Hangar X Studios

Thanks for clarifying—and sorry again. You needed under 4,000 characters including spaces, with the same format. Here’s your content reduced to fit that: Episode Summary What happens when long-endurance drones become part of a regional infrastructure network? In this episode of the Hangar X Podcast, host John Ramstead talks with David Mazar about Droneport—SiFly’s shared infrastructure platform fo...

Episode Summary In this episode of Hangar X, host John Ramstead speaks with Robinson Helicopter CEO David Smith about the future of manned and unmanned aviation. David shares Robinson’s vision for the “Era of Both,” where pilots and autonomous systems work together to expand vertical lift operations. The discussion covers Robinson’s acquisition of Ascent AeroSystems, the launch of Robinson Unmanne...

Episode Summary In this episode of Hangar X, host John Ramstead sits down with Miriam McNabb, Editor-in-Chief of DroneLife, for a wide-ranging and deeply insightful conversation on the forces shaping the drone industry today. From dual-use technology and global competitiveness to regulatory bottlenecks and the critical role of spectrum, Miriam unpacks what’s hype versus reality—and what operators,...

In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with Bobby Sakaki—Founder & CEO of UAS Nexus and one of the most deeply embedded operators in the drone ecosystem. This conversation goes far beyond drones. It dives into the real bottlenecks shaping the future of aerospace innovation: fragile supply chains, overreliance on foreign manufacturing, lack of software maturity, and the c...

In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with serial entrepreneur and SiFLI CEO Brian Hinman to unpack a pivotal shift happening in the drone and aerospace industry. Hinman argues that we are entering a “reset moment”—where breakthroughs in endurance, autonomy, AI, and regulatory change are redefining what drones can do and where they can operate. Moving beyond visual line...

In this forward-looking episode of Hangar X, host John Ramstead sits down with Cornell PhD candidate and autonomy researcher Mehrnaz Sabet to explore one of the most critical challenges in aerospace today: scaling drone operations safely and efficiently. Rather than framing autonomy as a replacement for humans, Mehrnaz introduces a powerful paradigm—collaborative autonomy—where humans and intellig...

Drone delivery has long been hyped as futuristic—but what if it’s already here, profitable, and scaling faster than most people realize? In this episode of Hangar X, host John Ramstead sits down with Bobby Healy, Founder & CEO of Manna, Europe’s leading drone delivery company. Bobby pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build a sustainable drone delivery business—and why most companies...

In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with Christopher Hewlett—retired Navy Commander and Director of Project ULTRA—to explore how the Department of Defense is accelerating the real-world integration of drones into the national airspace. This isn’t theoretical. Project ULTRA is moving beyond simulations into repeatable, operational BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) mi...

Weather is the hidden limiter of advanced air mobility and drone scale—not batteries, airframes, or autonomy. In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with Don Berchoff, founder and CEO of TruWeather Solutions, to unpack the “weather tax” businesses already pay through delays, cancellations, lost payload, and conservative go/no-go decisions driven by uncertainty. Don expla...

The drone industry is at a pivotal moment — and misinformation is flying just as fast as the aircraft themselves. In this episode of Hangar X, host John Ramstead sits down with Sally French (aka “The Drone Girl”), one of the most trusted voices in drone journalism, to cut through the noise surrounding the FCC’s recent ruling on foreign-made drones. Are DJI drones banned? Will commercial operators...

In this episode of Hangar X, host John Ramstead sits down with Emily Deaton, CEO of Jet Aviva, to unpack the post-pandemic transformation of business aviation. From the surge in first-time buyers to the stabilization of demand, Emily shares insider insights into who’s buying aircraft today, what’s driving long-term ownership trends, and what market signals reveal about the broader health of aerosp...

Aviation is entering one of the most disruptive economic shifts in its history — and investor Dean Donovan is right at the center of it. In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead welcomes back one of aerospace’s sharpest market minds to unpack where capital is flowing, what technologies are real versus hype, and why the future of aviation will be shaped by defense-driven innovation,...

The future of aerospace isn’t just about new aircraft — it’s about building an entirely new digital infrastructure in the sky. In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with Amit Ganjoo, CEO of ANRA Technologies, one of the world’s leading providers of drone traffic management and mission orchestration platforms. Amit shares how ANRA is helping transform low-altitude airspa...

