Aerospace Ambition AAMBITION

Episode 18 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Haldane Dodd from the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) is out!
Talking Points
• What sets the ATAG apart from typical non-profit organizations in aviation?
• Why are contrails not yet included on the ATAG aviation facts page?
• Has every stakeholder in the aviation industry understood the significance of non-CO2 effects?
• Which problems need to be solved for contrail avoidance to be scaled beyond trials?
• Is the European Commission taking the right approach to support the process?
• How far are we off in terms of reaching net-zero targets by 2050?
• Which role does the risk of global tipping points play?
• What policies will be needed to motivate oil producers to produce more SAFs?
Guest
Haldane is the Executive Director at the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). Previously, he was head of communications and advocacy at ATAG and communications manager with Airports Council International. Haldane started his aviation career at the listed company Auckland International Airport Limited, which runs New Zealand’s busiest airport. He has a background in broadcast media and holds a Bachelor of Communications Studies.
Resources
• ATAG Aviation Facts: https://atag.org/facts-figures/
Linkedin Profiles
• Haldane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haldanedodd/
• Marius: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariuswedemeyer/
AAMBITION Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/55033eb444bd/aambition-n

Episode 17 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Dr Dan Rutherford from The International Council on Clean Transportation is out!
Talking Points
• Why is 2035 a good timescale to set sustainable aviation goals?
• How should we trade of carbon-intensity goals versus absolute emissions goals?
• Should we prioritize quantify or quality of SAFs during the scale-up?
• Why are OEMs’ delivery projections concerning with regard to sustainable aviation?
• How good do weather models have to be for contrail management to be adopted at scale?
• Are papers stressing uncertainty in the mitigation of non-CO2 effects of aviation helpful?
• When is contrail warming going to be integrated into the Travel Impact Model?
• What is the Science Based Targets initiative?
• Is it fair to compare supersonic flight with advanced air mobility sustainabilitywise?
Guest
Dr Dan Rutherford is the ICCT's first Senior Director of Research for Marine and Aviation, where he focuses on developing policies to reduce emissions from planes and ships with national and international regulators. An expert in fuel efficiency and emission reduction in international transport, he has contributed to environmental policies at the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Maritime Organization for over ten years. Dan holds a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota Morris and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford University.
Resources
• ICCT Technology Pathway: https://theicct.org/publication/global-aviation-vision-2050-align-aviation-paris-jun22/
• Travel Impact Model: https://travelimpactmodel.org/
• ICCT & MIT Study on Supersonic Flight: https://theicct.org/publication/aviation-global-supersonic-safs-feb22/
Linkedin Profiles
• Dan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-rutherford-b179652/
• Marius: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariuswedemeyer/
AAMBITION Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/55033eb444bd/aambition-n

Episode 16 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Dr Adam Durant from SATAVIA is out!
Talking Points
• Why did Adam switch from an academic to an entrepreneurial career?
• What makes SATAVIA a startup, and why is a for-profit setup the best way to success?
• How does SATAVIA perform contrail avoidance, and how does it integrate with existing flight planning?
• How can airlines get locked in to do contrail management beyond one-off marketing events?
• What makes Adam confident that his carbon credit scheme will find widespread adoption?
• How much better is SATAVIA’s weather model than what is publicly available?
• What are the results from trials with 12 airline operators & is uncertainty really a problem?
• How will AI transform the weather prediction pipeline in the future?
Guest
Dr Adam Durant is a distinguished figure at the nexus of environmental science and the aviation industry. With a foundational career in volcanic ash research, his work gained prominence following the Icelandic eruptions in 2010, which significantly impacted European aviation. This experience led to crucial collaborations with Airbus and EasyJet, flight-testing volcanic ash detection technology. In 2013, leveraging his expertise and entrepreneurial vision, Adam founded SATAVIA, a Cambridge-based company focused on providing decision intelligence for aviation. It was founded to transform the relationship between aviation and the atmospheric environment. Prior to SATAVIA, he held positions at the University of Cambridge and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, contributing significantly to the field of atmospheric science and aviation safety.
Resources
SATAVIA: https://satavia.com/
Study with KPMG: https://kpmg.com/ie/en/home/insights/2024/01/contrails-aviation-2030.html
Linkedin Profiles
Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjdurant/
Marius: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariuswedemeyer/
AAMBITION Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/55033eb444bd/aambition-n

