Drone Radio Show

How is Honeywell Positioned to Serve the Advance Air Mobility Market

For that question, we head to Phoenix to speak with David Shilliday, Vice President and General Manager of the Unmanned Aerial Systems and Urban Air Mobility business unit at Honeywell Aerospace. Honeywell’s UAS business develops new products and serves as a systems integrator for both airframe makers and operators in this fast evolving market. Its area of responsibility spans aircraft systems like avionics, electric and hybrid electric propulsion and thermal management; flight services such as unmanned air traffic management; and ground operations services such as predictive maintenance analytics. In November, Honeywell announced its Advanced Air Mobility business unit had secured contracts worth over $10 billion to build advance air mobility components, signifying the growth of AMM as a viable commercial sector for years to come.

David has been with Honeywell for over 18 years. Prior to his current role in the Advance Air Mobility Unit, David held several key leadership positions within the company, including Vice President and General Manager for the Power Systems business of Honewell and Vice President of EMEAI Airlines. He also led the Honeywell Aerospace Trading (HAT) business, as well as roles leading Aftermarket strategy and IP Licensing. Prior to joining Honeywell David had roles in Engineering and IP strategy within the commercial automotive market. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the WP Carey school at Arizona State University. David also holds a number of patents on innovative automotive safety technology and has published cooperative research in the field.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, David talks about Honeywell’s Advance Air Mobility Unit, it’s recent award of $10 billion in AAM related contracts and what this means for the future of advanced air mobility.

Will we soon be able to talk to our drones via text?

Vic Pellicano is CEO and Founder of Avianna, a Chicago-based software company working to bridge the gap between hardware and software excellence in the robotics industry. Avianna offers a suite of products that utilize artificial intelligence to enable drones and other robots to understand human language and operate autonomously. Their software enhances mission execution and simplifies data analysis and reporting. Imagine being able to command your drones or check on the status of your fleet using simple commands in English, such as “find a missing person” or “which drones are scheduled for missions today”

Vic is a successful entrepreneur in the software industry. Prior to starting Avianna, he launch Verenia in 2012, an e-commerce software company. After a decade of growth, Verenia was acquired by Oracle in 2022. With an interest in robotics, Vic turned his attention to making the interaction of humans and robots more seamless and intuitive. He launched Avianna in early 2023 with the aim of helping UAS manufactures make more responsive and intelligent unmanned vehicles.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show Podcast, Vic talks about Avianna, its suite of AI-powered solutions and how we will soon be able to communicate with our drones via text.

How close are we to seeing autonomous air taxis?

Brian Yutko is CEO of Wisk Aero, an advanced air mobility company dedicated to delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone. Wisk’s self-flying, electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi will make it possible for passengers to skip the traffic and get to their destination faster. Headquartered in the Mountain View, California, with locations around the world, Wisk is an independent company backed by The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation. With over a decade of experience and over 1600 test flights, Wisk is shaping the future of daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably.

Prior to joining Wisk, Brian served as Vice President and Chief Engineer for Sustainability and Future Mobility at Boeing, where he led a team that leveraged company’s technical expertise in sustainability technologies as well as emerging, advanced aerial mobility applications. He was the Chief Technologist for Boeing NeXt and sat on the Board of Directors for Wisk following its founding as a joint venture with Boeing.

Prior to his roles at Boeing, Brian was the Senior Vice President of Programs and Vice President of Research and Technology at Aurora Flight Sciences, an industry leader in aviation autonomy and rapid prototyping. Brian was a Research Engineer in the International Center for Air Transportation at MIT after earning a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brian talks about the progress that Wisk Aero is making to develop and deploy autonomous air taxis, including the results of a recent successful air taxi flight demonstration at the Long Beach Airport.

Is there an easier way to scale aerial data collection?

Janne Hietala is a technology enthusiast and CEO of Finland based, Kelluu. Kelluu designs, manufactures and operates intelligent airships for persistent aerial monitoring. Kelluu’s fleet of hydrogen powered vehicles, capable of staying airborne for 12-hours, is equipped with an array of spectral cameras, sensors, and scanners. These instruments can gather real-time data on a diverse range of subjects, including terrain, vegetation, and infrastructure.

