Aerospace Ambition Podcast

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Episode 42 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Prof. Ulrich Schumann (DLR) is out!

Talking Points

• Influential Mentors and Career Journey: Ulrich reflects on formative mentorships, including ties to Werner Heisenberg, and a career spanning fluid dynamics, turbulence, and contrail science.
• Contrail Science Essentials: An accessible explanation of contrail formation, persistence, and their climate impact, including the Schmidt Appleman Criterion and radiative effects.
• Advances in Contrail Research: Key milestones in understanding contrails, evolving public discourse on aviation’s non-CO2 effects, and debates shaped by influential studies.
• Contrail Prediction Models: Insights into CoCiP’s framework, integration with pycontrails, and advancements through observational datasets and modeling techniques.
• Future of Contrail Management: Exploring bold visions for contrail mitigation, trial strategies, and the role of contrail science in sustainable aviation.

Guest

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schumann is a world leading expert in atmospheric physics. He earned his doctorate in Turbulence in 1973, was Director of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at DLR the German Aerospace Center from 1982 until 2012, and now lectures on aviation climate impact at Technical University Munich.

Professor Schumann is widely known for his seminal works on contrail science, contributing to the 1999 IPCC report and developing the contrail cirrus prediction tool CoCiP. He has also cooperated on various aviation research projects with the FAA, EUROCONTROL, NATS, ECMWF, airlines and engine industry.

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Episode 41 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Dr Regina Pouzolz (Deutsche Aircraft) is out!

Talking Points

• What makes the regional aviation market unique, and how does it shape Deutsche Aircraft’s focus?
• Why has Deutsche Aircraft chosen e-kerosene for its D328-eco turboprop over alternatives like hydrogen or battery-electric solutions?
• What were the key findings from the Climart project about contrail formation with "non-drop-in fossil kerosene"?
• How important are fuel standards like those set by ASTM for advancing sustainable aviation technologies?
• What are the biggest technical and regulatory challenges in bringing the D328-eco to market, and how is Deutsche Aircraft addressing them?

Guest

Regina has nearly two decades of experience in aerospace and a passion for minimizing aviation's environmental footprint. She previously worked at Airbus’ Future Projects Office in Toulouse and as a Senior Consultant at McKinsey. Later, at MTU Aero Engines, Regina played a pivotal role in integrating climate impact assessments into the evaluation of future engine concepts. She now is the Director of Sustainable Flight at Deutsche Aircraft.

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Episode 40 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Dr Alexandru Rap (University of Leeds) is out!

Talking Points

• Key drivers of aviation's climate impact: CO₂, contrails, NOₓ, and their interactions
• Contrail formation factors: humidity, engine efficiency, and soot emissions
• Advances in modelling persistent contrails and mitigating their warming effects
• Fuel innovations: reducing soot with bio-kerosene, e-kerosene, and hydrotreating
• Hydrogen aviation's potential: increased water vapour vs reduced soot emissions
• Lessons from military aviation on contrail avoidance for climate mitigation

Guest

Alex is an Associate Professor in Atmospheric Science at the University of Leeds’ School of Earth and Environment. Two of his many areas of expertise are aviation’s climate impact and contrail parameterisations for climate models. He led his university’s work for the ATI that is the UK Aerospace Technology institute, as part of the FlyZero program and is now working with Airbus and Rolls-Royce on the Contrails Assessment for future aircraft and propulsion architectures and aerosol cloud interactions.

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Episode 39 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Maxime Gariel (Joby Aviation) and Irina Muntean (Technical University of Munich) is out!

Talking Points

• How did Maxime’s role change when Xwing was acquired by Joby?
• Why invest in eVTOLs when helicopters already exist?
• From a technical perspective, could aircraft fly autonomously today, even without full regulatory approval?
• How far along is Joby in developing autonomous capabilities for its aircraft, and what are the biggest technological challenges to achieving full autonomy in urban air mobility?
• How does Joby leverage AI-driven technologies to enhance navigation, obstacle detection, and real-time decision-making in its autonomous systems?

Guest

Maxime is a leader in autonomous flight. He has started his career with internships at NASA, earned a PhD from Georgia Tech, and then did post-doctoral research at MIT, all of which in the field of aviation. After MIT, he worked at Rockwell Collins and later co-founded X-Wing in 2016, where he was president and CTO. X-Wing develops modular autonomy technology, which makes any aircraft capable of flying autonomously. This summer, X-Wing was acquired by Joby Aviation and Maxime now leads their autonomy team.

