The Allplane Podcast

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!

Omer Bar-Yohay is the president of AutoFlight.AutoFlight is as close as it gets in the eVTOL world to a global company: founded and headquartered in China, where it has its manufacturing facility, its design and development team and some of its major investors are located in Germany and its operational testing grounds in the California.Although, perhaps it hasn’t got, so far, as much press as other major eVTOL players, AutoFlight has been collecting some notable successes: in February 2023, AutoFlight’s Prosperity set a new record for a nonstop eVTOL flight, 250km on a single battery charge (beating by 2km the previous record-holder, Joby) and just a few days later it announced a massive 205-strong aircraft order from EVFLY, a firm that intends to launch eVTOL operations in Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Africa before the end of this decade.But what I also found quite interesting is that Omer defines himself first and foremost as a realist, so I was really keen to learn his views about the eVTOL euphoria we are living through and get a realistic assessment of the market situation and the prospects for eVTOL developers from an experienced industry insider like him.There are certainly few people out there with as much direct hands-on experience of the new forms of air mobility that are taking shape!So tune in for a fascinating conversation with Omer Bar-Yohay, president of AutoFlight!

Hemant Mistry, our guest today, is the director of energy transition at the world’s top airline industry organisation, IATA, which gathers nearly 300 airlines from all over the world.With Hemant we review the strategy of priorities that IATA has set for its members and the industry’s position in matters such as the sustainable fuel mandates being introduced, for example, by the European Union.But IATA’s task is not all about coordination among its members and lobbying, there are also a number of practical initiatives we talk about, such as IATA Connect, which provides a useful and easily shareable framework for airlines and other players in the air transportation and travel market to assess their carbon footprint, a necessary first step to take action to mitigate it.So, tune in for a sharp and concise overview of how the main organization representing the airline industry views the future of sustainable flight.