The Vertical Space

#115 Anders Forslund, Heart Aerospace: First flight of the world’s largest electric aircraft

In this episode we speak with Anders Forslund, founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, which is building the ES-30, a clean-sheet 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner. W

#114 Marc Allen, Electra.aero: Changing aviation without going vertical

In this episode we speak with Marc Allen, CEO of Electra.aero, which builds the EL9, a nine-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in roughly 150 fee

#113 Andrew Clare, Elroy Air: Scaling Autonomous Cargo

In this episode we speak with Andrew Clare, CEO of Elroy Air, which builds the Chaparral, an autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL that hauls cargo in detachable pods for middl

#112 Lauren Flanagan, Sesame Solar: The fuel convoy is the target

In this episode we speak with Lauren Flanagan, CEO of Sesame Solar, which builds mobile nanogrids. The product is a self-contained unit that generates its own power from

#111 Libby Bahat, Israel Civil Aviation Authority: Flying civilians into a war zone

Libby Bahat returns to The Vertical Space. Last time we talked to him about building an airspace for drones in peacetime. This time he's the regulator who decides wh

#110 Mike Stengel, AeroDynamic Advisory: Gulf crisis impact on air travel

We sat down with Mike Stengel of AeroDynamic Advisory to discuss what the US-Iran conflict is doing to aviation. The Middle East moves about 20% of global crude, and with

#109 Admiral Phil Kenul: What flying into hurricanes taught him about drone regulation

Admiral Phil Kenul spent decades flying NOAA aircraft into some of the most dangerous weather on earth, including multiple seasons as a P-3 Orion hurricane hunter, before

#108 Alex List, FlyShirley: 'Shirley' there's an opportunity for AI in the flight deck

In this episode we sit down with Alex List, CEO and founder of FlyShirley, a startup building an AI copilot for the cockpit. Alex walks through what AI in aviation actual

#107 Robert Rose, Reliable Robotics: Congressional testimony and conveyor belts in the sky

In this episode we reconnect with Robert Rose, CEO of Reliable Robotics, fresh off his testimony before Congress on the state of advanced air mobility. Robert shares what

#106 Koen De Vos: U-Space, U-Space… Where Art Thou?

In this episode we sit down with Koen De Vos, Secretary General of GUTMA, to unpack why U-Space still feels more aspirational than operational, and what aviation can lear

#105 Ben Ivers, Boeing: Airspace modernization

In this episode, we sit down with Ben Ivers (Boeing’s Director of Emerging Technologies & Regulatory Strategy) to unpack a deceptively simple idea: airspace modernization

#104 Edward Barraclough, Drone-Hand: Why ranching will scale autonomy before defense

Autonomy may scale in agriculture long before it does in defense or UAM, and today’s guest makes a compelling case why. We speak with Edward Barraclough, founder and CEO

#103 Ed Bastian, Delta Air Lines: Raising the ceiling of possibility

In this episode, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian breaks down what truly differentiates a great airline: people and culture. Ed shares why “take care of your people first”

#102 Adam Woodworth, Wing: What aviation looks like at Google scale

Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing (Alphabet’s drone delivery company), joins us to talk about making delivery ubiquitous and why drones should be an equal player alongside othe

#101 Ryan Gury, PDW: Drones, Innovation, and Lady Gaga

Welcome to episode 101 of The Vertical Space. In this conversation, we sit down with Ryan Gury, Co-founder and CEO of Performance Drone Works (PDW). Ryan argues that “com

#100 Chris Hewlett, Project ULTRA: Why DoD will lead UAS integration

In this 100th episode, we sit down with Chris Hewlett, former Navy Commander and Director of Project Ultra, for a candid conversation about the realities of UAS integrati

#99 Jia Xu, SkyGrid: Opening the sky for autonomous flight

In this episode, we welcome back Jia Xu, CEO of SkyGrid, to discuss the future of autonomy and shared airspace. SkyGrid is building a trusted airspace and operational int

#98 Ryan Graves, ASA: UAPs as a wake-up call for airspace safety and innovation

Ryan Graves is a former U.S. Navy F/A-18F pilot and the first active-duty pilot to publicly report regular UAP sightings. In this episode, we explore what these encounter

#97 Julie Garland, Avtrain: Drone business and regulation in Europe

In this episode we’re joined by Julie Garland, CEO of Avtrain, for a deep dive into the current state of the drone industry and regulation across Europe. Julie shares her

#96 Chad Sweet, ModalAI: Small, smarter, safer UAS - made in USA

In this episode, Chad Sweet, co-founder and CEO of ModalAI, joins us to explore the evolving drone landscape and what’s driving the next wave of innovation. Chad shares h