

So it's just been, as usual, a great sort of wellspring for us. So we've talked about things like trajectory-based operations and what's going on with hypersonics. And of course, as usual, the great thing about AIAA is that you get to hear things that you'd never hear at other conferences, all under one roof. I'd never heard it described like that, but I'm sure he wasn't the only one who was thinking that.

It's about just in case, and having as many of them as you can get to, in case the supply chain is disrupted. So Rod McLean from Lockheed Martin used an interesting phrase, which I've never heard before, because he said it's not about just in time anymore and having just the one thing on the wall that you need. It's not just commercial, it's the defense. And I think that was really underlined in the first few sessions here as well. There's been a lot of talk about the supply chain pressures, of course, that's facing all aspects of the industry. So what we are really seeing at the moment is a lot of debate about the workforce issues facing the aerospace industry, as a whole. But this time I feel like it's back to more like normal. It's not a sort of tentative thing, which I think AIAA was pioneering, really, in January. You wouldn't say there's a false start, but I feel like this is the first time when we've actually got a good crowd. I know we have had a few early false starts, like SciTech, of course, in January. It's almost like standing back up to normal again, isn't it? A return finally to that. What are the themes or the observations so far? And Guy, this is the first time I've been able to join you at one of these conferences for quite a while, so give me an idea of what you think about this conference. We are at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation 2022 conference in Chicago. I'm Graham Warwick, technology editor, and with me is Guy Norris, our senior editor. Hello, and welcome to Aviation Week's Check 6 podcast. They talked to Rich Wahls, NASA’s newly appointed Sustainable Flight National Partnership mission integration manager at the AIAA Aviation 2022 conference in Chicago.ĭon't miss a single episode. Subscribe to Aviation Week's Check 6 podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon, Audible and Spotify.ĭiscover all of Aviation Week Network's podcasts on our Apple Podcasts channel or /podcasts As NASA invites bids to build and fly its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator, technology editor Graham Warwick and senior editor Guy Norris hear how this aircraft will differ from the agency’s prior X-planes.
