RotorHub International

March 16, 2026 - Grace Hardy

https://www.rotorhub.com/time-to-paws-k9-torque-makes-final-appearance-at-verticon/ 

Amongst aircraft orders and company announcements, VERTICON 2026 marked a very special occasion: the last appearance of Torque, an inspirational K9 and crew member for EMU, Inc.

Torque is a 12-year-old Belgian Malinois and has been flying in Bell UH-1Hs since she was under a year old, holding the record title for the dog with the most flights in a Huey. EMU, Inc provides exposure therapy flights for Veterans living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Torque is a core element of the organization's work.

“For veterans suffering from PTSD, we notice when they get in the aircraft, some of them would start to panic when the rotors started. Torque would go over and lean into them, and they’d hang onto her, and they could make it through the entire ride,” says Torque’s handler.

Despite her natural instinct to comfort veterans during these flights, Torque’s place in the aircraft is as symbolic as it is essential. Torque represents and honours the 4,000 dogs that were abandoned in Vietnam by the United States, left behind as equipment, rather than living creatures. It is estimated that these dogs saved over 10,000 lives during the war, and now Torque flies to represent the sacrifices made by these animals, and to ensure that the laws of today are changed to protect working animals.

However, this isn’t Torque’s only job. This busy pup also works in law enforcement as one of the few Electronic Storage Device Detection K9s. When it comes to trafficking or child predator crimes, phones, SD cards, and flash drives are commonly used, critical evidence, and almost impossible to find. Dogs like Torque are trained to detect these devices, no matter how small or well-hidden they might be, and previously she has found devices in power outlets and in the bottom of a stapler. Her caring nature extends into this work too, when sometimes, in the event that children are discovered, Torque provides support and comfort to victims in the moments when they need it the most.

2026 marks Torque’s last VERTICON, and while attendees will undoubtedly be sad to miss this hero of aviation, it is a well-deserved retirement. Vertical Association International (VAI) and the city of Atlanta made sure that she had the sendoff she deserved, with Torque flying into her last VERTICON with the Friends of Army Aviation, and on the last day of the event, the date (12 March 2026) was declared K9 Torque Day by the Atlanta City Council.

Torque’s handler adds: “She inspires a lot of little kids to get involved in aviation. When we were at VERTICON last year, a little girl hung out with Torque for several hours. When the girl's mother came to get her to leave, she looked at her mom and said, “I know what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be a pilot so that I can fly dogs like Torque where they want to go.””

Having met her myself, Torque is a beautiful, calm, intelligent being, and despite the chaos of the show and the crowds of people wanting to meet her, she never faltered. It may be her last public appearance at VERTICON, but Torque’s impact will live on for many years to come.