Archive for Aviation

Jared Isaacman – The Billionaire Astronaut

Posted by DROrsborn 
· Tuesday, October 4th, 2022 
· 4 Comments

Polaris Dawn Team training for their next mission (Isaacman is the third on the right)

Jared Isaacman is today worth around 1.4 Billion USD his story begins in New Jersey. As a teenager Isaacman dropped out of high school when he landed a job with Merchant Services Inc. as an consultant who provided information on the web which was new at the time. He had previously took advantage of the new trend of the web by selling web services to local businesses which is where he got the connection with MSI. During his brief time working at the company he realized the opportunity in the industry, it took to long for businesses to adopt POS systems (Credit/Debit Card terminals) and where eager to have a third party bridge the gap by making these services easier to use which in turn increases sales for the businesses using POS. Isaacman left the company to start his own business as a teenager, because of his age he needed family connections and a loan to be approved for a credit ID to use his businesses. His business quickly took of as the digital age became inevitable and Isaacman brought one of the first Digital terminals to market which is what we often see today shopping at local restaurants where you simply put your card in to pay. His business expanded and included his former employer MSI and Shift4 a large competitor whose name he took for the company. Today the company is one of the most competitive in the industry rivaling only Square who has a different target customer. In addition to Shift 4 Isaacman is a extreme aviator holding multiple records for his daring trips in fighter jets. Later as an adult he also founded Draken International which is the largest private air force in the World which trains Air Force pilots saving the USAF money and time. As if that was not enough Isaacman has also been to space… He partially funded and was a part of the first fully-private Space mission, teaming up with SpaceX for the Inspiration 4 mission which also raised million for Charity by raffling a seat on the mission. Today Isaacman is training for Polaris Dawn his next Space Mission again with SpaceX. This time he will be team commander a position usually only held by the most experienced NASA astronauts.

4 Comments
Categories : Aviation, Droupout, Finance, Space

Sustainable Air Transportation

Posted by ZeislerWB20 
· Monday, September 14th, 2020 
· 5 Comments

Wright Electric was founded by Jeffrey Mark Engler to solve the problem carbon emissions by airplanes.  Flying is an essential part of modern transportation, but it can triple a persons carbon footprint.  Wright Electric is working on developing an electric airplane that will have much lower carbon emissions than current passenger jets.  The Wright 1 airplane that is in development will be able to carry 186 passengers, and it will use batteries to power electric motors for propulsion.  Lower carbon emissions will be achieved by using electric power and a more aerodynamic design that reduces drag and makes the airplane more efficient.  Battery powered airplanes are becoming more realistic as a result of research by government agencies such as NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory that are making batteries more efficient and lighter.  An electric airplane has some additional benefits.  Electric motors are much quieter than traditional jet engines, and the decreased use of fuel will make electric airplanes cheaper to fly.  Wright electric is also designing their airplane so that batteries can be quickly swapped at an airport to allow for a faster turnaround time.

Wright Electric has partnered with experienced airlines such as EasyJet, Jetex, and VivaAerobus to get commercial, operational, and maintenance insight during the design process.  The Wright 1 will not have a very large range at first with 500km or 311mi flights from London to Paris, but it will be able to get up a 1,280km or 800mi range.  The Wright 1 will also have slower cruising speeds than similarly sized passenger jets, but Wright Electric expects this to be fine for the short flights that they will be starting with.  Wright Electric is planning to perform ground tests of its motors in 2021 and flight tests in 2023.  They are hoping to have the airplane on the market by 2030.

5 Comments
Categories : Air Quality, Airlines, Aviation, Energy, Engineering, Enviornmental, Sustainable, Transportation

Scott’s Cheap Flights

Posted by Alec Wichman 
· Tuesday, September 17th, 2019 
· 1 Comment

The service Scott’s Cheap Flights was created by Scott Keyes in 2013. The humble beginnings of this service started as Scott had found an incredibly cheap international flight online. He did not plan to buy the ticket but he didn’t want the incredible deal he found to go unused either, so he shared the details with collogues and friends, and pretty soon he built up an email list with amazing flight deals, marking the beginning of Scott’s Cheap Flights. From here, Scott built a business out of a seemingly random occurrence once he saw the potential market for a business of this caliber. Scott’s team has members all across the globe, with employees in various countries trying to find the best deals for their premium members. The real magic of the service is that they have generated millions in profit since the inception of the company and have only 500$ in marketing!

 

Scott was able to take something completely random and look for ways to turn a profit on it. He capitalized on a specific area of a market in a way that set his company apart from the crowd. What makes his service special is the sheer simplicity of it; all you need to do is select the airports you depart from, put in your email and it’s as simple as that. For a fee, you can upgrade to receive knowledge even more exclusive deals with better fares. Scott Keyes is a prime example of what an entrepreneur should be: one who takes an idea a sees how it can be used to solve a problem.

 

Source: scottscheapflights.com

 

1 Comment
Categories : Airlines, Aviation, Great Ideas, Travel

Teal Drones

Posted by rogersnw18 
· Tuesday, December 4th, 2018 
· 1 Comment

Middle school can be a tough time for many young teens. It’s a time to begin learning who you are and trying new things. In George Matus’ case, it was a time to work as a test pilot, learn about aviation, and prototype helicopters and drones. George’s goal was to find what was lacking in drones and add and improve upon them. A few years later George’s dream drone was born in the form of The Teal One.

Matus officially started his drone business when was 17 years old in high school. It was quite the journey. He raised 2.8 million in seed money with 100k coming from Peter Thiel’s Foundation to skip college. Matus also participated in Battlebots, built a team of 15 workers, built a website, created a warranty policy, and completed high school classes the same year. Finally, he launched his commercial drone business, Teal Drones, in early 2017 with his first product costing $1,299.

Perhaps the most incredible part of Matus’ journey was his job opportunity as a test pilot for HorizonHobby in middle school. After being told to take down a video on YouTube of flying a modified version of their drone upside down, he was offered a job. While there, Matus designed a helicopter that could fly for 2 hours and a drone that could fly over a hundred miles per hour. His experience in this job allowed him to see the gaps in the drone industry by just age 16. With determination, natural skill, and a passion for drones, George Matus created a company that is leading the way in the drone industry through design innovation and the search for new use applications.

1 Comment
Categories : Aviation, Business, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Technology