DiamondStream Partners

#Ampaire and hybrid-electric propulsion featured in the #WSJ. https://lnkd.in/gu-8bHKF

Good piece in FastCompany on Alaska Airlines investment in #BWB. #aviation #aerospace #airlines https://lnkd.in/enMgG3EY

#CommercialAviation, which typically flies aircraft with over 100 seats, represents more than 80% of revenue seat miles flown and emissions generated in the aviation sector. However, we haven't seen much investment in breakthrough approaches for more the larger #aircraft that serve these operations. Investors have made big bets in breakthrough #aerospace technologies for smaller aircraft (e.g. #eVTOLS, #eSTOL and #hydrogen themes), which address less than 16% of aviation emissions and less than 10% of current aircraft. #SAF investments can help commercial #aviation move forward with #sustainability goals, but SAF is likely to cost 2-3X as much as JetA, which will create significant demand destruction and financing issues for airlines. #Boeing and #Airbus have explored breakthrough technologies for commercial aviation that would increase aircraft efficiency beyond what traditional tube and wing aircraft can achieve -- Boeing's X66 Truss Braced Wing concept for example. However, the only programs currently planned -- next generation tube and wing #aircraft -- will deliver gains that fall far short of the industry's needs to achieve its sustainability goals. The #BWB concepts in progress, of which JetZero is the most advanced, can help fill this gap in product development and sustainability for the most important part of the #airline business by cutting fuel consumption per RPM by 30-50%. SAF will continue to play an important role, which BWB concepts will accelerate by eliminating the trillions of dollars of incremental cost that would have put a primarily SAF based solution under immense pressure. In the end, the fuel savings tied to new equipment will help the industry achieve its sustainability goals while reducing costs and accelerating industry growth. That makes for a healthier industry going forward. Alaska Airlines has a strong history of pragmatic thought leadership in the aviation industry. With this investment they have led the industry towards an attractive future where a robust, profitable industry and sustainability have become mutually reinforcing goals that build on the industry's legacy as the world's most fuel efficient. large scale transportation system. Many investors focused in sustainability have not had the right combination of vision and pragmatism to take this type of step. Congrats to Alaska Airlines and JetZero on moving us in the right direction. https://lnkd.in/evYUCwbx

Good article by Richard Aboulafia here on the need for an engine for a mid-market aircraft. Currently, there is a gap in the market for this type of plane. Boeing has declined to build something for this market space. According to Aboulafia, the A321, which is the only aircraft in this class, represents an imperfect fit for the market need and remains vulnerable to new entrants like #JetZero and potentially others. #jetpropulsion #aviation https://lnkd.in/gvmtSzCU

A third start-up competitor, Outbound Aerospace, emerges in the blended-wing-body space. #aviation #BWB #aerospace https://lnkd.in/gsk8kkh6

Pratt is making progress on the GTF issues. There is still a long ways to go and capacity constraints remain an important part of the landscape. #commercialaviation #aviation #propulsion https://lnkd.in/gpKnQThz

Good piece here by Yves Le Marquand at Revolution Aero. He has collected a set of balanced points from experts about the future of the prospective #Airtaxi industry that will evolve as Archer, Joby and others certify their aircraft. Given the success of helicopters on these types of routes in the past and the lower observed price elasticity on airport routes, Yves implicitly argues that a market already exists for this product. (Blade has already paved the way.). However, he also points out costs may be far higher initially than projected and that it will take some time for them to fall. All of this suggests that it will take far longer to build the higher levels of demand the industry had anticipated when Uber Elevate was launched in 2016. Sounds about right to me, although I am still rooting for a faster take-off. #evtol #airtaxi #uam #aviation #aerospace https://lnkd.in/gEa7zt53