The Allplane Podcast #121 - with Electra CEO, Marc Allen, & Flyvbird Founder, Tomislav Lang

Marc Allen (left) and Tomislav Lang (right)

This episode has two exceptional guests because more often than not, innovation doesn’t happen in isolation.

Great successful products and services are those that fast achieve product-market fit and this is precisely what we are going to talk about here today.

Our guests are Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, a US startup that is developing a hybrid-electric Ultra Short takeoff and landing aircraft capable of landing in incredibly short open spaces, and Tomislav Lang, co-founder and CEO of Flyvbird, a startup airline based in Germany which aims to transform regional air travel with an on-demand capilar air mobility network.

At this point, I must say that Tomislav is, actually, a veteran of this podcast, since he was here already in 2022 when Flyvbird was starting to take shape.

Quite a few things have happened since then, so we do examine with Marc and Tomislav the current state of the industry, and talk about what the market is asking for right now.

And while it is true that the market has cooled somehow when it comes to some of the most complex cleansheet aircraft projects from the point of view of technology, regulatory burdens and capital requirements, there is still plenty of appetite for advanced air mobility projects that are low risk, clean, safe and efficient.

And Electra’s EL9 aircraft, which is currently undergoing development and evaluation, among others, by the US military, seems to tick pretty much all these boxes. Marc will provide us with some insights about the current status of the project and the steps it is taking towards certification, while Tomislav will explain how it fits perfectly in Flyvbird’s plans to build a new generation on-demand regional airline.

Last but not least, both CEOs also talk about the ways they are collaborating to ensure success through the so much sought-after product-market fit.

Tune in to learn more about one of the most no-nonsense cleansheet aircraft projects right now in the market!

Download this episode from:

Apple Podcasts / iTunes, Spotify or Youtube

Things we talk about in this episode

What is Electra.aero and what type of aircraft is designing
The Flyvbird project and what it aims to achieve
Which technologies power the Electra hybrid-electric aircraft and what sets it apart
What is ultra-short take-off and landing (STOL)
What is an on-demand regional airline
Why Flyvbird thinks the Electra EL9 is the ideal aircraft for its business model
When the Electra EL9 is going to be market ready