Episode #324
eVTOL vs. Helicopter: Is Vertical Aerospace Changing the Mission?
An American fighter goes down in hostile territory. Recovering the crew requires multiple aircraft, enormous resources, and putting even more lives at risk. What if an autonomous aircraft could fly into that same environment, extract the crew, and return without risking another pilot? That's one of the possibilities Michael Cervenka, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer of Vertical Aerospace, is exploring. Drones have limitations in range and payload. Helicopters are incredibly capable, but they're complex and expensive to operate and maintain. Vertical Aerospace sees an opportunity between the two. With its Valo aircraft, Vertical is developing a common platform for electric, hybrid-electric, and eventually autonomous flight. The ambition goes well beyond flying passengers between cities. Think military logistics, personnel recovery, and missions where sending a conventional helicopter may be too expensive or too dangerous. In this episode of The Aerospace Executive Podcast, Michael joins me to discuss how Vertical Aerospace is working to close the gap between drones and helicopters, what it will take to bring these aircraft into service, and why the future of eVTOL could be much bigger than the air-taxi market. What You’ll Discover In This Episode Why Vertical Aerospace survived the eVTOL hype cycle when others failed The critical decision that reduced risk and cleared a path to deployment How battery, hybrid and military variants all share one platform The supply chain decision that prevents being locked into outdated batteries How operating costs open new mission opportunities in electronic warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence Why they chose to work with operators rather than be an operator How unglamorous commercial uses are already driving 1,500 pre-orders About the Guest Michael Cervenka is the Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer at Vertical Aerospace Group Ltd. Senior business and engineering exec with over two decades‘ experience in aerospace and across a wide range of disruptive technologies. Successfully incubated novel business concepts while building large global multi-disciplinary teams. Strategic agility and influence to set up and deliver significant business transformation. Strong business savvy with extensive commercial, customer and supplier experience. Learn more at https://vertical-aerospace.com/ or connect with Michael 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 Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association. Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/ . To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/ .
