The Allplane Podcast #31 - carbon-free seaplanes, with Aaron Shaw
Sydney Seaplanes founder Aaron Shaw has a goal: to become the first scheduled fossil-free seaplane operator in the world.
Even if the seaplanes his airline operates are relatively small, seating some 15 passengers at most, the path ahead is fraught with difficulties: battery-powered planes have, as of today, serious scale limitations, while hydrogen propulsion is still at an experimental stage.
Nevertheless, every journey of a thousand miles starts with one small step and this is what’s on Sydney Seaplanes’ to-do list for this year that starts. Together with electric powertrain maker MagniX and other partners, this Australian seaplane operator is kicking off the necessary certification process.
Short panoramic flights around Sydney Bay may be the very first application for its carbon-free seaplanes, however, the ultimate goal is to fly much further, to the Australian capital Canberra, which, despite being inland, happens to have a nice lake right next to its downtown.
Listen to today’s podcast with Aaron Shaw, founder and CEO of Sydney Seaplanes, to learn more about how air operators are preparing for the advent of fossil fuel-free aviation.
Download this episode from:
Apple Podcasts / iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts or Stitcher
Things we talk about in this episode:
The story of Sydney Seaplanes
How Aaron helped set up seaplane operations all over the world
Why seaplanes can provide a practical transportation option in Australia
How Sydney Seaplanes plans to transition to electric aircraft
Which technologies are being considered for carbon free flights
Resources:
A view of Sydney Harbour
A view of Canberra and its artificial lake
Twin Otter like the one planned for the Canberra service
Hai Au Aviation, the Vietnamese seaplane operator that Aaron helped set up, flying between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay
MagniX and Dante Aeronautical, partners of Sydney Seaplanes in this project
The podcast episode about seaplanes with Rob Ceravolo, of Tropic Ocean Airways
The podcast episode with ZeroAvia, also mentioned
Podcast Music: Five Armies by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3762-five-armies
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Interview Transcript (coming soon!)
(please note that, although we strive to make it as close as possible to the original recording, the transcript may not be 100% accurate)