Janne's journey in entrepreneurship is noteworthy, with achievements such as bootstrapping a software company to a remarkable 15 million EUR in revenue, managing a team of 250 professionals across seven countries, and ultimately exiting the venture in 2021. His achievements were recognized in 2012 when he was honored with the prestigious Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Founded in 2018, under Janne’s leadership, Kelluu has swiftly established itself as a key player in the creation of digital twins, catering to various applications and industries.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Janne shares his insights on how Kelluu's innovative hydrogen-powered airships are poised to revolutionize the way we approach aerial data collection, offering scalability and efficiency across numerous sectors.

How is cutting-edge radar technology shaping the future of drones and advanced air mobility?

TomDriscollis CTO and Founder of Echodyne, a Seattle startup bringing breakthrough radar capability to meet commercial and defense needs across autonomy, security, and intelligence markets. At Echodyne, Tomleads the company’s world-class R&D efforts. Prior to Echodyne,Tomwas Managing Director of the Metamaterials Commercialization Center at Intellectual Ventures, the technology incubator which launched the world’s first metamaterials-enabled ventures. Recognized as a technologist, inventor, and entrepreneur with a drive to advance the art of the possible, Tom is a named inventor on over 100 patents, has co-founded five startups, and serves on the board of directors of three.He holds a PhD in physics from University of California San Diego, a B.S. in Physics from Harvey Mudd, and is an adjunct professor at Duke University.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Tom talks about Echodyne’s innovative radar sensors and how they’re used in the drone industry, most notably to support advance air mobility.

How can we make search and rescue training more real?

Roger Hall is CEO and Founder of 2D Dummies. 2D Dummies is reshaping the future of public safety training with their patent-pending, two-dimensional rescue manikins. Designed to precisely simulate the physical attributes & thermal signature of the human body, the 2D DUMMY is the ultimate solution for heightening the authenticity of training drills for public safety professionals. The 2D dimensional manikins have been used to enhance UAS search and rescue teams in variety of training scenarios, including firefighting, law enforcement, and military settings.

Roger is a retired firefighter with a 25-year career in New Hampshire and a passion for aviation. Holding both FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot and Part 61 Sport Pilot Certificates, Roger transitioned into the field of unmanned aerial systems after retirement. As one of DARTdrones' first UAS instructors, he has trained over 1,000 individuals and co-developed their Part 107 and Public Safety Training programs.

Always seeking to introduce reality into his training sessions, he developed a 2D dummy as a prop. Continued refinement and feedback led him to produce a life-like 2D Dummy that enhances public safety UAS search and rescue training.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Roger talks about how 2D Dummies are used in public safety UAS training to enhance search and rescue capabilities and build emotional resilience within organizations.

Philip Butterworth-Hayes is publisher and editor of Unmanned Airspace.info, the world’s first internet-based information portal dedicated to the global community of UTM and C-UAS system providers and operators. The site provides daily news on UTM and C-UAS development and deployments, alongside a glossary of system providers and current plans of states and agencies to deploy systems worldwide.

Philip has extensive experience as a consultant and writer specializing in air traffic management, aviation safety, military and civil aviation issues. He was formerly Managing Editor of Jane’s Transport Press and editor of Jane’s Airport Review, Jane’s World Airlines, Jane’s Defense Industries and Jane’s Aircraft Component Manufacturers.

He has been the Director of Communications and Strategy at the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization in Amsterdam and is currently the editor of Skyway, the official journal of EUROCONTROL, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation.

He is the editorial director of PMI Media Limited, specialist contract publishers for the defense and aerospace industries, whose clients have included the European Defense Agency and Airbus Defense and Space. He is also a regular contributor on ATM and aviation safety issues to global broadcast and print media, including the BBC, CNN and the Wall Street Journal.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Philip highlights five trends shaping urban air mobility today and he talks about some of the communities that are leading the way in air mobility.

How will crewed and uncrewed aircraft systems fly inthe same airspace?

Toni Drummond is President US for Titan Aviation Global, a worldwide aviation management, jet charter and sales company. Titan’s mission is to be the most trusted advisors for the best private travel experience, by providing a personalized, efficient, safe and convenient experience to all who fly with them.

Toni is a highly recognized private and emerging aviation specialist, with a unique background in business jet flight operations, aviation logistics & regulations as well as sales and business development. With an education in Business Management, she has held management positions within the world’s leading aviation companies until starting her first aviation consulting business in 2008.

