The Allplane Podcast #135: an advanced air mobility reality check, with Adrian Norris
Every now and then is good to stop for a second, and take some time to think and assess what’s going on around you.
If you are following the advanced air mobility industry on a day to day basis it is easy to get carried away by a deluge of triumphalist announcements and press releases.
But what is real and what is mere hype?
Adrian Norris is someone that not only knows the aviation industry inside out after decades of experience in different capacities, but he’s also been an aircraft entrepreneur prior to becoming a consultant. So, he knows a thing or two about the challenges of developing and marketing a new aircraft type from scratch!
I’ve been following Adrian’s writings on Linkedin for quite some time. In the, he shares his critical analysis, based on objective, known facts, of some of the most prominent aviation projects going on in the world right now.
Does hydrogen aviation have a future? What are the prospects for electric aircraft developers? Who’s going to win the eVTOL race, if anyone?
These are just some of the topics we discuss with Adrian in today’s episode. What’s more, rather than remain in the domain of the abstract and general, we are going to name specific companies and try to assess their chances of success.
So, buckle up for a ride through the volatile world of advanced air mobility. We'll try to separate hype from reality in an industry in which high hopes and promising tech collide with challenging human and physical laws, challenging economics and shifting investor sentiment!
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Things we talk about in this episode
Adrian’s long and diverse career in aviation and his current consultancy work
Thoughts on the future of electric aviation
Why hydrogen is never going to become mainstream
Is there a real use case for eVTOLs?
Which electric and eVTOL aircraft developers have the best chance at succeeding
Do novel aircraft architectures stand a chance?
The return of the airship (or not)
Is there a business case to bring back supersonic air travel?
We analyze the prospects of:
BETA Technologies
Electra.aero
ZeroAvia
Vertical Aerospace
Joby Aviation
Archer Aviation+
JetZero
Airships
Boom Supersonic
How would the aviation industry look like in a few years time?
Resources
A2 Space, Adrian’s consultancy firm
Kestrel Aircraft, the plane making venture Adrian co-founded
Eclipse, the maker of very light jets that purchased Adrian’s firm
Earth-i, a space company Adrian was also co-founded
Some of the companies we mention or analyze during our chat:
Safran’s CEO declaring hydrogen aviation is “for the next century”
You may also find of interest this critical assessment of the sustainable aircraft development space by with Michael Barnard, here on this podcast.
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:
(please note that, although we strive to make it as close as possible to the original recording, the transcript may not be 100% accurate)
