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Manufacturing Air Revolution | James Viola

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Former Army helicopter pilot and FAA leader James “Jim” Viola, now President and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), joins host John Ramstead to map where aerospace manufacturing and operations are headed next. From composites and 3D printing to data-driven certification, AI, and hybrid-electric propulsion, Jim explains how innovation can move faster while staying safe. He opens up on supply chain bottlenecks, why condition-based maintenance must replace calendar-based overhauls, what it will take to make AAM and eVTOL commercially viable, and why ATC modernization is the critical path to scale. If you care about building, certifying, or flying the future of aviation, this is your playbook.

Episode Highlights
  • How GAMA aligns manufacturers, regulators, and operators to get safe technology to market faster

  • Advanced manufacturing in practice: composites, additive, digital threads, and real-time quality data

  • AI’s role in predictive maintenance, automation, and the human-in-the-loop question

  • Certification reality checks and how to keep programs moving with measurable milestones

  • AAM and eVTOL operations: why IFR capability and procedures are essential to scale

  • ATC modernization and the Modern Skies initiative as the backbone for the next decade

  • Hybrid-electric propulsion, multi-path redundancy, and the path to safer operations

  • Practical vision for rooftops, vertiports, and using existing community infrastructure

  • Unleaded avgas transition timelines and what it means for the fleet

    • Key Points with Timestamps
    • 00:00:00 Safety by design: if cars auto brake, why can aircraft still collide

    • 00:00:28 Show open, sponsor XTI Aerospace, and guest intro

    • 00:03:35 GAMA’s mission: accelerate innovation and certification while protecting safety

    • 00:06:11 The full manufacturing ecosystem: aircraft, engines, avionics, MRO, training

    • 00:06:45 Composites and 3D printing meet the regulator’s education curve

    • 00:08:24 Industry 4.0 in aerospace manufacturing

    • 00:08:47 Real-time data and instrumentation reshape development and QA

    • 00:09:07 Predictive maintenance and AI-driven failure analysis

    • 00:10:09 On the factory floor: how teams implement new methods

    • 00:11:37 Human in the loop vs on the loop

    • 00:11:54 Certification progress requires shared plans, dashboards, and 90 to 120 day milestones

    • 00:14:00 Defining advanced manufacturing through outcomes, not buzzwords

    • 00:15:26 The case for condition-based maintenance over time-based inspections

    • 00:17:48 GAMA’s support for AAM, eVTOL, and regional air mobility

    • 00:18:10 EPIC: GAMA’s Electronic Propulsion and Innovation Committee

    • 00:20:31 Hybrid architectures and counting dual propulsion for regulatory credit

    • 00:21:14 Implications for Europe’s multi-engine rules

    • 00:22:08 Using designees to keep certification work flowing

    • 00:22:48 Automation, autonomy, and authority. Who is in charge and when

    • 00:26:16 Fly-by-wire, tablet-first cockpits, and regulatory headspace

    • 00:27:35 Why zero-zero approaches and IFR procedures matter for AAM

    • 00:27:41 Many AAM programs start VFR to enter service, but IFR should follow quickly

    • 00:28:31 Market realities, winners, and operational integration examples

    • 00:30:47 Missions AAM can serve and leveraging community infrastructure

    • 00:32:17 ATC modernization, workforce constraints, and the Modern Skies push

    • 00:34:51 Non-uniform regional equipment and training burdens

    • 00:35:51 Pilots already have more SA with ADS-B than some towers

    • 00:36:37 Procedural capacity increases are possible with current tech

    • 00:36:57 Collision avoidance should be standard. The tech exists

    • 00:37:23 From alerts to haptic guidance and certified intervention

    • 00:37:51 Back to rooftops. Design cities for vertical access again

    • 00:38:51 Three to five year outlook. Propulsion leads the change

    • 00:39:12 Unleaded avgas goals by 2030, 2031 in Alaska

    • 00:39:49 Electric flight experiences. Pipistrel and Beta’s Alia

    • 00:41:43 Hybrid for redundancy, IFR access, and safety gains

    • 00:42:24 Jim still flies, keeps current, and trains in aerobatics

    • 00:43:23 Close and next steps

      • Guest Bio

      James “Jim” Viola is President and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, representing aircraft, engine, avionics, MRO, and training providers worldwide. He is a retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot with 27 years of service, followed by 12 years at the FAA in senior leadership roles. Before joining GAMA, he led the Helicopter Association International, now VAI. Jim remains an active pilot and advocate for safe, scalable innovation across general aviation, rotorcraft, and advanced air mobility.

       

      General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA)

      The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is an international trade association that represents the interests of companies involved in designing, manufacturing, and maintaining general aviation aircraft, engines, avionics, and related equipment. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., GAMA works to promote safety, innovation, and growth within the general aviation industry. It also advocates for policies that support manufacturing, safety standards, environmental responsibility, and access to airspace worldwide. Through research, training, and public outreach, GAMA plays a key role in advancing the global general aviation sector.

       

      Notable Quotes
      • “For us to have aircraft that will fly into each other today is just wrong. We have the technology. We need to get it out there.” [00:00:00]

      • “Composites and 3D printing can bring aircraft to market faster and safer, but we must educate regulators on why it is equivalent or higher safety.” [00:06:45]

      • “Data collection can overwhelm if we do not align on what evidence the regulator needs and how to measure progress.” [00:09:25]

      • “Certification moves when both sides sign a plan with milestones and check in often.” [00:11:54]

      • “Condition-based maintenance should replace taking apart perfectly good aircraft because a clock says so.” [00:15:26]

      • “AAM will not scale without IFR procedures and ATC modernization. Weather cannot be the deciding factor.” [00:27:35]

      • “Hybrid propulsion can eliminate single points of failure and change the certification conversation.” [00:20:31]

      • “We need to design cities for rooftops and vertiports again. Set the vision now and engineers will build to it.” [00:37:51]

      • “ATC is running on uneven, outdated equipment. Modern Skies is not optional if we want capacity.” [00:34:51]

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        Hangar X StudiosBy John Ramstead