The Allplane Podcast

As Europe is trying to get people off planes and into trains out of environmental concerns, Dr. Klaus Radermacher stands out as a contrarian voice.We are calculating it wrong!…says this engineer and consultant, who, in the last few years has taken a keen interest in the topic of sustainable mobility.Is the train really a better alternative to the plane? Which mode of transportation is most efficient over short, medium and long distances? Should we keep building more high speed rail infrastructure to get people to fly less? These are some of the questions that Dr. Radermacher addresses in an episode of the podcast rich in facts and data.The conclusions Dr. Radermacher reached after applying his analytical framework to this consequential debate may not please everyone. They provide, however, a valuable viewpoint that should be taken into account if we wish to make the best possible use of the available resources to tackle one of the most pressing issues we face as a society.This was a long, but fascinating conversation, to the point that we have already agreed on retaking it where we left it some day soon, because there are so many segues and derivations of this line of thought that they could not all fit in a standard episode.In the meantime, tune in for what is possibly one of the most thought-provoking episodes to date of this podcast!

Sustainability has become a central topic in aviation, but are airlines prepared for this conversation?Elizabeth Maclean and Mike Evans are the co-founders of Herdwick Communications, a consultancy firm that advises airlines all over the world.With Elizabeth and Mike we speak about the reputation crisis and public relations storm that the aviation industry is facing in the face of climate change and how airlines should be communicating about sustainability.What can airlines say when they are being accused of wrecking the climate? How can airlines avoid greenwashing and end up being sued because of overpromising or misrepresenting their sustainability initiatives? Why so many airlines have opted for greenhushing instead?Elizabeth and Mike share their views on the matter and the basics of the model they have developed to help airlines deal with these increasingly pressing matters.Check it out!

Landor is, possibly, the creative agency that has designed the most iconic brands in aviation.British Airways, Alitalia, Singapore Airlines and Etihad are just a few of the big names of the airline industry that have entrusted their public identity to Landor’s creative minds.On this episode of the podcast we speak with Ryan Frost, Executive Creative Director at Landor, about the attributes of a great airline brand and we dissect what and how three great British airlines that couldn’t be more different between them - British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet - have chosen to communicate those attributes.We also take a look at some iconic projects completed by Landor in the past, not just the world-famous BA “Landor livery”, which was for many years almost like an unofficial national symbol of Britain, but also others that have defined an era in airline branding, such as Alitalia’s, its more modern reincarnation in ITA Airways and Etihad Airways.How often does an airline need to change its livery? How airline brands have adapted to the changing nature of the air travel business over the last few decades?We will talk about these and some other aspects of airline brand design on today’s episode of the podcast!

Our guest in this episode is Billy Thalheimer, founder and CEO of REGENT, a startup based in Rhode Island developing a wing-in-ground vehicle that will make it possible to fly fast and sustainably between coastal cities before the end of this decade.A wing-in-ground vehicle (WiG) is a type of craft that flies just a few meters above the surface of water making use of a draft-reducing aerodynamical effect.As a matter of fact, wing-in-ground vehicles are not new, the Soviets had a go at them during the Cold War, and some entrepreneurs have tried to make them work in the past. What’s new with REGENT’s project, though, is that they are using some novel technologies, such as retractable foils to overcome some of the traditional limitations of this type of craft, such as their limited maneuvrability and sensitivity to high waves. What’s more, REGENT is designing its craft to be electrically powered, which means they will also allow for sustainable travel.The Seaglider, such is the name of the ground-in-wing vehicle REGENT is working on, will fly over water at 180 mph, way, way faster than traditional ferries. So, it is not surprising that ferry operators are among the first to place orders for the Seaglider. Airlines have also shown interest in the Seagliders. Some of them, like Japan Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, have even invested in the project, adding their names to a list of A-class investors that includes the likes of Mark Cuban, Peter Thiel and aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin.Last but not least, the Seaglider has also caught the eye of the US Marine Corps at a time when it is reviewing its strategy for an Indo-Pacific area of operations that is simmering with geopolitical tensions.But how long will we have to wait to see REGENT’s Seagliders in action? How is the experience of traveling in a Seaglider going to be like?No one better to answer all these questions than person behind the REGENT Craft project! Tune in to listen to Billy Thalheimer share his insights about this new and revolutionary mode of transportation!

