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. He opens up on supply chain bottlenecks, why condition-based maintenance must replace calendar-based overhauls, what it will take to make AAM and eVTOL commercially viable, and why ATC modernization is the critical path to scale. If you care about building, certifying, or flying the future of aviation, this is your playbook.
Episode Highlights
- How GAMA aligns manufacturers, regulators, and operators to get safe technology to market faster
- Advanced manufacturing in practice: composites, additive, digital threads, and real-time quality data
- AI’s role in predictive maintenance, automation, and the human-in-the-loop question
- Certification reality checks and how to keep programs moving with measurable milestones
- AAM and eVTOL operations: why IFR capability and procedures are essential to scale
- ATC modernization and the Modern Skies initiative as the backbone for the next decade
- Hybrid-electric propulsion, multi-path redundancy, and the path to safer operations
- Practical vision for rooftops, vertiports, and using existing community infrastructure
- Unleaded avgas transition timelines and what it means for the fleet
Key Points with Timestamps
- 00:00:00 Safety by design: if cars auto brake, why can aircraft still collide
- 00:00:28 Show open, sponsor XTI Aerospace, and guest intro
- 00:03:35 GAMA’s mission: accelerate innovation and certification while protecting safety
- 00:06:11 The full manufacturing ecosystem: aircraft, engines, avionics, MRO, training
- 00:06:45 Composites and 3D printing meet the regulator’s education curve
- 00:08:24 Industry 4.0 in aerospace manufacturing
- 00:08:47 Re...
