Sun, Aug 17, 2025
Introducing ANN Staff, Stringers, Videographers... The People Who Make It All Work: The Best Helicopter SME Around
Anyone who's ever been to events like Oshkosh, AEA, and Sun 'n Fun know that there are hundreds of events and activities as well as tens of thousands of people that descend (some quite literally) on these locations each year. While we have a very hard-working and dedicated staff, ANN could not provide you with the extensive information we do without the help of some equally ... some might say more ... dedicated stringers and other staffers who give a week of their time to make sure you have the best possible coverage of every show and ever day.
Introducing.... Rex Alexander

Rex Alexander brings over 40 years of experience in military, general, and commercial aviation as a pilot, Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) technician, infrastructure developer, and safety professional. He is a globally recognized subject matter expert in vertical flight infrastructure and is the founder and president of Five-Alpha (5α) LLC, an aeronautical consultancy focused on providing specialized education, research, and insights into this unique and challenging sector. Since January 2019, he has served as Infrastructure Advisor to the Vertical Flight Society, where he provides leadership and guidance to the aviation industry in the development of globally accepted and harmonized vertical flight infrastructure standards.
Rex also serves as a platform instructor for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Safety Institute (TSI), where he helped develop and now teaches the Heliport Evaluation Course and instructs in both basic and advanced rotorcraft accident investigation courses. His industry volunteer work includes serving as Chair of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 418 Standard for Heliports & Vertiports technical committee, Member of the Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) Technology Working Group, Member of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Airport and Heliport Lighting Committee, Member of the Vertical Aviation International (VAI) Infrastructure Advisory Council, Member of Friends and Partners in Aviation Weather (FPAW), Former Member and Co-Chair of the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team Infrastructure Working Group, Former board member and past president of the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA), and Former board member and past president of the Indiana
Association of Air Medical Services (INAAMS).
Rex is an alumnus of Parks College of Aviation, St. Louis University, and is a former U.S. Army Warrant Officer, where he served as an “Aeroscout” Helicopter Pilot, Instructor Pilot, and Standardization Instructor both on active duty and in the Indiana Army National Guard
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