Is the air cargo market ripe for its own technology revolution?Aleksey Matyushev and his team at Natilus are certainly doing their bit to make it happen.A graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Aleksey has been working at the cutting edge of aerospace technology for quite some time, both on civilian and military projects.He is the founder and CEO of Natilus, a Californian startup that is working on a family of truly disruptive blended-wing-body freigther aircraft that are also designed with autonomous flight capabilities and hydrogen propulsion in mind.A tall order, for sure. But Natilus has secured the backing of quite a few prominent technology investors as well as some major players in the air cargo industry.The Natilus project encapsulates also some of the themes that the broader aerospace industry faces in decades to come: go for a clean-sheet design or not? should commercial aircraft be autonomous or remotely operated? what’s the role of hydrogen in the future of aviation?We talk about all this and some more with Aleksey in this episode of the podcast!

Charles Everett is the Director of Aviation at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a public organization set up by these two states in order to manage key pieces of infrastructure, including the ports, some tunnels and roads and, importantly for this episode of the podcast, New York’s airport system.More than 144 million passengers pass every year through the airports under the responsibility of the Port Authority, which include JFK, La Guardia and Newark-Liberty, and this number is set to increase in coming years and the three of them complete massive redevelopment works.Over $30 billion dollars have been invested in the last few years in rebuilding and expanding airports capacity at all major airports in the New York area, something that is also expected to bring about a very significant upgrade of the passenger experience.So, on today’s episode, we are going to review, together with Charles, each of these projects and discuss how the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is preparing for a future in which sustainability take center stage and new forms of air mobility are start to shape the way we move around.Tune in for a detailed overview of New York’s airport system and how it is investing to reclaim its position as one of the world’s major air travel nodes!

Eric Lithun is a successful software entrepreneur from Norway, who, after selling the company he had co-founded, focused his efforts on the development of an electric seaplane.Elfly is a startup developing a new generation battery-powered seaplane.Electric aviation is tough: energy density is not yet there for most use cases, but this is not the case, Eric thinks, of the many of the missions seaplanes operate nowadays.In areas like the Norwegian fjords or the Maldives, seaplanes can play an important role linking communities that, while not distant as the crow (or the seaplane!) flies, are separated by some stretch of water that make air transport a desirable and efficient option.An aircraft that can operate those short distances economically, sustainably and with little need for infrastructure can open up numerous opportunities in this type of places. This is why Elfly plans not only to develop a new generation of electric seaplanes that can be upgraded progressively as new battery technology becomes available, but also to become an operator on its very own, showing to the world the operational and financial feasibility of the concept.Eric is a fantastic conversationalist that lays out very clearly what. are the the key factors that will make possible for the seaplanes to experience a renaissance of sorts in the coming decades.Tune in for a fascinating conversation about Elfly and the future of electric seaplanes! Download this episode from:Apple Podcasts / iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts Things we talk about in this episode Eric’s professional background and how he got into aviationThe Elfly story, background and current statusWhy electric seaplanes have a compelling business case in NorwayHow Elfly plans to avoid some of the issues that have prevented a more widespread use of seaplanesThe NoEmi seaplane, features and charateristicsEric’s plan to serially-produce the NoEmi seaplane ResourcesElflyThe previous podcast with Tomas BrødreskiftThe announcement of a cooperation agreement between Elfly and the Lofoten Islands of northern Norway, including the vintage-style poster we talk about during our conversation with Eric.A report by the Nordic Network for Electric Aviation (NEA) about opportunities for electric aviation in Scandinavia The NoEmi in flight (as you may see it one day in the Norwegian fjords) Podcast Music: Five Armies by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3762-five-armiesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Interview Transcript:(please note that, although we strive to make it as close as possible to the original recording, the transcript may not be 100% accurate)

Giulio Ranucci is the Head of Innovation at Aeroporti di Roma (AdR), the company managing Rome’s two airports, Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA), with nearly 45 million annual passengers combined.What makes Giulio’s work at the helm of AdR’s innovation arm particularly interesting, is the very active role that the Italian airport operator is playing in fostering technology innovation in the airport sector.The initiatives taken by AdR go well beyond Rome and Italy. Its annual startup accelerator programme is open to startups from all over the world and Aeroporti di Roma has also been instrumental in establishing a global network of airports, stretching all the way from Vancouver to Dubai, which share this interest in accelerating innovative systems and solutions with the potential to improve the passengers’ airport experience. This is an area, where, I think many will agree, there is lots of scope for improvement!In this episode of the podcast to learn how Aeroporti di Roma has structured its startup accelerator, including the setup of a dedicated physical space within the terminal, how the most promising participants can then get funding from AdR Ventures, the firm’s own venture capital arm and, last but not least, how its airports and those in the Airports 4 Innovations network provide a real-world launchpad to test new products and ideas.Tune in for a deep dive into the world of airport technology acceleration!

