What if the future of flight didn’t come from aerospace giants—but from a physicist who once broke world speed records on a human-powered bicycle?

In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Damjan Zabovnik, CEO of EV Corporation, to explore how radical efficiency, unconventional thinking, and persistence are reshaping aviation.

Damjan shares his journey from designing the world’s most aerodynamic human-powered vehicles to developing next-generation electric VTOL aircraft and heavy-lift autonomous drones. The conversation dives into circular wing design, hybrid lift systems, edge AI autonomy, and why simplicity often beats complexity in aerospace engineering.

Industry Ignited https://industryignited.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/industryignited/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/industryignited/
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3TX1L5LPr4lt1UtcSpSvlN?si=7037433a58c54162
Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/industry-ignited-podcast/id1824619671

0:00 intro
0:06 The Journey of a Physicist: From Bicycles to Aviation
5:40 Innovative Design: The Circular Wing VTOL Concept
9:51 Learning From Failures: Iterations in Design
13:11 Hybrid Approach: Combining Helicopter Lift with Fixed Wing Efficiency
16:33 Targeting Emergency Response: The Right Market Entry
18:20 The Importance of Autonomy in Remote Operations
20:16 Validation and Credibility: NASA SBIR Award
21:20 Leadership in Complex Industry
23:41 Balancing Passion with Family Life
25:06 Advice for Innovators Taking Risks and Staying Persistent

#PODCAST #AVIATION #AEROSPACE

In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar speaks with Andrew Patrick, President and CEO of Eckert Machining Inc., about why the most powerful driver of manufacturing performance isn’t equipment or automation, but culture. Drawing on decades of experience transforming large machine shops in Silicon Valley and Europe, Andrew explains how management unity, consistent leadership behavior, and genuine recognition create environments where people show up engaged, accountable, and motivated to perform. Through real-world turnaround stories, he illustrates how fear-based cultures quietly destroy productivity, while trust, psychological safety, and disciplined systems unlock sustained operational excellence—proving that culture is not a “soft” concept, but a strategic advantage that directly impacts quality, profitability, and growth.

In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Matthew Guy, CEO of Niche 3D, to demystify additive manufacturing and show where 3D printing creates real business advantage beyond “hobby” perception. Matthew explains why the winners in 3D printing focus on applications and customer needs—not the novelty of the technology—then walks through how he designs and manufactures custom, low-volume production parts for pharmaceutical, medical, and assistive device companies when injection molding and traditional methods are too slow, too expensive, or too rigid. He breaks down how material selection, print orientation, tuning, and post-processing determine production-grade quality, why rapid iteration can compress product development cycles, and how 3D printing enables startups to launch without massive tooling costs or minimum order quantities. The conversation also touches on where AI is genuinely helping (error detection and early automation) versus where it is still immature, and what mindset shift helps innovators stop asking “Can we print this?” and start asking “What’s possible now?”