The Allplane Podcast #33 - building an electric seaplane, with Tomas Brødreskift

Norway is a long way from the Equator line, but, it is, no doubt about this, ideal seaplane country.

Tomas Brødreskift is the founder and CEO of Equator Aircraft, a Norwegian startup that is developing an electric seaplane that promises to open the country’s many fjords and lakes to a carbon-free form fo transportation…and we shall add, “recreation” too, because the light seaplane model Equator Aircraft will have space for bikes, skis and even kayaks!

Despite their versatility, seaplanes have an extra layer of complexity when compared with land planes and this gets compounded when you power it with an emerging, developing technology.

In this episode we have a frank conversation with Tomas about these challenges and the difficulty of building a new aircraft type from scratch, but also about the transformative power of electric aviation and how it can be transformative for private aviation.

We also talk about Equator Aviation plans to scale up its first prototype, which flew already in 2019, and develop eventually a commercial version that seaplane operators such as Danish airline Nordic Seaplanes have shown interest in.

We also talk about Tomas involvement, as a participant, in the upcoming Air Race E, the world’s first all-electric air race, a topic that will be the subject of an upcoming episode of this podcast…

Listen here to today’s episode of the podcast with Tomas Brødreskift of Equator Aircraft:

Download this episode from:

Apple Podcasts / iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts or Stitcher

Things we talk about in this episode:

The story of Equator Aircraft and how Tomas Brødreskift lived and breathed aviation since a very early age
How Equator Aircraft is developing a light electrically-powerd seaplane
How Equator’s seaplane project is going so far, achievements and difficulties
Why seaplanes are ideal for recreational aviation
Pricing and market considerations for private seaplanes
Tomas Brødreskift entrepreneurial journey, fundraising and other projects
Equator’s plans to scale up its seaplane and partnerships with seaplane operators and other industry players
Equator’s participation in the upcoming Air Race E