Richard Gaona is one of the key players in the global executive aviation industry.The once president of Airbus’ Executive Aircraft division is currently leading one of the most unique operators in the highly sophisticated world of private aviation.Richard is the President and CEO of Comlux, a company like no other. The uniqueness of Comlux is not due to the fact that it operates at the highest end of a market. No, even if its fleet includes some of the world’s largest and most luxurious private jets and its customer list, some of the world’s most successful businessmen, artists, sportsmen, heads of state and royalty, this is not the main reason it stands out from the pack.What sets Comlux apart is the its rather holistic approach combining under its umbrella pretty much all the services that a private jet owner may need: from aircraft trading and brokerage, to cabin completions, from maintenance and technical services to on-demand charters and aircraft management. What’s more, not content with that, Comlux has also been instrumental in the design of a new aircraft type, the Airbus TwoTwenty, which has de facto created a new category within the executive jet industry.In this episode of the podcast, done in partnership with Comlux, Richard Gaona shares some insights about the fascinating and exclusive world in which Comlux operates in: the top tier of corporate aviation. But with Richard we also talk extensively about the new TwoTwenty aircraft, the corporate version of the state-of-the-art A220 airliner, a project that is very dear to him, since Comlux has had a major role in its development from its inception.The idea behind the TwoTwenty is that you can combine the economic and operational performance of a purpose-built business jet, with the spaciousness of an airliner.Comlux delivered (and operates) the first TwoTwenty to Dubai based luxury hospitality group FIVE in the Spring of 2023 and will be fitting the cabins of the next sixteen of the type that Airbus produces. So, tune in for an in-depth conversation about one of the most fascinating companies operating right now in commercial aviation!

Mark Hiller is the CEO of RECARO Holding and RECARO Aircraft Seating.Germany-based RECARO is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of aircraft seats. Although RECARO is present in, pretty much all segments of the market, its position is particularly strong in low cost and hybrid airlines, where it gets close to a third of the market worldwide.Yes, you read that right!…roughly one of every three seats in this segment of the airline industry are made by this family-owned company headquartered in the picturesque town of Schwäbisch-Hall the southwest of Germany! (although not all seats are made there, since RECARO has now factories in several other locations around the world).So, few people know the aircraft seat market as well as Mark Hiller, RECARO’s CEO, our guest today on the podcast.In this episode, done in partnership with RECARO, we explore not just the fascinating story of the company, that started making chassis for Porsche sports cars, but will also review the current state of the aircraft seating industry and its main trends.We also have some time, of course, to discuss some of the most original aircraft seat concepts that have been floated recently and their chances of becoming (or not!) a reality in the near future. Another topic that we touch upon is that of premium cabins (first, business and premium economy), an area in which RECARO has been investing significant resources and unveiling a whole range of innovative products lately.Chances are that if your are reading this, you fly with certain regularity and, therefore, it is very, very likely you have spent time sitting on one of RECARO’s seats, so, I am sure this episode of the podcast will offer you a new perspective on the matter! Download this episode from:Apple Podcasts / iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts Things we talk about in this episode Mark’s professional backgroundThe long and fascinating story of RecaroWhat markets is Recaro active inRecaro’s focus on economy class seats and how it has expanded its range to cover also business class and premium economyHow Recaro co-brands its seats with some airlinesHow long are the aircraft seat design and procurement cycles How Recaro develops new aircraft seat conceptsWhat are the main drivers of sustainability in the aircraft seat industryStanding passengers, stacked seats and other ideas…How you can innovate in the aircraft seat industry while remaining within the bounds of what is feasible todayHow is the aircraft seat industry preparing for the arrival of eVTOLs ResourcesRecaro Aircraft SeatingRecaro GroupThe Porsche 356, one of the iconic cars that Recaro built chassis for (before the company specializes in making seats)My 2021 piece for The Points Guy about the opening of Recaro’s new factory in Schwäbisch HallMy post on the Places of Charm travel blog about the historical town of Schwäbisch Hall and about the nearby museum of German rural lifeTrends in airline seating, my piece on AerotimeFrontier Airlines & Alaska Airlines seats co-branded with Recaro“Xtend” seatRecaro’s acquisition of a Polish train seat manufacturerTrains and planes in Europe, my piece for CNN on thisPodcast Music: Five Armies by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3762-five-armiesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Interview Transcript:(please note that, although we strive to make it as close as possible to the original recording, the transcript may not be 100% accurate)

