Thomas Pfammatter's guest appearances

Thomas Pfammatter

Aerospace Engineering Podcast

The eVTOL Insights Podcast

Neil Cloughley

Kitty Hawk

Max Haot

Tim Williams

Adam Cohen

Alan Jones

John Britton

Mark Cutler

Paul Weaver

Paul Harper

Andrew Dunn

Darren Smith

Reed Smith

Bertrand Flipo

Samy Libsig

OwlTail

In this episode, Thomas and Jasmine talk more about the company’s vision for electric aviation and its current project, aEro 3. Jasmine gives an update on how testing is going so far this year, and with more than 25 years’ experience as a helicopter pilot, Thomas tells us the advantages of using eVTOL technology for emergency medical transport missions.

Episode 23 - Thomas Pfammatter and Jasmine Kent of Dufour Aerospace

On this episode I am speaking to Thomas Pfammatter, who is the co-founder of the Swiss electric aircraft startup Dufour Aerospace. Dufour is currently designing an electric aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities for the urban and rural transport market. The promise of their current aircraft, the aEro 2, is that with VTOL capabilities it can take-off and land pretty much anywhere, which can considerably reduce travel times, especially to places that are difficult to reach by car or train.There is a long-standing compromise in aviation between taking-off vertically, and being able to travel fast horizontally. Dufour Aerospace believes that with electric propulsion it is possible to combine these two worlds. To achieve this, Dufour are using a tilt-wing design fitted with two propellers. The wing and attached propellers can pivot around a hinge between the horizontal and vertical planes, and thereby provide exceptional lift, stability and control characteristics even in slow flight. Dufour have proven their electrical aviation ambitions with the aEro1 aerobatic aircraft and are currently in the process of developing the tilt-wing aEro 2 airplane. In this episode you will learn about many of the details behind Dufour’s technology such as:the tilt-wing concept and the tail fan used for pitch control 	the aerodynamic importance of the vortex ring state 	the future of regional travel and how Dufour hopes to influence this spaceIf you enjoy the Aerospace Engineering Podcast you can support it by leaving a review on iTunes or by supporting it directly on Patreon, where patrons of the podcast receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content and special episodes. Thanks a lot for listening!This episode is brought to you by AnalySwift. Do you work in the design and analysis of aerospace structures and materials? If so, AnalySwift’s innovative engineering software SwiftComp may be the solution you’re seeking. Used either independently for virtual testing of aerospace composites or as a plugin to power conventional FEA codes, SwiftComp delivers the accuracy of 3D FEA in seconds instead of hours. A general-purpose multiscale modeling program, SwiftComp provides an efficient and accurate tool for modeling aerospace structures and materials featuring anisotropy and heterogeneity. Not only does SwiftComp quickly calculate the complete set of effective properties needed for use in macroscopic structural analysis, it also accurately predicts local stresses and strains in the microstructure for predicting strengths. Find out how others in composites are saving time while improving accuracy, designing earlier in the process, and getting to market more quickly. For a free trial, visit analyswift.com. SwiftComp: Right results. Right away.This episode is also sponsored by StressEbook.com, which is an online hub for you if you are interested in aerospace stress engineering. StressEbook.com provides world-class engineering services and online courses on the stress analysis of aircraft structures, as well as a free ebook and blog. No matter if you’re a junior or senior structural analyst, stressEbook.com provides you with the skills and know-how to become a champion in your workplace.Selected Links from the Episode 	Dufour Aerospace: 	The vision 	The technology of the aEro 2 	The aEro 1 aircraftaEro 2 flying simulation 	aEro 2 press release 	What does it feel like to fly an electric aircraft? 	The vortex ring state

On this episode I am speaking to Thomas Pfammatter, who is the co-founder of the Swiss electric aircraft startup Dufour Aerospace. Dufour is currently designing an electric aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities for the urban and rural transport market. The promise of their current aircraft, the aEro 2, is that with VTOL capabilities it can take-off and land pretty much anywhere, which can considerably reduce travel times, especially to places that are difficult to reach by car or train. There is a long-standing compromise in aviation between taking-off vertically, and being able to travel fast horizontally. Dufour Aerospace believes that with electric propulsion it is possible to combine these two worlds. To achieve this, Dufour are using a tilt-wing design fitted with two propellers. The wing and attached propellers can pivot around a hinge between the horizontal and vertical planes, and thereby provide exceptional lift, stability and control characteristics even in slow flight. Dufour have proven their electrical aviation ambitions with the aEro1 aerobatic aircraft and are currently in the process of developing the tilt-wing aEro 2 airplane. In this episode you will learn about many of the details behind Dufour’s technology such as: the tilt-wing concept and the tail fan used for pitch control 	the aerodynamic importance of the vortex ring state 	the future of regional travel and how Dufour hopes to influence this space If you enjoy the Aerospace Engineering Podcast you can support it by leaving a review on iTunes or by supporting it directly on Patreon, where patrons of the podcast receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content and special episodes. Thanks a lot for listening! This episode is brought to you by AnalySwift. Do you work in the design and analysis of aerospace structures and materials? If so, AnalySwift’s innovative engineering software SwiftComp may be the solution you’re seeking. Used either independently for virtual testing of aerospace composites or as a plugin to power conventional FEA codes, SwiftComp delivers the accuracy of 3D FEA in seconds instead of hours. A general-purpose multiscale modeling program, SwiftComp provides an efficient and accurate tool for modeling aerospace structures and materials featuring anisotropy and heterogeneity. Not only does SwiftComp quickly calculate the complete set of effective properties needed for use in macroscopic structural analysis, it also accurately predicts local stresses and strains in the microstructure for predicting strengths. Find out how others in composites are saving time while improving accuracy, designing earlier in the process, and getting to market more quickly. For a free trial, visit <a href="http://analyswift.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">analyswift.com</a>. SwiftComp: Right results. Right away. This episode is also sponsored by <a href="http://StressEbook.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">StressEbook.com</a>, which is an online hub for you if you are interested in aerospace stress engineering. <a href="http://StressEbook.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">StressEbook.com</a> provides world-class engineering services and online courses on the stress analysis of aircraft structures, as well as a free ebook and blog. No matter if you’re a junior or senior structural analyst, <a href="http://stressEbook.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">stressEbook.com</a> provides you with the skills and know-how to become a champion in your workplace. Selected Links from the Episode 	Dufour Aerospace: 	The vision 	The technology of the aEro 2 	The aEro 1 aircraft aEro 2 flying simulation 	aEro 2 press release 	What does it feel like to fly an electric aircraft? 	The vortex ring state

Podcast Ep. #14 – Dufour Aerospace Co-Founder Thomas Pfammatter on the aEro2 VTOL Electric Aircraft