Heart Aerospace: Re-inventing the Regional Airliner

Money isn’t the only thing flowing into aerospace from Silicon Valley.

So are the ideas, the methods and the mindset!

Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, joins me to talk about one of the biggest challenges in aviation: reinventing the regional aircraft.

Heart believes hybrid-electric propulsion can change the economics and possibilities of short-range commercial flight. And they’re not just talking about it…  they’re building it.

The proof is in the X1 prototype.

Anders and I discuss what it takes to turn next-generation technology into a practical, certifiable and commercially viable aircraft and why the future of aviation won’t be determined by technology alone.

We get into:

Why hybrid-electric may be the practical path forward for regional aviation• What Heart is learning from the X1• The enormous challenge of bringing new technology into a highly regulated industry• And how Silicon Valley thinking is shaping aerospace manufacturing and certification

About the Guest

Dr. Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, is an aerospace entrepreneur whose research at MIT on uncertainty & robustness in aircraft propulsion earned the Charles M. Manly Award in 2019. Previously, he founded ELISE, Sweden’s national electric aviation initiative. Learn more at https://www.heartaerospace.com/  or connect with Anders on LinkedIn.

About Your Host

Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Av