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Episode 38 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Frank Opel (PACE) is out!

Talking Points

• Why is contrail management still seen as less urgent compared to other sustainability measures, despite its potential for immediate climate impact?
• As airlines explore contrail management, is real-time tactical adjustment more practical than pre-tactical strategic planning?
• Is competition between companies accelerating innovation in sustainable aviation technologies, or does it create unnecessary challenges?
• What role does reliable data linkage and forecasting accuracy play in executing effective contrail management strategies?
• How do airlines overcome technological and financial hurdles to adopt real-time flight optimization tools?
• What future advancements, such as better forecasting models or onboard humidity sensors, could enhance contrail management solutions?
• Where does contrail management sit on the Gartner Hype Cycle for emerging technologies in aviation?

Guest

Frank is a seasoned expert in flight operations and aviation technology. Frank's career spans nearly 12 years at PACE, where he has steadily worked his way up to become the Director of the Flight Operations Line of Business. His journey began with a strong academic foundation, earning both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Aviation Engineering and Aviation Logistics from Technische Hochschule Wildau. For his final thesis, he collaborated with DLR to delve into flight testing and simulation, an experience that set the stage for his later achievements.

Resources

https://sponsored.bloomberg.com/article/google-sustainability/ai-is-helping-mitigate-aviations-climate-impact

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Episode 37 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Carl Dietrich (Jump Aero) is out!

Talking Points

• Ambition & Emergency Response: Discussion on ambition and Jump Aero’s focus on a manned platform for emergency response, highlighting the unique value and use cases for first responders in ambulance deserts.
• Integration & Demand: Exploring the integration of Jump Aero’s eVTOLs into current systems and assessing demand across various emergency applications (EMS, firefighting, law enforcement).
• Regulatory Landscape: Overview of regulatory challenges at federal and local levels, with comparisons between US FAA and EU EASA standards for VTOL certification.
• eVTOL Design & Construction: Key challenges in building and certifying a manned eVTOL, including the complexity of constructing manned vs. unmanned platforms and cost considerations for prototypes.
• Future Tech & AI: Role of data-driven AI tools in Jump Aero’s operations, potential for autonomous response vehicles, and the future of aerial mobility through dual-use applications.

Guest

Carl Dietrich is the founder and President of Jump Aero, a company on the forefront of emergency response aviation.

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Episode 36 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Dr Paul Hodgson (Aviation Impact Accelerator) is out!

Talking Points

• Aviation Impact Accelerator: Paul explains how they’re bridging academia and industry for a sustainable aviation future.
• Four Big Goals: We break down the report’s essential goals for aviation by 2025.
• Contrail Avoidance: Urgency around large-scale trials could help rapidly cut contrail climate impact.
• Living Labs: Can real-world trials with high flight participation reduce contrail uncertainty?
• Sustainable Fuel: We discuss the potential of truly scalable, cross-sector low-carbon fuel production.
• Energy Impact: Why policy must consider aviation’s effects on wider electricity grids and fuel sources.
• Additionality: Verifying SAF energy sourcing as renewable demand rises is crucial for climate goals.
• Policy Motivation: How should we balance incentives and penalties to drive sustainable aviation?

Guest

Dr. Paul Hodgson is the Technical Director of the Aviation Impact Accelerator or AIA. A chemical engineer by training, he joined the AIA in 2020, before which he completed an online MBA, and co-founded a hydrogen distribution start-up as CTO. Paul's earlier research—on carbon capture in cement/steel and innovations in biofuel production—has become increasingly relevant to climate-neutral aviation. He continues to teach process modeling and synthesis as a lecturer and Bye-Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge.

Relevant Studies

• Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambrigde: Five Years to Chart a New Future for Aviation, September 2024 (https://report.aiazero.org/)
• Finlay Asher, Safe Landing, Expert Talk: ‘Five Years to Chart a New Future for Aviation,’ 03 October 2024 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Z24ej4oSU)

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Episode 35 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Professor Marc Stettler (Imperial College London) is out!