Jay Sorensen is one of the world’s top experts in airline ancillaries. Every year, Jay’s firm, IdeaWorksCompany, produces a comprehensive report about the state of airline ancillaries, a piece of work that has become the reference in this field, the Yearbook of Ancillary Revenue.As someone that tried to read IdeaWork’s ancillaries yearbook as soon as it comes out, I was keen to have Jay on the podcast to talk about this very important component of many airlines’ business model.What are the ancillaries that are driving the most revenue? Which ancillaries are now focusing the attention of the airlines? Is it realistic to think of airlines, first and foremost, as retailers, as some in the industry pretend?We talk about all these matters and some more on this week’s episode of the podcast…!

Addison Ferrell is Director, Infrastructure and Head of Americas at Skyports, one of the world’s leading vertiport developers.Vertiports will be an essential element of the upcoming advanced air mobility revolution. Will they be more like airports or like metro stations? What sort of experience can we expect to have there are travellers? What are the barriers of entry in this sector?These are all questions I wanted to ask an expert like Addison, because there is still so much of the advanced air mobility experience that is still pretty much being defined as we speak.In this regard, Skyport’s vision emerges as being particularly relevant, since the firm is active in all continents and has been involved in some of the most advanced projects in this field, such as the one taking shape in Dubai, to connect the Emirate’s main nodes with a network of vertiports.So, tune in for a fascinating conversation with one of the experts that is actively shaping the future of the advanced air mobility experience!

The seaplane industry could not remain off trend. Electrification is driving a wave of innovation in aviation and George Alafinov, the scion of a family of seaplane designers, is making sure it does not skip one of the oldest branches of the industry.True, seaplanes may have fallen out of fashion in the post-war years. The advent of the jet era, the availability of airports on land and the maintenance requirements of aircraft operating in salty water led to this category of aircraft being sidelined. But Jekta’s founder is taking a new approach, using composites and electric propulsion to create the seaplane of the future.In this episode of the podcast we discuss the pros and cons of seaplanes with George Alafinov and we talk also about the large order Jekta recently secured in India, where regional aviation is on the rise.Tune in to learn how Jekta is pioneering technologies that could lead to a seaplane renaissance at a time when the industry is looking for versatile, clean and efficient aircraft for regional air transport

Marc Piette is the founder and CEO of Xwing, a California-based company that is developing a system that allows aircraft to fly fully autonomously, from gate to gate without human intervention.This may sounds like science-fiction to some, but it is certainly not. Already back in 2021, Xwing demonstrated this technology by successfully completing one of such autonomous flights.This is a potentially disruptive technology that I was very curious to learn more about, so I invited Marc to the podcast to try to understand a bit better what they are doing at Xwing.in our conversation, we review the basics of autonomous flight and the technologies that Xwing is developing and integrating to make it possible. We also talk about Marc’s entrepreneurial journey, from the moment he arrived in the US from Belgium, his trajectory in the tech industry and the foundation and growth of Xwing.Tune in for a fascinating chat about what could be the future of aviation several years and decades from now!

Things we talk about in this episode:Jenny’s professional background What is Cranfield Aerospace SolutionsWhat is the relationship between Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Cranfield UniversityWhy Cranfield Aerospace Solutions has pivoted towards the search for sustainable technologies in aviationThe Britten-Norman dealProject FressonThe role of Cranfield Aerospace Solutions in the UK’s sustainable aviation ecosystem

As used as I am in reviewing all sorts of innovative ideas in aviation, the concept that Magpie Aviation presented a few weeks ago really caught my eye.Is this even possible? This was my first reaction when learning about the system to get an electric aircraft to tow, mid-air, a passenger aircraft to its destination that the guys at Magpie have devised.Fortunately, I had met Magpie’s Damon Vander Lind and Andy Goessling, CEO and CTO of Magpie, respectively, at an event in Nice just a few days prior. So, I got in touch to try to get them on the podcast asap in order to learn more about this truly original concept to decarbonize aviation.So, I was on the line with, Damon and Andy, shortly after and the result is this podcast episode, where we talk about this revolutionary concept, its pros and cons and how Magpie Aviation plans to bring it to fruition.By the way, they also share some details about the real flight tests they conducted recently over the Nevada desert (see video in the show notes).So, don’t miss today’s episode if you wish to get a glimpse of what out-of-the-box thinking really means when it comes to tackling the problem of emissions in the aviation industry!