Episode 15 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Nicolas Meijers from Estuaire is out!
Talking Points
• What made Nicolas found Estuaire?
• Which problem does Estuaire solve, and why does it need a startup?
• What is the value product of Estuaire, and who is competition?
• How should we compare CO2- and Non-CO2 effects?
• How should the avoidance of non-CO2 effects be regulated?
• Why is now the right time to act against non-CO2 effects?
• What did the recent study with KPMG reveal?
Guest
Nicolas Meijers, an eager enthusiast of aviation, embarked on his journey in the world of aviation in Toulouse, obtaining his private pilot license. His educational path led him to MIT, where he achieved a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, specializing in air traffic operations and data analytics for the FAA. His career path has featured positions at a leading airport corporation and an AI startup, experiences that culminated in founding his own startup, Estuaire, together with his brother, Maxime.
Resources
Estuaire: https://estuaire.dev/
Study with KPGM: https://kpmg.com/ie/en/home/insights/2024/01/contrails-aviation-2030.html
Linkedin Profiles
Nicolas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-meijers
Marius: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariuswedemeyer/
AAMBITION Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/55033eb444bd/aambition-n

Episode 14 of the "Aerospace Ambition Podcast" featuring Dr Peter De Bock from the ARPA-E is out!
Talking Points
• How did Peter learn to tackle moonshots projects?
• What is the ARPA model, and how is it similar to a hackathon?
• Why is PRE-TRAILS a moonshot program?
• What motivated Peter to pitch the PRE-TRAILS program to his leadership?
• What are the technical and economic hypotheses?
• How does PRE-TRAILS combine better sensors, observation mechanism and advanced models for better contrail prediction?
Guest
Dr. Peter de Bock is a distinguished expert in electronics thermal management and aviation propulsion systems, currently directing programs at the ARPA-E. With a rich background that includes 18 years at GE Research as a Principal Engineer and numerous leadership roles in power and thermal management, Peter has been at the forefront of advancing electrification in aviation. He's an innovator with around 40 patents, chairs the K-16 committee on Heat Transfer in Electronics of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and boasts an impressive academic journey from the Netherlands to the University of Cincinnati.
Resources
ARPA-E PRE-TRAILS Projects: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/technologies/exploratory-topics/aviation-contrails
ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: https://www.arpae-summit.com/ 
AAMBITION Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/55033eb444bd/aambition-n

Episode 13 of the "Aerospace Ambition Podcast" featuring Kay Köhler from the Umweltbundesamt is out!
Talking Points
• What is the role of Umweltbundesamt - German Environment Agency?
• How do you get from scientific discoveries to regulation?
• Why did the first try to regulate contrails 15 years ago fail?
• When will there be a prize tag on contrails?
• What is CORSIA, what is the EU ETS?
• Where do CORSIA and the EU ETS work together?
• Where are loopholes for airlines in these systems?
• How is uncertainty around CO2 equivalencies factored into allowances?
Guest
Kay Köhler serves as a Senior Technical Officer in the Aviation Unit at the German Environment Agency (UBA). Holding both a Master in Public Administration and a Master in Aerospace Engineering, Kay previously oversaw emission protection, including noise and air pollution control for stationary installations, at the City of Berlin for approximately ten years. Since 2013, he has been employed at the UBA, concentrating on the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), and the non-CO2 impacts of aviation. Additionally, he participates in several European working groups related to aviation.
AAMBITION Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/55033eb444bd/aambition-n
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Heartfelt shoutout to Kieran: Keep pushing on this ‘long final’ of handing in your PhD thesis!