Hangar X Studios

Faster, Safer Aircraft Development | Alex Williams

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Former fighter pilot and host John Ramstead sits down with Dr. Alex Williams for a fast paced masterclass on building world class engineering cultures and the future of aerospace. Alex traces his path from Pratt & Whitney’s combustor technology group to running research labs inside Apple, where he helped pioneer materials innovations such as 7000 series aluminum for iPhone and the engineered titanium surface for Apple Watch. He contrasts slow, committee driven aerospace workflows with Apple’s high velocity, quality obsessed model, then applies those lessons to three urgent vectors shaping aviation today: autonomy and control software, anti drone defenses, and American reindustrialization. Along the way, you will hear practical advice for leaders who want to move faster without sacrificing safety or quality.

Episode Highlights
  • Pratt & Whitney to Apple. How exposure to elite aerospace programs and Apple’s materials teams shaped Alex’s approach to speed, iteration, and perfection in production.

  • Design language and materials. Why Apple committed to aluminum, what Bendgate taught the industry, and how engineered surfaces beat coatings for durability and consistency.

  • Culture beats process. The difference between waterfall style roll ups and an environment where excellence is expected and 100 percent inspection is normal.

  • The next aerospace race. Why autonomy, anti drone tech, and supply chain reinvention will decide competitiveness and even save lives.

  • Leadership playbook. How to create a failure tolerant culture, pair veteran expertise with hungry young talent, and align boards and executives around innovation.

    • Key Points with Timestamps
    • [00:00:00] Cold open. Alex on freedom to explore ideas and why that mattered early in his career

    • [00:00:49] Host intro, sponsor mention (XTI Aerospace), audience framing for innovators and investors

    • [00:01:43] Meet the guest. From PhD to Pratt & Whitney to Apple’s internal research labs

    • [00:04:07] Early path. Joining combustor technology development, customers NASA and the U.S. Air Force

    • [00:06:27] Reliability spectrum. From the TF30’s shortcomings to the PT6’s bulletproof reputation

    • [00:07:30] Learning from legends. Sitting next to F119 engineers and absorbing 50 years of know how

    • [00:10:06] Transition to Apple. Materials development to serve function and cosmetics at scale

    • [00:12:42] Why aluminum. Strength to weight, machining, anodizing, and the Bendgate lesson

    • [00:14:48] What is a design language. Consistency across materials, finishes, shapes, and colors

    • [00:18:06] Apple Watch titanium. No coatings, engineered surface chemistry for stability and wear

    • [00:20:44] Speed vs process. Apple’s expectation of excellence, rapid iteration, and 100 percent inspection

    • [00:24:22] Perfection without paralysis. How high QA bars coexist with high velocity shipping

    • [00:31:01] Three strategic vectors introduced

    • [00:31:20] Vector 1. Autonomy and world class drone control systems

    • [00:32:22] Vector 2. Anti drone technologies and lessons from Israel and Ukraine

    • [00:33:49] Vector 3. Reindustrialization, bearings to machine tools, and supply chain resilience

    • [00:39:31] Advice for leaders. Make failure acceptable in testing, remove sacred cows, pair generations

    • [00:41:15] The talent mix. Bring back veteran wisdom as mentors, empower young engineers to execute

    • [00:43:38] What is next. Darkstar Laboratories in stealth

    • [00:45:26] Real world impact. Autonomy for life saving organ delivery, why speed matters to humans

    • [00:46:57] Closing challenge. Compete through collaboration, culture change, and American capacity to build

      • Guest Bio

      Alex Williams, PhD is a technical consultant and engineering leader with deep experience in aerospace and advanced materials. He began his career at Pratt & Whitney in the combustor technology development group, delivering innovations for programs with NASA and the U.S. Air Force and learning alongside engineers behind the F119 engine for the F 22. Alex later led research labs within Apple, contributing to landmark materials work including the adoption of 7000 series aluminum for iPhone and engineered titanium surfaces for Apple Watch. Today he advises companies and investors across autonomy, anti drone systems, and industrial supply chains, and is a co-founder of Darkstar Laboratories, currently in stealth.

      https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderwwilliams/

       

      Notable Quotes
      • “Excellence is expected.”

      • “Failure is okay when you are testing, it is not okay when there are passengers on board.”

      • “At Apple there were no sacred cows.”

      • “Perfection was the bar, and we still moved fast.”

      • “If the United States wants to be competitive in drones, we must embrace a fail fast culture.”

      • “We do not need to reindustrialize for nationalism, we need to do it because supply chain resilience determines our future.”

      • “The right mix is veteran wisdom mentoring young engineers who are willing to try and iterate.”

      • “Autonomy is not about next day packages. It is about saving lives.”
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        Hangar X StudiosBy John Ramstead