Cleared for Takeoff - Real AI stories from the industries that keep the world moving.

Benjamin Tosado

Aviation keeps the world connected. Manufacturing builds it. Distribution moves it. And AI is changing how all three operate: faster, smarter, and with higher stakes than any other industry. Cleared for Takeoff is the podcast for the leaders navigating that transformation. Every episode, we sit down with a senior executive from aviation, manufacturing, or distribution to hear their real AI story: the decisions, the challenges, and the outcomes that matter. Hosted by Ben Tosado, Founder of Deep Blue Cloud.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    From Marketplace to Agents: Building Airvoyant with Jon Baker

    Aviation parts procurement is one of the largest and most manual cost centers in the industry. In this episode of Cleared for Takeoff, host Ben Tosado, CEO of Deep Blue Cloud Computing, talks with Jon Baker of AAR about Airvoyant, the AI-driven procurement platform launched at MRO Americas. Airvoyant connects airlines and MROs directly to an ecosystem of more than 5,000 suppliers through Aeroxchange, is built natively on AWS, and integrates with Trax and other ERP systems, using AI agents to analyze supplier quotes and generate purchase recommendations. Jon walks through the platform’s origin, the decision to pivot from a marketplace model to an agentic architecture, how the sourcing agent scores recommendations with human-in-the-loop review, and his vision for a lean AI foundry building the roadmap ahead: agents for demand consolidation, vendor optimization and automated negotiation.

    From Marketplace to Agents: Building Airvoyant with Jon Baker

  2. Jul 28

    Where AI Is Actually Working, with James Barnes

    AI is moving faster than anyone can report on it. The useful question is where it’s solving real problems right now. In the first episode of Cleared for Takeoff, host Ben Tosado, Founder of Deep Blue Cloud, sits down with James Barnes, VP of Operations, to separate practical application from speculation across three industries: aviation, where AI augments compliance-heavy work like parts procurement and line maintenance; manufacturing, where AI fails when it’s treated as an IT line item instead of a business outcome; and distribution, where field technicians replace 20 minutes of portal searching with one phone call to an AI agent. Plus: AI building AI, and why governance stays human. Follow Cleared for Takeoff and never miss an episode.

  3. Episode 1

    Cleared for Takeoff Trailer

    Aviation keeps the world connected. Manufacturing builds it. Distribution moves it. And AI is changing how all three operate: faster, smarter, and with higher stakes than any other industry. Cleared for Takeoff is the podcast for the leaders navigating that transformation. Every episode, we sit down with a senior executive from aviation, manufacturing, or distribution to hear their real AI story: the decisions, the challenges, and the outcomes that matter. Hosted by Ben Tosado, Founder of Deep Blue Cloud. Follow now so the first episode lands in your feed.

    Cleared for Takeoff Trailer

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Aviation keeps the world connected. Manufacturing builds it. Distribution moves it. And AI is changing how all three operate: faster, smarter, and with higher stakes than any other industry. Cleared for Takeoff is the podcast for the leaders navigating that transformation. Every episode, we sit down with a senior executive from aviation, manufacturing, or distribution to hear their real AI story: the decisions, the challenges, and the outcomes that matter. Hosted by Ben Tosado, Founder of Deep Blue Cloud.

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