This year’s edition of EBACE was all about sustainability, or at least that’s what the program of activities focused on.The executive aviation industry is well aware of how it is being increasingly perceived by the public opinion in a context of climate alarm and, believe it or not, it is taking the matter very seriously.Interestingly, and perhaps counterintuitively, there seem to be strong synergies with another segment of the aviation industry that is part of the solution: the sustainable flight innovators. In fact, the prevailing technological and market conditions make it likely that the first use cases of new propulsion technologies will be in what is currently labelled as private aviation.Besides that, EBACE is also a great forum to meet fellow aviation professionals from across the globe, including quite a few that have been here on this podcast before.So, I thought it would be a good idea to do a special episode with two of them, Adam Twidell, who was here on episodes and Morell Westermann, who did so in episodes .Both have a long experience in the field of aviation, besides the fact that they are both extremely articulate and great speakers, so their insights are always very valuable.So, in this episode I speak much less and I let both Adam and Morell share their impressions and insights from EBACE: what was interesting and what not and how the concepts, aircraft and technology that were exhibited at EBACE will shape the future of air mobility by making it greener.So, tune in for a fascinating debate between two great minds of the aviation industry!

TNMT is the research and analysis arm of Lufthansa Innovation Hub, which is, in turn, the innovation arm of the large German airline group.If you are into aviation tech, TNMT’s newsletter is a must. I have been a subscriber for quite some time and have even collaborated, through AeroTime, in one of its editions.This is why I had long wanted to invite TNMT’s head of research, Ivan Terekhov, here to the podcast, to ask him about the many interesting tech developments that are transforming aviation and travel, but also because I am really fascinated by the work they do at TNMT.Leading a small team of researchers, Ivan has been instrumental in turning TNMT’s publications in a reference in this field.In this conversation we learn a bit more about TNMT’s methodologies and about Ivan’s views of some of the most talked about (or “hyped” in some cases, if you prefer!) technologies in aviation right now.Tune in for a comprehensive and well informed overview of the current aviation tech scene!

Mikhail Kokorich is a serial entrepreneur operating at the technology frontier of aerospace.Following a string of successful business launches in areas such as satellite technology, his latest venture, Swiss-based Destinus is developing an hypersonic aircraft capable of linking different continents at speeds five times faster than sound.This may sound outlandish, but there is currently a wave of startups that taking advantages of advances in materials science and renewed interest among the world’s governments in hypersonic capabilities in order to explore this potentially disruptive technology.I really appreciated Mikhail’s straightforward and not-mincing-words style in addressing some of the aspects of hypersonics development, from the role of military research projects to the sustainability angle. This direct, hands-on approach is also evident in some of the startup’s latest milestones. Far from working on abstract concepts, Destinus is already testing some small-scale prototypes (not hypersonically yet!) and is creating a network of partners across Europe (for example, it recently received a €13M grant from the Spanish government to further its research in this field). Some new tangible developments are expected in the next few months.So, how long before we are able to hop across the Atlantic in a couple of hours?Tune in for this fascinating conversation (despite my voice still ailing from a cold!) about one of the most exciting aerospace technologies currently under development!

When it comes to the passenger experience and the product most airlines offer to their passengers, Jeff O’Neill has pretty strong opinions.Not for nothing, Jeff, who was already on this podcast back in 2020, is the founder of Zephyr Aircraft Seat and has been patiently working to bring to fruition what he sees as the future of the Premium Economy class.The Zephyr seat is as revolutionary as it looks: a stacked seat concept that allows passengers to lay down flat to sleep without having to pay a fortune for a fancy business class seat. Now, this idea is, of course, a departure from the canon of the industry, which won’t face an easy path to become a reality.If airlines have tended to be traditional in its approach to seating, this doesn’t discourage Jeff, as well as other creative minds in this industry from continuing to pursue what he regards as a necessary update of the passenger experience. After years of investment by airlines in perfecting the business class cabin, has the time come for a rethink of the premium economy and economy class experiences?We talk with Jeff about all this and he also shares some tips and insights about his favourite airline products currently in the market, both premium and economy.So tune in for a fascinating conversation about what makes for a great airline cabin product and passenger experience!