What if flying a small airplane or helicopter felt as safe—and as simple—as riding an elevator? In this episode of Hangar X, host John Ramstead sits down with Mark Groden of Skyryse to unpack the company’s mission: redesigning how aircraft are flown through integrated hardware and software. Mark shares the personal tragedy that sparked his focus on aviation safety, then explains how Skyryse’s oper...

Episode Summary In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with Pramod B. Raheja, aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, and CEO of Airgility, to explore the rapidly evolving world of autonomous drones and aerial robotics. From flying drones through doorways in GPS-denied environments to redefining what autonomy really means on the battlefield and in public safety, this conversat...

In this fast-paced lightning round, Jeremy Schneiderman, CEO and Founder of Drone Nerds, joins host John Ramstead to unpack some of the most critical shifts happening in the drone and UAS industry today. From the transformative power of BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operations to the rapid evolution of drone-in-a-box systems, Jeremy shares practical insights on how automation, regulation, an...

Bristow’s Chief Transformation Officer David Stepanek returns to Hangar X to share real-world lessons from one of the most credible electric aviation test programs today: commercial-style operations in Norway using BETA Technologies’ all-electric ALIA (CX). Rather than focusing on limitations, David explains Bristow’s pragmatic “crawl–walk–run” approach—starting with conventional electric flight,...

In this episode of the HangarX Podcast, host John Ramstead talks with Scott Drennan, President and COO of Otto Aviation, about the breakthrough thinking behind the Phantom 3500—a super-mid business jet built around laminar flow. Fresh off NBAA, Otto announced 300 firm Flexjet orders, signaling strong confidence in an aircraft promising lower fuel burn, coast-to-coast range, and a new cabin experie...

Drones are quickly moving from hobby gear to essential industry infrastructure. In this Hangar X Studios episode, host and ex–fighter pilot John Ramstead talks with Jeremy Schneiderman, CEO of Drone Nerds, about the shift from consumer drones to enterprise, mission-critical systems. Jeremy shares how Drone Nerds grew from a small retailer into a major U.S. drone partner, and how aerial data is cha...

Electrification is coming to aviation, but Ampaire’s CEO Kevin Noertker says the practical near-term path is hybrid-electric, not fully electric. In Hangar X, he explains how Ampaire shifted from bold sci-fi concepts to a certifiable retrofit strategy, proven in rugged deployments. Episode Highlights Big belief: Electrification will transform aviation like it did cars. Pivot to hybrid: Full-electr...

In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead talks with Manoel Coelho, CEO and Founder of Speedbird Aero, the company pioneering autonomous logistics and drone delivery. From launching Brazil’s first certified drone delivery operation to partnerships in Israel, Scotland, and Singapore, Speedbird is proving how unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can transform food, medical, and cargo transpor...

In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with Steve Zohabian, Chief Operating Officer at XTI Aerospace, to discuss how the company is reshaping the future of flight with the TriFan 600. From DARPA’s “Frankenstein” Learjet experiment to the next generation of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, Steve shares how XTI is leveraging proven technology, agile processes, and a...

Former fighter pilot and host John Ramstead sits down with Dr. Alex Williams for a fast paced masterclass on building world class engineering cultures and the future of aerospace. Alex traces his path from Pratt & Whitney’s combustor technology group to running research labs inside Apple, where he helped pioneer materials innovations such as 7000 series aluminum for iPhone and the engineered t...

Former Army helicopter pilot and FAA leader James “Jim” Viola, now President and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), joins host John Ramstead to map where aerospace manufacturing and operations are headed next. From composites and 3D printing to data-driven certification, AI, and hybrid-electric propulsion, Jim explains how innovation can move faster while staying safe. H...

Propellers may not be the “sexy” part of an aircraft, but the team at Athule Aero is proving they’re the key to unlocking the future of advanced air mobility. In this episode of Hangar X Studios , host John Ramstead sits down with Tony Bacarella , CEO of Athule, to explore how their patented “Double Break” propeller technology is cutting noise by up to 75% and improving efficiency by up to 15%. Fr...