Aerospace Engineering; and Ken Swartz, President of Aeromedia Consultants and a former Board Member of the Vertical Flight Society, recently joined the HYSKY Board.

Each has a broad background in vertical flight and fixed-wing aircraft applications. “With hydrogen-powered helicopters, airplanes and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft now flying — which will enable electric aircraft to fly much further than batteries alone — their appointments mark an exciting new chapter in HYSKY’s mission to accelerating aviation’s transition to hydrogen fuel cell propulsion,” said Danielle McLean, Founder and CEO of HYSKY Society.

Mike Hirschberg served as Executive Director and Director of Strategy of the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) for 14 years, and was also the editor of Vertiflite, the world’s leading vertical flight technology magazine, for more than 25 years. With engineering degrees in aerospace propulsion, he recently launched Hirschberg Heuristics (H2) Advisors, LCC, a consultancy providing strategic aviation technology insights, focused on vertical flight, hydrogen aviation, advanced air mobility (AAM) and defense. The name H2 Advisors also indicates “H₂” — the atomic symbol for hydrogen.

In 2014, Mike Hirschberg organized the world’s first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft symposium, and he was among the earliest mainstream voices to recognize hydrogen’s game-changing capabilities for aviation, particularly for vertical flight. He started the VFS H2eVTOL Council in 2020 (with McLean, Datta and Michael Dyment from NEXA Capital), which grew into HYSKY. Hirschberg’s hydrogen leadership also led to the world’s first in-person hydrogen aviation conference in 2022, as well as SAE International’s AE-5H Hydrogen Airport Committee, developing guidelines for hydrogen aircraft refueling standards.

“Mike Hirschberg has been one of the world’s leading advocates for vertical flight and AAM,” said McLean. “His appointment reflects his additional passion for hydrogen power as part of the future of flight.”

Dr. Anubhav Datta is a globally recognized authority in rotorcraft dynamics and structures and hydrogen propulsion integration. His contributions have directly influenced several of the world’s first hydrogen-eVTOL flight demonstrations and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs. He was the founding chair of the VFS eVTOL Technical Committee and is currently chair of the Structural Dynamics Technical Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Holding a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, Dr. Datta has had an extraordinary career, spanning the US Army Aviation Development Directorate, NASA Ames Research Center, and numerous international collaborations. His research has advanced the fundamental understanding of tiltrotor whirl flutter, Mars rotorcraft dynamics, 3D aeroelastic structures, and hydrogen propulsion architectures.

“Dr. Datta is one of the most technically brilliant minds in vertical flight and among the most visionary in integrating hydrogen power into aviation and aerospace systems,” McLean said. “His contributions make him an invaluable asset to HYSKY’s mission and the global aviation community.”

Ken Swartz is a globally recognized aviation consultant and aerospace journalist. He began his career as a marketing manager in the regional airline and helicopter industry, then joined the airline marketing team at Bombardier to work on successful CRJ regional jet campaigns. In 2008, he formed Aeromedia Consultants to provide innovative marketing and corporate communications services to aviation and aerospace industry clients.

Swartz is also a leading aviation journalist and industry historian who has published thousands of articles. He has been reporting on the helicopter and air transport industry for four decades and coauthored the corporate histories of CAE and Pratt & Whitney Canada. In 2017, Swartz and Hirschberg co-founded The Electric VTOL News, the world’s first website, e-newsletter and YouTube video content devoted to the emerging AAM industry. Since 2018, Swartz has also helped organize the annual Electric Aircraft Symposium on the weekend prior to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

“Having Ken Swartz on our board brings decades of deep aviation knowledge and an encyclopedic understanding of vertical and electric flight,” said McLean. “His insights will help guide HYSKY's future and better tell the story of hydrogen aviation with both technical precision and historic depth.”

HYSKY’s six flagship programs will directly benefit from the new additions to the Board:

• HYSKY Edu — Enhance the technical rigor of the society’s various hydrogen aerospace courses, ensuring they align with emerging standards and certification pathways.

• HYSKY Monthly — Expand webinar reach and content quality, connecting technical experts with the broader aviation community.

• HYSKY Pod — Elevate production value and outreach for HYSKY’s podcast featuring leading hydrogen innovators.

• HYSKY Connect — Contribute to building a robust ecosystem linking hydrogen producers, logistics providers, aviation manufacturers and operators.

• FLYING HY and H2Hub Summit — Fostering technical depth and thought leadership to HYSKY’s annual hydrogen aviation events.

HYSKY held its third annual FLYING HY symposium on Nov. 5, 2025, featuring 30 speakers from across the hydrogen aviation ecosystem, including executives from GenH2, H2FLY, Heven Drones, Hydroplane, Piasecki Aircraft, PowerCell, Robinson Helicopter, Unither Bioelectronics and ZeroAvia, plus research centers at four universities.

About HYSKY Society

Founded in 2023, HYSKY Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to decarbonizing aviation with hydrogen. Through education, research and collaboration, HYSKY advances the technologies and partnerships needed to enable zero-carbon flight across UAV, eVTOL and fixed-wing platforms.

Learn more or get involved at www.hysky.org

Media Contact: 📧 info@hysky.org