Talking Points

• Contrail Avoidance: From Theory to Practice: We dive into the evolution of non-CO2 climate effects in aviation and how recent advancements in science and technology are paving the way for the ambitious "Operation Blue Skies" by 2030.
• ⁠The Challenge of Predicting ISSRs: What makes identifying Ice Supersaturated Regions, where contrails form, so difficult? We explore the scientific and technological hurdles in creating a reliable contrail avoidance system.
• ⁠Aligning Aviation with the Paris Agreement: How should aviation’s climate targets be set to meet the 2050 temperature goals, and what changes in strategy and regulation are needed to achieve this?
• ⁠Fuel Burn vs. Climate Impact: Can contrail avoidance be justified despite a small increase in fuel consumption? We unpack a study’s findings on re-routing and discuss the trade-offs airlines face.
• ⁠Uncertainty Simplified: What does "uncertainty" really mean in the context of contrail detection and avoidance? Marc breaks it down in simple terms for everyone to understand.
• ⁠Living Labs for Airspace Trials: The report calls for large-scale "Airspace-Scale Living Labs" to test contrail avoidance systems. What will it take to make this a reality, and how can we ensure they generate useful data?
• ⁠Coordinating with Air Traffic Control: What challenges does the aviation industry need to overcome to implement contrail avoidance without disrupting air traffic management?

Guest

Professor Marc Stettler is a leading expert in transport and environment, directing the Transport & Environment Laboratory at Imperial College London. His research focuses on the climate and health impacts of transportation, with a particular emphasis on emissions and air quality across different modes of transport. With a background in physics, maths, and engineering, Marc’s insights bring a unique perspective to the challenges facing sustainable aviation.

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Episode 34 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Marylin Bastin (EUROCONTROL) is out!

Talking Points

•⁠ ⁠EUROCONTROL's Mission: Discover the vital role EUROCONTROL plays in shaping the future of aviation, as they bridge the gap between industry leaders and policymakers in the push for greener skies.

•⁠ ⁠‘Sustainable’ Fuels Dilemma: Can the aviation sector achieve a balance between sustainability and the limited supply of biomass for alternative fuels? We explore the possibilities—and the tough choices ahead.

•⁠ ⁠The Energy Investment Hurdle: As society pivots away from fossil fuels, we dig into the financial challenge of meeting aviation's energy demands while striving for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

•⁠ ⁠Tackling Contrail Management: How do you roll out contrail management strategies across entire fleets or even regions? We unpack the logistical hurdles and the potential for impact.

•⁠ ⁠Growth vs. Sustainability: Aviation is currently built on increasing passenger numbers, but can sustainability be woven into the industry's DNA just as deeply as safety? We discuss how the sector can balance these seemingly opposing priorities.

Guest

Marylin Bastin is the head of aviation sustainability at EUROCONTROL. An engineer by training, she has worked in ATM for over 20 years: first in the Belgian ANSP (Skeyes) and since 2020 at EUROCONTROL. Her experience in the UN’s Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) makes for an exciting discussion on energy's pivotal role in aviation's future. In our conversation, we dive into strategies and technologies that will help aviation move away from fossil kerosene.

Relevant Studies

1.⁠ ⁠“Flying on Electricity and Hydrogen in Europe” by the Alliance for Zero Emissions Aviation (AZEA) from June 2024

2.⁠ ⁠“Long-haul Flight Decarbonisation: When Can Cutting-Edge Energies & Technologies Make a Difference?” by EUROCONTROL (Think paper #21) from September 2023

3.⁠ ⁠“Five years to Chart a New Future for Aviation” by the University of Cambridge’s Aviation Impact Accelerator from September 2024

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Episode 33 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Jörg Buxbaum (Deutsche Flugsicherung) is out!

Talking Points

• Do we need to hire more ATCOs to manage projected aviation growth, or is there another industry solution?
• What is our primary goal, considering the environment alongside safety, capacity, and cost?
• How does continuous descent operations complicate maintaining safe separation distances?
• How can AI systems enhance human performance through human-machine teaming?
• How will increased automation change the roles and responsibilities of air traffic controllers?
• What are the potential AI applications during a flight?
• In contrail management, what is a controversial opinion you hold?
• How do you balance efficient air traffic management with reducing contrail formation?
• What is your plan for providing contrail region data to your controllers?

Guest

Jörg Buxbaum works in the DFS research department. After graduating in aerospace engineering in 1997, he began his career at Frankfurt Airport and soon transitioned to air traffic control. He started as an assistant to the managing director of Technical Operations and subsequently held several leadership positions, including head of Frankfurt approach control. After a period with the FAA, i.e. the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, he returned to DFS in 2009 as a team leader at the DFS research center, where he is responsible for technical and operational future developments.