Toni is an expert in sustainable and emerging aviation ecosystems using eVTOL and hybrid vehicles. She spends much of her time traveling and speaking around the world about sustainable flight departments and efforts leaning into collaborative future facing air mobility. She consults on emerging aviation projects in vertical infrastructure & electric charging, EVTOL & sustainable ecosystems as well as emerging UAS technologies.

Global Aerial Management Group, which is Drummond’s first women owned emerging technologies company, was the winner of the 2021 Women and Drones Team Innovation award. She was also named as one of the Top 100 Women to Watch in aviation & aerospace in 2021 & 2022. Toni is a member of the National Business Aviation Association’s Emerging Tech Committee and Co-Chair of National Air Transport Association’s Advanced Air Mobility Committee.

As efforts continue to integrate uncrewed aircraft into the national air space, there are questions as to whether uncrewed systems should be integrated with crewed systems in the same airspace. Currently there exists a gap between crewed and uncrewed aviation. That gap has cultivated a sense of mistrust across technologies and industries, but it’s one that extends to the general public as well.

This year’s Commercial UAV Expo will dedicate a full day to this gap through the UAV Expo’s Advance Airspace Summit. This Commercial UAV Expo Summit will discuss where the industry is today, how the technology will evolve over the next decade to bridge this gap, what regulatory changes will likely be necessary, and what challenges the industry will face related to passenger expectations and public acceptance. Toni Drummond will be one of the moderators for the UAV Expo Advance Airspace Summit.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Toni talks about Titan Aviation Global and advance airflight, the challenges and opportunities for integrating crewed and uncrewed systems into the same airspace and how Commercial UAV Expo Advance Airspace Summit will help elevate the discussion among industry professionals.

Will Irish Drones Soon Deliver Coca Cola to Dallas Neighborhoods?

Bobby Healy is CEO and Founder of Manna Drone Delivery.  Manna is the world’s first aviation-grade B2B drone delivery service company.  The company designs, builds and operates unmanned aerial vehicles, which perform high-speed deliveries of up to 8 pounds in high-density suburban communities. 

The drone fleet is operated by Manna directly from a restaurant or dark kitchen facility and is accessible via API to food tech providers and online food platforms.  The service enables participating retailers and restaurants to reduce delivery times to a fraction of their current times and improve the consumer experience of delivery.  Manna received the first certificate for commercial drone delivery issued by the Irish Aviation Authority and European Aviation Safety Agency, opening up Europe-wide opportunities for the company.

Bobby Healy is an experienced inventor and technology entrepreneur specialising in booking engine software. He joined CarTrawler in 2005 having begun his career building computer games for Nintendo at 16 years of age.  Prior to joining CarTrawler, Bobby founded Eland Technologies which he later sold to airline technology giant SITA and remained as CTO until 2005.

Earlier this year, Manna received an investment from Coca-Cola HBC.  Manna also announced its first US drone delivery trial for Dallas, Texas, marking a significant milestone in the company’s plans delivery food and products to homes worldwide.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Bobby talks about Mannas successful Drone Delivery service, the strategic partnership with Coca Cola and the company’s plans for the expanding into the United States and other countries.

What is the Role of Drone Forensics in Protecting Against Drone Incursions

Grant Jordan is CEO at SkySafe, a leader in Cloud-based drone defense and airspace awareness solutions. Founded in 2015, SkySafe provides advanced technology to protect people and places against drone threats. The company’s technology allows governments, law enforcement, airports, corporations, cities, and more to manage their airspace with drone data and analytics.  Skysafe applies advanced radio technology, reverse engineering, and deep threat analysis to develop tools to safely and effectively operate authorized drones while protecting against threats to airspace security. 

The company has also evolved into a leader in the drone forensics space.  By performing deep data extraction on downed or recovered drones, Skysafe’s forensic technology allows investigators to match metadata with flight logs, serial numbers, and other unique identifiers. This process ensures that experts are able to decisively conclude that a drone they have in their possession is the same drone that was detected acting maliciously or illegally while it was in the air.

After graduating from MIT, Grant served as an officer in the US Air Force for four years.  At the Air Force Research Lab, he designed and built hardward systems for counter-IED missions and small UAVs, specializing in rapid product development for Special Forces units.  Grant has spoken at numerous conferences including DEFCON and the Commercial UAV Expo.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Grant talks about Skysafe, the company’s counter drone and forensics services, and the role that drone forensics have in an integrated counter drone solution.